After a dominant 2025, McLaren has stumbled badly in F1's new 2026 era, suffering a double DNS in China. CEO Zak Brown has given a motivational speech to the team, promising wins will come 'sooner rather than later' as they work to understand their new car's aerodynamic deficiencies.
The Toleman TG183B, the Formula 1 car Ayrton Senna drove in his debut 1984 season, is up for auction with an estimate of €2.8–3.8 million. Recently driven by Pierre Gasly in a tribute, this historically preserved chassis represents the starting point of Senna's legendary career.
Alpine's Franco Colapinto scored a point in China but was left frustrated, believing a Safety Car call ruined his alternative strategy. He criticized Race Control's inconsistency compared to a similar incident in Melbourne. Despite floor damage from a collision with teammate Esteban Ocon, he fought back to 10th, as Alpine showed signs of improved form.
Jonathan Wheatley leaves his role as Audi team principal to take over at Aston Martin, replacing Adrian Newey in a sudden leadership change. He faces the urgent task of fixing Aston Martin's troubled Honda-powered car, which has been crippled by reliability issues, while Audi turns to Mattia Binotto for stability.
Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley has departed, fueling speculation of a move to Aston Martin. Such a shift would enable Adrian Newey to concentrate on technical challenges, potentially stabilizing the team after a season with zero finishes for either driver.
Aston Martin has issued a statement reaffirming Adrian Newey's senior leadership role as 'Managing Technical Partner,' aiming to end speculation about his position. However, the team did not deny interest in Jonathan Wheatley, the recently departed Audi sporting director, who is reported to be Newey's top target to join the Silverstone-based squad.
Audi has parted ways with team principal Jonathan Wheatley effective immediately, paving the way for his expected move to Aston Martin. Mattia Binotto will take over the role temporarily at Audi, while Aston Martin seeks Wheatley's expertise to address its team leadership void and severe early-season reliability problems with its Honda engine.
Aston Martin has recruited Jonathan Wheatley from Audi to become its new team principal, replacing Adrian Newey in the role. The emergency leadership change comes as the team battles a catastrophic start to 2026, with its car failing to finish races due to severe vibrations from the Honda power unit.
Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso's former Ferrari teammate, has suggested the Aston Martin driver should consider retiring at the "right moment," questioning if he enjoys fighting at the back of the grid. Massa praised Alonso's talent but implied his current situation with an uncompetitive car may not be fitting for a driver of his stature.
McLaren boss Andrea Stella warns that F1's current technical regulations can paradoxically reward driver mistakes through energy recovery, challenging the sport's core principles. He calls for the FIA and F1 to review whether this 'counter-intuitive' outcome aligns with racing's traditional DNA.
Jonathan Wheatley has left Audi, paving the way for a future move to Aston Martin. However, a gardening leave clause in his contract will delay his start, meaning Adrian Newey will remain as Aston Martin's team principal for the immediate future. The situation highlights the complex contractual landscapes governing top F1 personnel moves.
Fernando Alonso's dramatic 2016 crash in Melbourne, where he walked away from a barrel-rolling McLaren, provided crucial data that accelerated the FIA's push for the halo safety device. The investigation into the high-G impact used new ultra-high-speed cameras to simulate the accident with a halo, convincing skeptics and leading to its mandatory introduction by 2018, forever changing cockpit safety.
