F1 Pickings

1997 Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has opened up about his title fight with his team-mate Damon Hill in 1996. The Canadian driver entered his rookie F1 season with Williams in 1996 and was straight into a title fight with his team-mate Hill. He ultimately finished second behind the Briton with 78 points, compared to Hill's 97. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher ended the season in third ... Keep reading

Betteridge's law of headlines dictates that any headline phrased as a question can be answered with a hard ‘no', and disregarded. Certainly a cursory perusal of the odds being offered by various bookmakers reveals that long-time favourite George Russell remains the choice of the turf accountancy trade – if by a diminishing margin. We may only be three grand prix weekends into a 22-round ... Keep reading

Franco Colapinto is set to light up the streets of his hometown as Formula One returns to Argentina for a historic demonstration event.

Oscar Piastri had a tough start to Formula 1’s new era in 2026. But after a second-place finish in the Japanese Grand Prix, his McLaren boss Andrea Stella believes the “best version” of the young Australian was on show last weekend. Piastri failed to start the first two grands prix of the year after crashing on the way to the grid in Melbourne and being hit by a mechanical issue ahead of ... Keep reading

"This is not racing, this is yo-yoing," declares Lando Norris in fresh attack on rules overhaul.

Just days after the Japanese Grand Prix, Ferrari is preparing to return to the track. During the forced break caused by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix, the Scuderia has planned two on-track sessions with the SF-25. Tomorrow, Ferrari’s test team will be at Mugello to begin two days of TPC (Testing of Previous Cars). There will be no race drivers at Ferrari’s ... Keep reading

Aston Martin's Mike Krack has acknowledged one of the team's cars reaching the chequered flag in Japan is no cause for celebration, but he feels the Formula 1 team and its Honda engine partner also need to appreciate the collaboration's small wins. The Aston Martin-Honda project suffered a woeful start with an engine that is uncompetitive and unreliable, with its vibrations also having an ... Keep reading

With his victory at the 2026 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix and his team-mate’s fourth-place finish, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli became the new championship leader. In the process, he earned the record as the youngest driver ever to top the F1 championship. Antonelli’s achievement is even more remarkable when you remember he is the first driver to lead the championship at under 20 years old ... Keep reading

Pierre Gasly described Alpine’s 2026 challenger as the best Formula 1 car he’s had in his career, after beating Max Verstappen to seventh position in the Japanese Grand Prix. After Alpine sacrificed its 2025 campaign to focus on F1’s new technical regulations, Gasly has again spearheaded its effort – and this time higher up the grid. The 30-year-old qualified seventh in the last ... Keep reading

BBC Sport F1 correspondent Andrew Benson answers your questions after the Japanese Grand Prix.

1997 Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has pointed to a weakness in Mercedes' 2026 machinery. While the Brackley outfit has had a dominant start to the season, winning every grand prix and sprint race to date, Villeneuve has claimed that the Mercedes struggles to fight in dirty air.  Antonelli became the youngest driver to lead the drivers' standings after his second win of the season ... Keep reading

Mercedes' Toto Wolff says he is "in two minds" about the prospect of facing off against his old Red Bull foe Christian Horner again if the latter returns to F1. Since his dismissal from Red Bull last July, Horner has been working behind the scenes with groups of investors on the right opportunity to return to the series, seeking a part-ownership that would help him gain a firm foothold in ... Keep reading

Mercedes' Toto Wolff says he is "in two minds" about the prospect of facing off against his old Red Bull foe Christian Horner again if the latter returns to Formula 1. Since his dismissal from Red Bull last July, Horner has been working behind the scenes with groups of investors on the right opportunity to return to the series, seeking a part-ownership that would help him gain a firm foothold ... Keep reading

Lance Stroll reckons he and Fernando Alonso have been left in their “own Aston Martin championship” after a poor start to the 2026 Formula 1 campaign. The Silverstone outfit is bottom of the standings after three rounds, having encountered a myriad of problems from chassis to power unit amid its continuously rotating management structure. Read Also: Formula 1Aston Martin ... Keep reading

