Despite serious safety concerns over chassis vibrations that can cause driver injury, most F1 fans support allowing Aston Martin to start the Japanese GP to gather crucial data. The team, however, faces a dilemma between development and driver welfare as it races to fix a Honda battery-related issue.
Oliver Bearman has made a stellar start to his full-time F1 career with Haas, scoring all of the team's points and securing a top-five finish in China. He credits the VF-26's balanced race pace for his success, while teammate Esteban Ocon's results have been hampered by misfortune. The team is now targeting double points finishes.
F1 returns to the legendary Suzuka circuit for the Japanese GP, with dominant Mercedes facing a Ferrari threat. While the Silver Arrows seek a third straight win, Red Bull and McLaren struggle for pace. The race airs live this weekend on Sky Sports F1 in the UK.
Red Bull is facing serious early-season hurdles with its new in-house power unit, as Max Verstappen's 'brutal' race starts and a retirement in China highlight significant reliability and performance issues. A team insider admits the challenge was expected but backs the squad to overcome these teething problems.
Lewis Hamilton speculates Mercedes may still use a qualifying-specific engine 'mode' for a power boost, citing a familiar pattern from his time with the team. McLaren's Lando Norris, a Mercedes customer, firmly rejected the idea, suggesting it's a mental construct. The exchange highlights the ongoing search for answers behind Mercedes' consistent Saturday supremacy.
Max Verstappen's intense criticism of F1's 2026 cars is now matched by Red Bull's shocking slump into the midfield, raising the real possibility that the frustrated champion could leave the team or the sport entirely if performance does not improve rapidly.
The FIA is looking to move forward a key engine performance evaluation for 2026 after two Grands Prix were cancelled, preventing a delay in granting development help to struggling power unit manufacturers like Ferrari and Renault.
Lewis Hamilton shared a grateful social media reflection on his Chinese Grand Prix weekend, where he scored his first podium for Ferrari after battling teammate Charles Leclerc. The personal post, featuring photos with his mother, capped a successful period that also saw the 'F1' film he co-produce win an Oscar.
Ferrari plans further tests of its radical rotating rear wing at the Japanese GP after a brief and troubled debut in China. The team needs more data to ensure the device's reliability and stability, following an incident involving Lewis Hamilton, before committing to it for a full race weekend.
McLaren's Chinese GP ended in a nightmare double DNS, but team boss Andrea Stella reveals a hidden breakthrough: the team has significantly improved its understanding of how to extract performance from its Mercedes power unit, a crucial development for its midfield campaign.
Max Verstappen will drive a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the four-hour NLS2 race at the Nurburgring this Saturday, March 21st. The race starts at 12:00 CET (11:00 UK time), with qualifying earlier that morning at 08:30 CET. This event is a key preparation step for his planned participation in the Nurburgring 24 Hours in May.
Williams boss James Vowles states the team will utilize the entire April break for data analysis, weight reduction, and simulator work to address a poor start to the 2026 F1 season, aiming to return stronger for the Miami GP.
