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"Everyone was happy except him" – Franco Colapinto shares telling Flavio Briatore anecdote

After an extremely difficult 2025 season, Alpine is once again fighting for the 'best of the rest' title this year – in other words, to lead Formula 1's midfield behind the four top teams. But the Enstone-based team's ambitions go further than that, and that is certainly true of Flavio Briatore, the flamboyant executive advisor effectively running the outfit. As is well known, the now ...Keep reading

espn.com·May 24

Hamilton: Ferrari have best chassis, but lack power

Lewis Hamilton has said Ferrari's lack of engine power is holding back what would otherwise be the best car in Formula 1 this year.

motorsport.com·Mar 31

Pierre Gasly labels Alpine A526 his ‘best F1 car ever’ after beating Max Verstappen

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

espn.com·Mar 27

Norris: McLaren car can still end up fastest

Lando Norris remains confident McLaren can end up with the best car in Formula 1 this year despite a slow start to the season.

motorsport.com·Mar 18

Lewis Hamilton: “I’m back to my best” in F1 2026, “both mentally and physically”

Lewis Hamilton says he is ‘back to his best’, though he insists there’s still “room to improve”, following his first podium with Ferrari at Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix. At a Shanghai International Circuit where his sprint win was a rare highlight last year, Hamilton outqualified team-mate Charles Leclerc in both sessions and came out on top in their lengthy Sunday battle. This ...Keep reading

racingnews365.com·Feb 1

Sergio Perez ready for Cadillac discovery as F1 'exploration' awaits

Sergio Perez has stated Cadillac has begun to “explore” its car as it prepares to make its debut at the Australian Grand Prix next month. Cadillac was present in Barcelona earlier this week, where the American squad fielded its new car with Perez and Valtteri Bottas behind the wheel. Cadillac is expanding the grid to beyond 10 teams for the first time since 2016 this year, joining at the start of a new regulation cycle. It logged 164 laps at the shakedown - the second fewest, trailing only Aston Martin. Nevertheless, Perez asserted it was a positive week for Cadillac. “We had a productive time in Barcelona completing a good amount of running across the three days with valuable information gathered,” Perez said. “As a team, we’re starting to explore the car, set-ups and the directions we want to be taking. “The point of this shakedown is to get more mileage to identify areas to improve that we can address before we go racing.” Cadillac will return to the track in Bahrain in just over one week for the second pre-season test of the year. Perez is expecting it to be a busy period for the team as it looks to put itself in the best shape possible for a successful F1 debut. “There is a lot of work ahead of us, especially being a new team, but it’s an exciting time. “I’m really enjoying being back in a team, there’s a great spirit here to move forward.”

racingnews365.com·Feb 1

Ex-McLaren driver beats Audi F1 junior to championship title

Former McLaren F1 junior driver Ugo Ugochukwu has claimed title victory at the Formula Regional Oceania Championship. The American driver beat newly announced Audi junior Freddie Slater to the title at the final round at Highlands Motorsport Park. The four-round championship got underway in early January and also saw the single-seater debut of WRC champion Kalle Rovapera, who is preparing for a campaign in Super Formula this year. Ugochukwu won four races across the campaign and claimed an additional two podiums en route to the title. The 21-year-old was long part of the McLaren junior programme having signed a long-term deal several years ago, but departed the scheme last November. Nevertheless, his 2026 racing season got off to the best possible start as he claimed the championship title, joining fellow title-winners such as Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad. “It's an amazing feeling, to cross the line,” he said. “The race felt way longer than usual, but just happy to get it done, get it over with. “It's been a really good campaign, a really good season. I can't thank the whole team enough. “They did a mega job all year, I'm happier for them than me. Just a big thanks to them for putting their trust in me this season.” Slater ended the campaign 15 points down on Ugochukwu, just one week after the Briton was announced as Audi's first junior F1 driver. Ugochukwu and Slater will both race in the Formula 3 championship this year for Campos and Trident, respectively.