Oliver Bearman has received high praise from F1 TV reporters Alex Brundle and Lawrence Barretto.  Aside from the British driver's violent crash during the Japanese Grand Prix, he has had an impressive start to the season. Heading into the race weekend at Suzuka, Bearman was fifth in the drivers' championship standings, but the crash, which was through no fault of his own, has seen him slip to ... Keep reading

Lewis Hamilton has detailed his mindset changes heading into the 2026 Formula 1 season and the tweaks he decided to enforce on Christmas Day. After losing out on the 2021 drivers' championship, Hamilton was ready to come back fighting in 2022, but the regulation changes left the Briton fighting against the ground effect era cars, machinery which failed to yield results for him. He faced further ... Keep reading

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has thrown his support behind Jonathan Wheatley to take the team principal role at Aston Martin, following his exit from the Audi F1 project. Audi confirmed on 20 March that Wheatley had left his role of team principal with immediate effect due to personal reasons, after only joining the outfit in 2025. Following the Briton's exit, he has been linked ... Keep reading

Jolyon Palmer has pointed to a 'steely' side of George Russell, which he argued could come out in an intra-team battle with his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli. Both Russell and Antonelli are level with grand prix wins following the Japanese Grand Prix, where the young Italian became the youngest championship leader in the history of the sport. With their success so far and the potency of the ... Keep reading

The "constant change" at Aston Martin has come under the scrutiny of former F1 TV presenter Will Buxton, who claimed that it is 'not doing the culture of the team any good'. In 2024, Andy Cowell joined the Silverstone outfit as Group CEO before he replaced Mike Krack in the role of team principal in January 2025. Cowell's tenure in the team chief position lasted less than a year. Adrian Newey ... Keep reading

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has pleaded with Oliver Bearman not to ‘beat himself up’, following his Formula 1 driver’s frightening crash in the Japanese Grand Prix. After qualifying a lowly 18th and making an earlier pitstop than most, Bearman was approaching 17th-placed Franco Colapinto’s Alpine with a 28mph speed difference coming into Spoon, which came as a surprise to ... Keep reading

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has pleaded with Oliver Bearman not to ‘beat himself up’, following his Formula 1 driver’s frightening crash in the Japanese Grand Prix. After qualifying a lowly 18th and making an earlier pitstop than most, Bearman was approaching 17th-placed Franco Colapinto’s Alpine with a 45km/h speed difference coming into Spoon, which came as a surprise to ... Keep reading

All the four-time world champion wants is a fast car, insists Red Bull boss, Laurent Mekies in response to Verstappen speculation.

Lewis Hamilton has shared details on his influence on Ferrari's 2026 Formula 1 challenger. The 41-year-old driver joined the Maranello outfit in 2025 after a 12-year stint with Mercedes, which resulted in six of his seven drivers' championship titles. While the Briton struggled to adapt to the new team last year, he has come back strong in 2026 and claimed his first podium finish with ... Keep reading

Who would shine in the Land of the Rising Sun?

A return to Formula 1 will be difficult for former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner because he has "broken quite a lot of glass", says ex-Mercedes rival Toto Wolff.

Three rounds into the 2026 Formula 1 season, Max Verstappen lies just ninth in the standings, with 12 points to his name. His Red Bull RB22 struggles for competitiveness, and the four-time world champion is disenchanted as ever with F1’s new machinery. The Japanese Grand Prix compounded Verstappen’s aggrieved state of mind. The Suzuka track he loves didn’t provide the same driving ... Keep reading

The 19-year-old Italian claimed his second consecutive grand prix win at Suzuka, took over the championship lead and, according to global media, immediately wrote a new chapter in F1 history. Coverage also highlighted the role of the safety car, a strong race from Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc’s recovery drive, and frustration for George Russell. Read Also: Formula 1F1 Japanese ... Keep reading

Williams boss James Vowles was saying all the right things during the build-up to the sweeping regulation change for the 2026 Formula 1 campaign. “There can’t be a focus on now,” he told Bloomberg at the end of ‘24. “There has to be an absolute focus on the future. That won’t be the same up and down the grid, they’d be more telling you ‘next year’s our championship year’ ... Keep reading

When Oliver Bearman’s Haas went off the track and into the grass, trying to avoid Franco Colapinto’s Alpine, he was travelling at Shinkansen-like speed – and had barely slowed down before hitting the wall moments later. A right knee contusion as a result of a 50G impact is as good an outcome as there could have been after a crash just a few corners away from the place where F1 had once ... Keep reading

The team react to the Japanese GP and Max Verstappen’s comments on his future.

