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Oscar Piastri backed to return 'with a vengeance' after 'painful' Lando Norris defeat
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Oscar Piastri backed to return 'with a vengeance' after 'painful' Lando Norris defeat

Oscar Piastri has been backed to return F1 this season "with a vengeance" following his agonising title defeat to McLaren team-mate Lando Norris last year. Piastri appeared on course to become Australia's first champion since Alan Jones in 1980, following his grand chelem Dutch Grand Prix triumph, which saw him open up a 34-point lead over Norris, who had suffered a rare retirement in that race. After that point, however, the season started to unravel for Piastri, who led the title race for 15 consecutive rounds until being deposed by Norris with four grands prix remaining. The 24-year-old eventually lost out to Norris by 13 points, even sliding to third in the drivers' standings following an astonishing end to the season from Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who came within two points of clinching a fifth successive title. Assessing how Piastri will fare this season, former F1 driver and Sky Sports co-commentator Martin Brundle, said: "He'll come back with a vengeance. To be honest, it was partly painful, partly brilliant for him last year. He learned a lot. "I think it's openly accepted that on the really low-grip circuits, he's not getting the best out of the car and out of the tyres, so he knows he's got to fix that. "But some of the victories he had were so dominant, so impressive, and I think he'll take a lot from that. "I'm sure it was painful in the end for him, and I think that will be a driver. "We've observed him. He's an incredibly bright lad, and he's clearly competitive. He's a worker, and I think he'll come back having made a big step forward." Piastri: 'Lessons to be learned' Piastri concedes that this season will be different from anything he has previously experienced, particularly with regard to energy management. Under the new wide-sweeping regulations, the cars are powered by a 50-50 split in combustion and electric, and the battery is now solely MGU-K, providing 350kW compared to the previous 120kW. Following a reasonable run in testing, bar a fuel system issue that confined him to the garage on Thursday afternoon after a solid morning, Piastri knows the forthcoming campaign will be "a challenge and exciting". He said: "You know, there are a lot of areas where you can be a point of difference and make a point of difference, but you've got to put in the hard work to make that happen. "There are a lot of challenges for all of us up and down the grid. There are going to be some aspects of these cars that we've never really had to do before in our careers, so there are plenty of lessons to be learned."

Franco Colapinto reveals important career-first ahead of full-time F1 campaign
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Franco Colapinto reveals important career-first ahead of full-time F1 campaign

Franco Colapinto has revealed that, for the first time in his motorsport career, he finally had a “proper off-season” ahead of his first full-time Formula 1 campaign. For the past two seasons, Colapinto has found himself stepping into a seat mid-year. In 2024, he replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams following the Dutch Grand Prix, before taking Jack Doohan’s seat at Alpine from Imola onwards last year. With him remaining at Alpine for 2026, Colapinto has undergone his first winter break as an F1 driver, allowing him to become even more integrated with the Enstone-based outfit. Not only that, but Friday afternoon’s launch of Alpine’s A526 was Colapinto’s first in the pinnacle of motorsport, highlighting how relatively inexperienced the 22-year-old still is. The new power unit regulations mark the start of a new era for Alpine, with the team now a Mercedes customer outfit — and also presenting a huge opportunity for Colapinto. Colapinto finds himself on a level playing field, with him and all the drivers starting from scratch with the new cars. "Firstly, I am so excited," said Colapinto. "For the first time in my career, I have had a proper off-season in preparation for a full-time year right from testing and the first race.  "For me, this is really important as I feel a real part of the project and it means I can really work hard with everyone at the team from the beginning. "We have had a good chance to see the car and prepare on the simulator. Of course, it is very different to anything I have experienced so far and I think that is the same for most drivers on the grid. There are new tricks and new challenges to learn to extract the most from the package and I see that as a truly amazing challenge. "I know everyone at the team is extremely motivated to have a good season. I will just try to learn as much as possible in the early races, keep building, keep growing and hopefully that will mean we can be competitive as a team."