racingnews365.com·Feb 1

Red Bull warned 2026 failure could trigger bombshell Max Verstappen exit

Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert has warned Red Bull that not being the quickest team in the upcoming 2026 season could trigger Max Verstappen’s departure. The past two seasons have seen Verstappen linked with an exit from Red Bull, with talks held with Mercedes during the first half of 2025. Ultimately, he expressed his loyalty to the Austrian outfit for this year, as F1 enters a new power unit regulation cycle. For Red Bull, this also marks the start of life as its own powertrain supplier, representing the biggest challenge in the history of the Milton Keynes-based team. While its engine looked promising during the Barcelona shakedown test, it remains to be seen how competitive it will be. Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has already acknowledged that Verstappen is taking a risk by sticking with the team, given the scale of the task it faces. As highlighted by Herbert, the four-time world champion is not in F1 to “finish second”; the Dutchman wants to be on top and secure more world titles. For that to happen, he needs one of the best — if not the best — cars on the grid, putting pressure on Red Bull to deliver and retain the 28-year-old beyond 2026. Discussing what Red Bull must do this year to keep Verstappen, Herbert told RacingNews365 at Formula E's Miami E-Prix: "Go faster than all the others, very clearly, because he knows how the team works. "But fundamentally, it’s all going to come down to the car you start the season with — whether it’s the quickest out of the box, one of the quickest, or very, very close. It might even alternate from track to track. "That’s where, as a racing driver, you’re always thinking: what’s going to benefit me over the next couple of years to win my next world championship? The only way they’re going to achieve that is by giving him a car he can challenge with. But challenging is one thing — you’ve got to beat the likes of, say, Mercedes, for example. "If they don’t, then he’s going to look elsewhere, because that’s what racing drivers do. He’s not there to finish second. His core mentality is to win, and when he doesn’t win, he gets very annoyed. "But Lewis [Hamilton] is the same. Charles [Leclerc] is the same. George [Russell] is the same. All the drivers here in Formula E are exactly the same. They’re competitive animals, like all sportspeople are. Ultimately, it comes down to what they supply."

racingnews365.com·Feb 1

Lewis Hamilton issues Ferrari firm instruction after 'no illusion' F1 claim

Lewis Hamilton has told Ferrari it must ensure it is "clear and concise" with its decisions after a strong first pre-season test in Barcelona. Hamilton topped the timesheets in the behind-closed-doors shakedown test in Spain across the last week, posting a 1:16.348 late on Day 5 to pip former team-mate George Russell to the fastest time. Ferrari ran without any major reliability concerns, with the SF-26 in the leading gaggle of teams along with Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren, although at this early stage, the true pecking order is unknown. Hamilton is looking to bounce back from his worst-ever F1 season in 2025, in which he failed to score a single grand prix podium for the first time, as he was upbeat as he prepares to start his 20th campaign, in a year he will reach 400 grands prix, currently scheduled to be round 20 in Mexico City. "Everyone is positive and incredibly enthusiastic," Hamilton explained. "I mean, we're under no illusions. We know we've got work to do, Mercedes has done great running, and Red Bull and Haas did as well. "So I don't know really where we are, but I think it is a solid first week, and we can really build from here, so there may be some big leaps that we need to take. "Development is going to be key, and it is just making sure that we leave no stone left unturned, and that we are really clear and concise with our communication and the decisions we take. "It is going to take all of us to be at our best, and I'm just seeing everyone coming with a new energy this year, which is great."

racingnews365.com·Jan 31

Aston Martin 'on another level' as Lewis Hamilton drops major Ferrari hint – RacingNews365 Review