On the latest episode of The Chequered Flag Podcast, Harry Benjamin, Alice Powell and Bec Clancy discuss how Kimi Antonelli benefitted from a slice of luck to take the win in Japan and feel that Mercedes will be ruing the extended break from racing in the coming month.

F1 finds itself in something of a tangled web as it tries to refine the new rules, improve safety and ensure the drivers are happy without compromising racing.

Haas Formula 1 team principal Ayao Komatsu has absolved Franco Colapinto of any blame after Oliver Bearman crashed out of the Japanese Grand Prix. After qualifying a lowly 18th and making an earlier pitstop than most, Bearman was battling Colapinto for 17th when he lost control at 306km/h coming into Spoon, crashing his Haas car with a 50G impact. The young Briton hobbled out of his car and was ... Keep reading

At Suzuka, the yo-yo effect was slightly less extreme than during the season opener in Melbourne, although the overall picture still did not satisfy all of the drivers. Lando Norris ultimately crossed the line in fifth place and saw that – together with Oscar Piastri’s strong showing – as a sign that McLaren is making significant progress. The racing as a whole, however, left the reigning ... Keep reading

On the latest episode of The Chequered Flag Podcast, 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill thinks that if Max Verstappen is not enjoying the sport any more following regulation changes then perhaps he needs to take a break.

For us, this is a third consecutive podium.

BBC Radio 5 Live F1 commentator Harry Benjamin rates how the drivers performed during the Japanese Grand Prix.

The objective today was to complete a race distance, which we achieved with Fernando in P18.

Just three races into our debut season, we can be very proud to have achieved another two-car finish.

These next five weeks will be some of the hardest for us, purposefully so, as we dig deep and make sure that we come back with a car in Miami that is worthy of scoring points.

McLaren's "massive step forward" in performance during the Japanese Grand Prix proved that the Woking outfit has the pace to "hang on", according to former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Karun Chandhok. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris brought home a double-points finish for McLaren with a second and fifth-place finish, respectively. This came after a torrid start to the season for ... Keep reading

Winner: Kimi Antonelli Few people would have bet against a Mercedes driver leading the standings after the opening leg of the season. But even fewer people would have gambled on Kimi Antonelli as Mercedes' lead driver three weekends into the season. Of course, there are various factors behind Antonelli getting ahead of team-mate George Russell, but the young Italian won't and shouldn't care ... Keep reading

The safety implications of Formula 1's new technical regulations have rocketed to the top of the agenda after Oliver Bearman's massive accident in the Japanese Grand Prix. The Haas driver had been a second behind Franco Colapinto on their 21st lap when the gap narrowed suddenly and unexpectedly because of a huge difference in electrical boost as they approached the Spoon corner. It's understood ... Keep reading

Following an interesting Japanese Grand Prix won by the impressive Kimi Antonelli, the podium sitters retreated to the calm of the cooldown room. With the Italian sat beside Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri, they watched Ollie Bearman's violent crash as he swerved to avoid a slow Franco Colapinto. The trio reacted in unison as they watched the replay of the Haas hitting the barriers in what ... Keep reading

The safety implications of Formula 1's new technical regulations have rocketed to the top of the agenda after Oliver Bearman's massive accident in the Japanese Grand Prix. The Haas driver had been a second behind Franco Colapinto on their 21st lap when the gap narrowed suddenly and unexpectedly because of a huge difference in electrical boost as they approached the Spoon corner. It's understood ... Keep reading

George Russell was left frustrated by the bad luck he has recently endured after losing his Formula 1 championship lead at the Japanese Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver enjoyed the perfect start to 2026 by winning the Melbourne opener and Shanghai sprint, but team-mate Kimi Antonelli has since taken a nine-point advantage following victories at the Chinese and Japanese grands prix. It’s ... Keep reading