Max Verstappen reveals major issue halting 24-hour race debut
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Max Verstappen reveals major issue halting 24-hour race debut

Max Verstappen has revealed that there is a  issue putting his participation in this year's 24 Hours of the Nurburgring Nordschleife at risk. The four-time world champion has made it no secret that the entirety of his racing career will not be spent in Formula 1, with the Dutchman eager to compete in endurance categories.  Verstappen has a love for GT racing, and in addition to having his own GT team (Verstappen.com Racing), much of his downtime is spent testing various GT3 machinery. "During the [winter break] I was able to rest a bit, but it was nice to get back on the track with the GT3s, cars I love," Verstappen told La Gazzetta dello Sport .  "At the moment I don't set myself any concrete goals, because my focus as a driver is on Formula 1, but I want to grow my team (Verstappen.com Racing) and not lose the passion for endurance racing." Last year, during multiple gaps in the F1 calendar, the 28-year-old entered an NLS (Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie) GT4 race at the Nurburgring to gain the necessary licence to race GT3 cars at the full historic circuit. After gaining the licence, he made his competitive GT3 debut in another NLS race, securing victory with ease. For Verstappen, it is all steps towards a 24-hour appearance. "I definitely want to drive the 24 Hours of Le Mans and all the other iconic races in endurance racing," added the Red Bull driver. "But I want to do that step by step, without rushing, and without finding out later that the commitments I've made, both personally and with my team, are too big to live up to.  "If I do something in motor racing, I don't want to do it just to be there; I want to do it to be competitive. Always." Verstappen's 2026 Nurburgring problem Unfortunately, an appearance in Le Mans is off the cards this year for Verstappen, due to it clashing with F1's Spanish Grand Prix.  However, the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring does not clash with the pinnacle of motorsport, but there is still a problem putting Verstappen's participation in doubt.  Should Verstappen enter this year's 24-hour race at the Nurburgring a week before the Canadian Grand Prix, he wants to complete the necessary preparation for the event.  That creates a significant issue, as the preparation races ahead of the 24-hour event do clash with F1 races. Asked if he will race in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring this year, Verstappen replied: "At the moment it is very difficult to give an answer to that.  "I would like to drive that race well prepared and the preparation races clash with Formula 1. So only if something changes will I be able to compete this year."

'Inspector' Max Verstappen spots major Red Bull surprise
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'Inspector' Max Verstappen spots major Red Bull surprise

After much anticipation, Red Bull finally unveiled their new RB22 last Thursday, marking a significant departure from the matte finishes that have characterised the Milton Keynes-based outfit in recent seasons.  The team has instead opted for a striking gloss treatment, lending the four-time world champion Max Verstappen's machine a distinctly flashy appearance. The Dutchman was present at Ford's launch event where the new livery was revealed, though this show car is far from the final specification that will grace the grid when the season opens at the Australian Grand Prix. However, Verstappen could not help but notice something peculiar about the presentation car, particularly its steering wheel.  "What is that? Is that a sim steering wheel or something?" the Dutchman queried in a Red Bull video posted on Instagram . In response, Isack Hadjar said: "I mean, I don't mind. It's quite nice." As Verstappen inspected the steering wheel more, the 28-year-old became more curious, saying: "Where did they get that from? Nice, it's just more... What the hell? I have to ask them where they made that." Red Bull couldn't resist a playful dig at its star driver's investigative tendencies, captioning the video: "Inspector Max is back." DTqG_pRDOxy Dit bericht op Instagram bekijken Een bericht gedeeld door Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing)

Aston Martin make shock decision on F1 safety car deal
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Aston Martin make shock decision on F1 safety car deal

Aston Martin's contentious chapter as Formula 1's co-safety car supplier is to end, with the British manufacturer choosing not to renew its contract for the upcoming season. Since 1996, Mercedes has held the prestigious role of providing F1's safety vehicles. From 2021, the German marque was forced to share duties with Aston Martin. The two manufacturers alternated responsibility for Bernd Mayländer's safety car at each grand prix, marking the end of Mercedes' quarter-century monopoly. Yet Aston Martin's tenure proved problematic from the outset. The Vantage F1 Edition, as the safety car was officially designated, suffered from a significant performance deficit compared to its Mercedes rival, being both heavier and considerably less powerful. The shortcomings were stark enough to draw pointed criticism from within the paddock. Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen was particularly scathing in his assessment, dubbing the machine the "green turtle" in reference to both its Aston Martin livery and sluggish performance. Recognising the deficiencies, Aston Martin introduced a substantially revised Vantage for the 2024 season. The updated model featured significantly enhanced power output, bringing it much closer to parity with Mercedes' offering.  The manufacturer went further still during last year's Dutch Grand Prix, unveiling a third iteration in the form of the Vantage S, equipped with a V8 engine delivering even greater performance. Despite these considerable investments and improvements, Aston Martin has elected to withdraw from safety car duties entirely. The manufacturer is expected to release a statement outlining the reasoning behind this decision in due course. Mercedes will resume sole responsibility for providing both safety and medical cars from the 2026 season onwards. This means the familiar sight of the AMG GT Black Series will continue, now sporting the distinctive red livery of Mercedes sponsor CrowdStrike rather than the traditional silver. In the future, it is not out of the question that F1 will again look for an additional supplier.