PIT WALL WIRE

F1 News

A rolling grid of Formula 1 headlines from trusted publishers.

Latest: May 2, 5:57 PM from Autosport

Autosport

What is at the top of the to do list for each F1 team?

Unlike the Formula 1 summer and winter shutdowns, there are no rules preventing teams from powering on with developments during the unexpected April break due to the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds. Therefore each team has been hard at work, either back at base or on the track, to solve its most pressing problems, whether it is focused on its car, engine, software or ... Keep reading

Read at source
Autosport

How every F1 2026 team has performed so far

Having raced on three very different circuits in Melbourne, Shanghai and Suzuka, the early stages of 2026 have provided a first look at which teams hit the ground running in Formula 1's bold new era and who has missed the mark. Mercedes came out swinging with a clean sweep of the first three races, while questions will be asked at struggling Williams and Aston Martin. Here's an overview of all ... Keep reading

Read at source
Autosport

Marko points to where the new rules started to go wrong but has faith F1 can ‘address the shortcomings’

Former Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko has become the latest figure to criticise the new Formula 1 rules and regulations, as he points to where the problems began and how he hopes solutions can be found. F1’s new era has received a mixed response at best, with the increase in action and overtaking contrasting complaints by drivers about artificial overtakes and unnatural ways to drive the ... Keep reading

Read at source
Autosport

The questions that still need answering from the start of the 2026 F1 season

Are F1’s 2026 rules going to be tweaked, and when? Formula 1’s new-for-2026 rules have received a mixed reception so far. Drivers tend to enjoy the smaller, nimbler cars, but this has been overshadowed by the greater emphasis on electric energy and the consequent preponderance of energy management. Drivers are openly dissatisfied with the amount of energy-saving and energy-harvesting ... Keep reading

Read at source
Autosport

The three clues to the F1 start problem Antonelli is aiming to solve

"He's going to kick my butt because of the start. I deserve that,” is what Kimi Antonelli said in response to his major area to improve within his dream start to 2026, in which the entire month of April – in part due to the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs – he will have spent leading the Formula 1 world drivers' championship. Antonelli knows he has a job to do, kick up the ... Keep reading

Read at source
Autosport

Why Red Bull and Verstappen looked better in Australia than in China and Japan

Many in the paddock had expected a difficult start for Red Bull under the new technical regulations, but for a different reason than the one currently at play. Ahead of winter testing in Barcelona and Bahrain, the biggest question marks surrounded the all-new power unit, with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stating that Red Bull had “the Mount Everest to climb”. Wolff then completely ... Keep reading

Read at source
Autosport

The biggest surprises and disappointments of F1's 2026 field so far

Many teams felt the weight of expectation heading into Formula 1's 2026 season, particularly through their own publicly declared intent of entering the championship's latest era with a sizeable impact. Those who had enjoyed success wanted to sustain it, and those starved of results wanted to use the reset to their advantage. It wasn't entirely surprising that Mercedes vaulted to the top of ... Keep reading

Read at source
Autosport

FIA outlines decision timeline on F1 2026 tweaks

The FIA has laid out a timeline for further discussions to improve the 2026 Formula 1 regulations after a "constructive dialogue" on tweaks to energy management. On Thursday technical experts from the teams and power unit manufacturers convened for the first of a series of meetings to propose and discuss tweaks to 2026 technical and sporting regulations to address a number of concerns around ... Keep reading

Read at source
Autosport

McLaren confirms signing of Verstappen's F1 race engineer Lambiase

Gianpiero Lambiase will join McLaren as its chief racing officer, the British Formula 1 team announced on Thursday. Autosport revealed Lambiase’s career move earlier today, with Red Bull subsequently confirming the Briton’s eventual exit from the Milton Keynes-based outfit. Lambiase joined Red Bull from Force India in 2015 and has been Max Verstappen’s race engineer ever since the ... Keep reading

Read at source
Autosport

What the Bahrain and Saudi cancellations reveal about how F1's money works

Liberty Media’s stock fell approximately seven percent when Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were removed from the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, pricing the cancellations as lost growth rather than contained exposure. So F1 did not lose two races, it lost two hosting fees. The distinction is not semantic, it is structural, and it explains why the championship's most valuable revenue streams continued ... Keep reading

Read at source
Autosport

Stroll: Aston Martin F1 struggles a factor in surprise GT outing

Lance Stroll says Aston Martin’s ongoing woes in Formula 1 played a role in his decision to enter this weekend’s GT World Challenge Europe event at Paul Ricard. The Canadian will take advantage of an unexpected gap on the F1 calendar to contest the opening GTWCE Endurance Cup event of 2026, driving Comtoyou Racing’s Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo with Roberto Merhi and Mari Boya. It ... Keep reading

Read at source
Autosport

The pros and cons of F1's enforced break and cancelled races

If normal service were to resume, most Formula 1 staff would be on a flight to Bahrain today in preparation for a desert double-header. Instead, the war in Iran and the subsequent cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds has offered F1's circus a 'spring break' to reflect on the opening three rounds of the 2026 campaign before returning to action in Miami at the start of ... Keep reading

Read at source
Autosport

Hill's standout memories from his 1996 F1 title-clinching race, 30 years on

On 13 October 1996, Damon Hill clinched the Formula 1 world championship at Suzuka by nine points over team-mate Jacques Villeneuve after a dominant campaign for Williams. The Briton therefore avenged his near-miss in 1994 to take what would be his only F1 title and 30 years on, Hill has returned to his old stable as an ambassador. So, at March’s Japanese Grand Prix, Williams took the ... Keep reading

Read at source
Autosport

What did Verstappen actually say in 2023 about the 2026 F1 cars?

There has been no bigger critic of the 2026 Formula 1 regulations than Max Verstappen. The four-time world champion first caused a stir during pre-season testing when he labelled the new ruleset as "anti-racing" and like "Formula E on steroids" due to the increased reliance on electrical energy. His fears were that the new power units would create a kind of racing that has been witnessed ... Keep reading

Read at source
Autosport

The new F1 rule which makes Antonelli expect Ferrari to close in on Mercedes

Formula 1’s 2026 regulations have largely met expectations as Mercedes has been the dominant team with Ferrari and McLaren being its closest challengers. The Silver Arrows has won every grand prix from pole and Kimi Antonelli leads George Russell at the top of the drivers’ standings after three rounds, with Mercedes also 45 clear of second-placed Ferrari in the constructors’ ... Keep reading

Read at source