Isack Hadjar has claimed his Red Bull Formula 1 car was undriveable to the point that it was dangerous in the Japanese Grand Prix. Having qualified eighth at Suzuka, Hadjar lost three places in the first two laps, which “really sucked”, on his way to a 12th-place finish. Read Also: Formula 1F1 Japanese GP: Safety car helps Antonelli to victory Asked about the ... Keep reading

Isack Hadjar has claimed his Red Bull Formula 1 car was undriveable to the point that it was dangerous in the Japanese Grand Prix. Having qualified eighth at Suzuka, Hadjar lost three places in the first two laps, which “really sucked”, on his way to a 12th-place finish. Read Also: Formula 1F1 Japanese GP: Safety car helps Kimi Antonelli to victory Asked about ... Keep reading

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has revealed that a software "bug" in the electrical system of George Russell's W17 was to blame for the Briton losing a position to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc during the Japanese Grand Prix.  While the Brackley outfit celebrated another victory at the Suzuka circuit with Kimi Antonelli, Russell's race was mixed. In addition to losing out by pitting one lap ... Keep reading

During the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix, Formula 1 fans laughed as Max Verstappen seemingly became more and more frustrated with the championship's current regulations. As Alpine's Pierre Gasly breezed past him on the start-finish straight of Suzuka, the four-time champion simply waved him by. The lack of performance came from the fact that the Dutchman had already depleted his car's electrical ... Keep reading

Following a successful 2026 Japanese Grand Prix for his young driver Kimi Antonelli, Toto Wolff was in high spirits as he discussed the meteoric rise of the Italian sensation. Talking with Sky Sports F1, the Austrian jokingly accepted the title of "genius" from pundit Natalie Pinkham. When reminded of Antonelli's surprisingly steep trajectory at such a young age, the Mercedes chief reflected on ... Keep reading

Taking a leaf out of Carlos Sainz's book, Mercedes' George Russell added a custom sticker to his helmet for the Japanese Grand Prix, created by a young fan named Sogo. The sticker, positioned prominently on the rear of the British driver's helmet, featured a holographic-style illustration of Russell alongside his self-proclaimed number one Japanese fan doing the now-famous T pose. Sogo had ... Keep reading

Franco Colapinto reckons the closing speeds in Formula 1 in 2026 can become “really dangerous” after Oliver Bearman’s 50G crash at the Japanese Grand Prix. The Haas driver was approximately one second behind Colapinto through Suzuka’s sector two, before suddenly closing at Spoon as the Alpine was harvesting energy to replenish its battery on lap 22.  Bearman was forced into evasive ... Keep reading

Kimi Antonelli takes his second win in succession and the lead of the world championship at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Victory at Suzuka sees Kimi Antonelli become the youngest championship leader in the history of the sport.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri might have been named "Driver of the Day" in Formula 1's official vote after the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix, but who do you think was the best driver in the season opener? The Australian finished second in his first race start of 2026, just behind new F1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Behind them, there were impressive scraps from the likes of Charles Leclerc, Lando ... Keep reading

With his second consecutive Formula 1 victory, Kimi Antonelli pulled off a masterful move at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix. Taking advantage of George Russell’s failure to finish on the podium, the Italian became the youngest driver in history to lead the world championship, with a nine-point lead that he will carry into the entire month of April.  Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are ... Keep reading

Kimi Antonelli takes his second win in succession and the lead of the world championship at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Kimi Antonelli took a somewhat fortunate Formula 1 victory in the Japanese Grand Prix, as a safety car intervention vaulted him ahead of early frontrunners Oscar Piastri and George Russell. As was the case in the previous two rounds, the Ferraris made an excellent getaway, but this time it wasn’t enough to take the lead as the McLarens were just as quick off the line. Piastri went first ... Keep reading

Result of the Aramco Japanese Grand Prix.

Kimi Antonelli took a somewhat fortunate Formula 1 victory in the Japanese Grand Prix, as a safety car intervention vaulted him ahead of early frontrunners Oscar Piastri and George Russell. As was the case in the previous two rounds, the Ferraris took an excellent getaway, but this time it wasn’t enough to take the lead as the McLarens were just as quick off the line. Piastri went first ahead ... Keep reading

Drivers' Championship after the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix  Pos. Driver Points 1 K. AntonelliMercedes 72 18/2 29 25/1 2 G. RussellMercedes 63 25/1 26 12/4 3 C. LeclercFerrari 49 15/3 19 15/3 4 L ... Keep reading

KitKat, which has been a a partner of Formula 1 since the start of the 2025 season, has confirmed that 12 tonnes of the F1 KitKat chocolate bars were stolen during transit in Europe. The chocolate brand told AFP, "A truck transporting 413,793 units of its new chocolate range has been stolen during transit in Europe. "We've always encouraged people to have a break with KitKat. But it seems ... Keep reading

Antonelli confirms F1 title ambitions - Jose Carlos de Celis George Russell seemed destined to win the championship with relative ease this year following Mercedes’ strong start under the new 2026 F1 rules. But suddenly, his team-mate Kimi Antonelli has earned the right to be considered, at the very least, a contender for the title. The Italian, who already took a record pole in China and ... Keep reading

Kimi Antonelli takes his second win in succession and the lead of the world championship at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Haas Formula 1 driver Ollie Bearman has crashed out of the Japanese Grand Prix. The safety car was deployed after the Briton crashed into the barriers at Spoon Curve on Lap 22. Bearman was seen limping away from the wreck and sitting at the side of the track surrounded by marshals before heading to the medical centre. Haas has since confirmed that the driver didn't sustain a fracture after ... Keep reading

Former Formula 1 driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen has shared a pointed message on social media, seemingly aimed at four-time champion Max Verstappen. "If you lose your motivation in F1, it's better to quit, or at least take a break. That's what I did. The sport is too dangerous if you lose your focus," the ex-Sauber driver posted.   While it is not stated who the message is aimed at ... Keep reading

Max Verstappen is openly reconsidering his future in Formula 1, after another tricky qualifying session at the Japanese Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver was narrowly eliminated in Q2 at Suzuka, compounding his discontent after he expressed unabashed aversion towards F1’s new regulations. Read Also: Formula 1Max Verstappen: “I'm not even frustrated anymore, I'm beyond ... Keep reading

2009 Formula 1 champion Jenson Button has backed George Russell to be able to handle the intra-team battle at Mercedes. The Brackley outfit has had a dominant start to the 2026 season, winning both the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix and the Chinese sprint race. While Russell claimed the victory in Australia as well as in the sprint race, his team-mate Kimi Antonelli sits just four points ... Keep reading

It’s been a good weekend so far and we are satisfied with where we are at the moment.

The car is working well here and we now shift our focus to Sunday's race. We're looking forward to doing our best to put both cars into points scoring positions.

As anticipated, the fastest strategies for tomorrow’s race involve a single pit stop and make use of all three compounds.

Max Verstappen has explained why he dismissed a British newspaper journalist from his press conference in Japan, as his Red Bull Formula 1 team is keen to clear the air over the incident. In his Thursday session, Verstappen expelled a journalist who at the 2025 Abu Dhabi finale asked whether he regretted his red mist clash with George Russell in Barcelona last June.  It resulted in a 10s ... Keep reading

McLaren team chief Andrea Stella has discussed the possibility of the Woking outfit challenging Ferrari for a spot on the podium at the Japanese Grand Prix.  After a disastrous start to the season, which resulted in only one grand prix start from Lando Norris at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, McLaren saw a step forward at the Suzuka circuit.  Oscar Piastri, who is yet to start a ... Keep reading

Who would prevail in the pole shootout at the Japanese GP?

Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Formula 1's rule makers have plenty to ponder after Japanese Grand Prix qualifying.

The margin was tighter than we expected it The margin was tighter than we expected it to be, we should have had both cars in Q2 for sure.to be, we should have had both cars in Q2 for sure.

That was all the car had in it today.

We know that our performance is not where it needs to be right now and this was always going to be a challenging weekend.

That was another solid qualifying session to start the season. Kimi continues to grow in confidence, and it was pleasing to see him put two strong laps together in Q3.

Lando Norris is “playing catch-up” at the Japanese Grand Prix after the Formula 1 world champion was outqualified by McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri at Suzuka. Norris will start Sunday’s race in fifth having qualified six tenths off Mercedes polesitter Kimi Antonelli, who was around four tenths ahead of third-placed Piastri. Piastri has been a step ahead of his team-mate all weekend ... Keep reading

Onboard footage from the cockpit of Charles Leclerc's Ferrari has surfaced showing the Monegasque driver fuming following qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix.  While Leclerc qualified fourth for the Japanese Grand Prix, he fumed over the team radio: "I can’t understand quali, it’s a f**king joke! I go faster in corners, throttle earlier, for f**k’s sake, I'm losing everything in the ... Keep reading

All the key BBC coverage details for the Japanese Grand Prix, which takes place from 27-29 March.

Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso feels Suzuka's driving challenge is "gone" with the 2026 regulations as they are. The storied Japanese Grand Prix venue is a driver favourite with its challenging first sector Esses and its high-speed Degner and Spoon sequences. However, due to the energy saving demands of F1’s 2026 regulations, drivers are approaching those corners at lower ... Keep reading

Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso feels Suzuka's driving challenge is "gone" with the 2026 regulations as they are. The storied Japanese Grand Prix venue is a driver favourite with its challenging first sector Esses and its high-speed Degner and Spoon sequences. However, due to the energy saving demands of F1’s 2026 regulations, drivers are approaching those corners at lower ... Keep reading

Lewis Hamilton is worried that Ferrari will only regress in the Formula 1 pecking order once McLaren has fully understood the Mercedes engine in the MCL40. Ferrari has been the closest challenger to the factory Mercedes outfit in the 2026 season, sitting second in the championship and 31 points behind the dominant Silver Arrows after two rounds. It’s been a more troubled start to ... Keep reading

Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Karun Chandhok has claimed that Kimi Antonelli has had the "upper hand" over his experienced team-mate George Russell throughout the Japanese Grand Prix weekend so far. The Italian driver secured pole position for the race at the Suzuka circuit, and Russell will join him on the front row with a P2 start. "We have seen through the practice ... Keep reading

Since the first on-track running of this Formula 1 season, vibrations have already been troubling Aston Martin and Honda. The consequences are twofold. Initially, the vibrations caused damage to the battery, resulting in reliability problems and very limited mileage for the Silverstone-based team. In addition, the issue has physical effects on Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, with the ... Keep reading

Max Verstappen is at a loss with his Red Bull Formula 1 car after his Japanese Grand Prix qualifying ended as early as Q2. The four-time world champion was ninth-fastest in the opening segment of qualifying and set the 10th-quickest lap early in Q2, 0.024s behind team-mate Isack Hadjar and 0.049s ahead of Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg. Verstappen did improve by a tenth on his final run, but a ... Keep reading

Appearing on the Dale Jr. Download with NASCAR Hall of Fame Dale Earnhardt Jr., Scott Speed reflected on his racing career, from Formula 1 to NASCAR and later rallycross. His F1 shot came about when Red Bull first arrived on the grid, and was searching for an American talent. 1985 Indianapolis 500 winner Danny Sullivan was a big part of the idea, with Speed saying, "They selected 16 of us ... Keep reading

Max Verstappen is at a loss with his Red Bull Formula 1 car after his Japanese Grand Prix qualifying ended as early as Q2. The four-time world champion was ninth-fastest in the opening segment of qualifying and set the 10th-quickest lap early in Q2, 0.024s behind team-mate Isack Hadjar and 0.049s ahead of Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg. Verstappen did improve by a tenth on his final run, but a ... Keep reading

1 Kimi Antonelli(Mercedes)               2         George Russell(Mercedes) 3 Oscar Piastri(McLaren)               4         Charles ... Keep reading

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has warned that George Russell will face similar issues during the Japanese Grand Prix to those he battled against in qualifying. Wolff confirmed after qualifying that changes had been made to Russell's car ahead of today's session at the Suzuka circuit, which left the Briton fighting with too much oversteer. "We did a set-up tweak on the other side," the ... Keep reading

Kimi Antonelli grabbed his second career Formula 1 pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix, also his second in a row, as Max Verstappen was eliminated in Q2. Antonelli enforced his dominance on Mercedes team-mate George Russell so far this weekend, with the Italian youngster quicker than his elder in the last two free practice sessions as well as Q2 – by six tenths – and Q3 – by ... Keep reading

Kimi Antonelli claims second successive pole as Ferrari stumbles and Verstappen fails to make it into Q3.

The Japanese Grand Prix is hosting round three of the 2026 Formula 1 campaign and Kimi Antonelli will start on pole after an action-packed qualifying session at Suzuka. Here are five takeaways from Saturday in Suzuka. Qualifying change a step in the right direction for 2026 ruleset The 2026 regulation change has been contentious to say the least. Just looking at the drivers, Max ... Keep reading

Kimi Antonelli takes his second pole position in a row as he beats Mercedes team-mate George Russell in qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Times from today's qualifying session for the Aramco Japanese Grand Prix.

After every F1 qualifying session, Motorsport publishes each team's qualifying record in terms of team-mate battles. This record is based exclusively on qualifying results so that grid penalties don't alter the statistics. When a driver can't put in a representative lap time due to a technical issue or an incident, this will be mentioned in the table. Read Also: Formula 1F1 ... Keep reading

Kimi Antonelli grabbed his second career pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix, also his second in a row, as Max Verstappen was eliminated in Q2. Antonelli enforced his dominance on Mercedes team-mate George Russell so far this weekend, with the Italian youngster quicker than his elder in the last two free practice sessions as well as Q2 – by six tenths – and Q3 – by three. The ... Keep reading

Mercedes F1 driver Kimi Antonelli has headed team-mate George Russell in final practice at the Japanese Grand Prix. Russell was unable to top Antonelli's final quarter lap in the W17 as Mercedes heads to qualifying as the clear favourites, leading FP3 by a huge margin over its Ferrari and McLaren challengers. The first proper push laps saw the Ferraris take an early lead before Antonelli ... Keep reading

Antonelli looks to pick up where he left off in China, as third-placed Leclerc is almost a second off the pace.

Mercedes F1 driver Kimi Antonelli has headed team-mate George Russell in final practice at the Japanese Grand Prix. Russell was unable to top Antonelli's final quarter lap in the W17 as Mercedes heads to qualifying as the clear favourites, leading FP3 by a huge margin over its Ferrari and McLaren challengers. The first proper push laps saw the Ferraris take an early lead before Antonelli ... Keep reading

Times from the final free practice session for the Aramco Japanese Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton has fired back at those who criticised him during the ground effect era. The seven-time champion has bounced back after a difficult few years in the championship. Hamilton struggled to adapt to the ground-effect era cars as he seemingly failed to bond with the change in driving behaviour. On top of this, he was also tasked with adjusting to his new surroundings at Ferrari after ... Keep reading

Alex Brundle has identified a weakness for Mercedes Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli, as he finds himself battling against his team-mate George Russell in the 2026 championship.  The Italian became the second-youngest driver to win an F1 race at the Chinese Grand Prix, and his part in the drivers' championship battle has since become a hot topic of conversation.  While Brundle applauded ... Keep reading

Ferrari is "just not quick enough" to trouble the front of the grid, thinks Lewis Hamilton, as the Scuderia hopes fixing its car balance will get it ahead of 2026 Formula 1 rival McLaren in Japan. Charles Leclerc and Hamilton finished fifth and sixth in second practice on Friday, shipping around seven and eight tenths respectively to session leader Oscar Piastri in the McLaren. Over half of ... Keep reading

Today's team representatives press conference with Koji Watanabe, Ayao Komatsu and Andrea Stella.

Ferrari is "just not quick enough" to trouble the front of the grid, thinks Lewis Hamilton, as the Scuderia hopes fixing its car balance will get it ahead of 2026 Formula 1 rival McLaren in Japan. Charles Leclerc and Hamilton finished fifth and sixth in second practice on Friday, shipping around seven and eight tenths respectively to session leader Oscar Piastri in the McLaren. Over half of ... Keep reading

It's been a bit of a mixed Friday.

The new asphalt is overall smoother than the surface laid in 2025, yet it still offers good grip.

You can see from our pace that the car isn't performing to the usual standards that we set ourselves.

Ollie Bearman has branded Kimi Antonelli's maiden Formula 1 win as "very special". The Briton watched his former Formula 2 team-mate clinch his first grand prix victory at the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit, which he claimed gave him confidence that he would be able to reach the same milestone one day. "We text. We sent each other a message after the race," Bearman ... Keep reading

We've done all the work we wanted to do today and now we have a few scans to do to understand parts of the car.

It's been a slightly tricky day for us.

Seeing Oscar finish P1 is always encouraging, and it shows we are working hard to extract the maximum from the package, but we remain realistic.

Overall a very productive Friday.

Generally speaking it has not been an easy day for us.

2009 Formula 1 champion Jenson Button has tempered expectations after McLaren's Oscar Piastri topped the timesheets in FP2 ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.  While the Australian driver edged out the dominant Mercedes drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, in the second practice session at Suzuka, Button argued that the Brackley outfit will likely be holding some performance back. "We ... Keep reading

McLaren is expecting no changes to the 2026 Formula 1 pecking order despite a very strong showing in second practice at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. The Woking outfit, which has won the last two titles, controlled FP2 via Oscar Piastri, whose world champion team-mate Lando Norris finished fourth amid issues with his hydraulics. It was nonetheless some much-needed positivity for ... Keep reading

Ferrari brought its so-called (by team boss Frederic Vasseur) 'Macarena' wing to the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix. But ahead of free practice on Friday, it decided to not to use the innovative rotating rear wing flap, even though there were enough spare parts in the Suzuka garages to build two cars.   The SF-26s will therefore contest the third round of the calendar with no major changes ... Keep reading

McLaren's Oscar Piastri sets the pace in second practice at the Japanese Grand Prix ahead of the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

Former IndyCar driver and F1 TV presenter James Hinchcliffe believes Carlos Sainz is facing a "defining moment" in his career after joining Williams. The Spaniard was left looking for a new seat after he was replaced at Ferrari by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton from 2025. After weighing up multiple options, Sainz ultimately signed with Williams. The Grove outfit is currently battling ... Keep reading

Red Bull F1 team principal Laurent Mekies admitted his squad is "very far" from the frontrunners in Japan after crippling balance issues have left his drivers off the pace. Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar ended the day in 10th and 15th respectively, over 1.3 seconds off the front, after Red Bull struggled to dial in the balance of its RB22. Verstappen feared there would be "no easy fix" for Red ... Keep reading

Formula 1 stewards were busy after opening practice for this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix as Friday's FP1 saw three separate incidents be investigated afterwards. Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz were under the spotlight, though all incidents resulted in no further action at Suzuka. One was between world champions Hamilton and ... Keep reading

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen says his Red Bull Formula 1 car is "bleeding a lot of lap time" from significant balancing issues in Japanese Grand Prix free practice. Verstappen was seventh in Friday morning's FP1 session, eight tenths adrift of leader George Russell in the Mercedes, after complaining of a lack of rotation from his RB22. As Red Bull made the necessary set-up changes in ... Keep reading

During the opening weekend of the 2026 Formula 1 season, much of the media attention was on the number of batteries that Honda had to its disposal in Melbourne. But that Friday, Adrian Newey made an unrelated, even more interesting comment. The legendary designer revealed that Aston Martin did not know until November 2025 that Honda’s F1 project was in a completely different state compared to ... Keep reading

During the opening weekend of the 2026 Formula 1 season, much of the media attention was on the number of batteries that Honda had to its disposal in Melbourne. But that Friday, Adrian Newey made an unrelated, even more interesting comment. The legendary designer revealed that Aston Martin did not know until November 2025 that Honda’s F1 project was in a completely different state compared to ... Keep reading

All the key BBC coverage details for the Japanese Grand Prix, which takes place from 27-29 March.

Oscar Piastri halted Mercedes dominance by pipping Kimi Antonelli to top second practice for the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. The McLaren driver set a 1m30.133s which was 0.092s quicker than Antonelli, whose Mercedes team-mate George Russell completed the top three after dominating opening practice. FP1 saw the championship leader top a Silver Arrows 1-2, but Mercedes struggled ... Keep reading

Oscar Piastri edges out Shanghai winner Kimi Antonelli by 0.092s in second practice.