The radical-looking 2026 Aston Martin F1 car has been described as "on another level" with "incredible attention to detail" as the Adrian Newey design turned testing heads. The Honda-powered machine did not head out on track in Spain until late on Thursday, with Lance Stroll completing a handful of slow laps, before veteran Fernando Alonso drove a Newey-designed car for the first time on Friday, completing 49 laps. READ MORE: Radical Aston Martin 'on another level' as striking Adrian Newey influence clear Lewis Hamilton drops major first hint over 2026 Ferrari F1 car Lewis Hamilton has delivered his verdict on the new generation of F1 cars after topping the Barcelona pre-season shakedown, hinting it could be a return to some of his strengths. Late on the final day of running, Hamilton posted a 1:16.348 to set the quickest time of the week as he looks to bounce back from the horror 2025 season with Ferrari. READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton drops major first hint over 2026 Ferrari F1 car What we learned from F1's Barcelona pre-season shakedown test The first pre-season 'shakedown' test is firmly in the 2026 books as F1 teams prepare to crunch their data and take what learnings they can heading to Bahrain in the middle of February. With the talking finally over and the cars and drivers now speaking for themselves, RacingNews365 takes a look at some of the key things we learned in Barcelona about how the 2026 season could shape up. READ MORE: What we learned from F1's Barcelona pre-season shakedown test Audi facing 'longest ever list' as true scale of F1 challenge unmasked Audi chief Mattia Binotto says he has "never seen such a long list" of issues it must fix after the Barcelona pre-season shakedown. In its first pre-season test in F1, Audi completed 240 laps across the permitted three days of running, but Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto were hampered by niggling problems with the R26 machine, with Bortoleto stopping on track on one occasion. READ MORE: Audi facing 'longest ever list' as true scale of F1 challenge unmasked Max Verstappen pinpoints 'key' to unlocking huge Red Bull 2026 unknown Max Verstappen believes the century of laps he racked up during the final day of F1's Barcelona shakedown will be "key" to helping Red Bull grow its understanding of its new engine. On Friday in Barcelona, Verstappen tallied 118 laps of the track, posting a 1:17.586 as his best effort as Red Bull continues to learn about its new in-house Red Bull Powertrains-Ford engine. READ MORE: Max Verstappen pinpoints 'key' to unlocking huge Red Bull 2026 unknown Racing Bulls deliver early verdict on new Red Bull engine Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane has praised the new Red Bull power unit, admitting the team is “pleasantly surprised” by its performance. Red Bull has fielded its own power unit this year for the first time, built in collaboration with Ford. READ MORE: Racing Bulls deliver early verdict on new Red Bull engine

racingnews365.com·Jan 31

Max Verstappen pinpoints 'key' to unlocking huge Red Bull 2026 unknown

Max Verstappen believes the century of laps he racked up during the final day of F1's Barcelona shakedown will be "key" to helping Red Bull grow its understanding of its new engine. On Friday in Barcelona, Verstappen tallied 118 laps of the track, posting a 1:17.586 as his best effort as Red Bull continues to learn about its new in-house Red Bull Powertrains-Ford engine. Early signs of the RBPT product are that it is competitive and reliable, as Verstappen, who was ill during the week, and new team-mate Isack Hadjar put the RB22 through its paces, although running was disrupted on Tuesday with a crash for Hadjar. Reflecting on the week of running, Verstappen explained how the laps he did on Friday were "key" as one of F1's two newest power unit manufacturers, the other being Audi, completed their first test. "It has been nice to be back on track this week, and the first morning I had in the car, I couldn’t do too many laps because of the weather, but Friday was good," recalled Verstappen. "We did a lot of laps [on Friday], and that was really the key. We learned a lot, and there are, of course, still a lot of things that we want to look into, but it’s a good start. "So much work has gone into this power unit over the last few years, and to see it then go into the car and on the first day, immediately do so many laps was great to see. There were a lot of emotional faces in the garage, and that was very special. "Everything is still a work in progress, but we have hit the ground running quite well. We need time to understand the engine and make setup changes. You try to put as many laps on the board and try as many things as you can in the day. "I think we are doing that, and this is what this shakedown was about and what we will continue to do. It is a complicated formula for everyone to get right, which means there is still a lot of work to do before we head to Bahrain. "We will go there and keep the work going."

racingnews365.com·Jan 31

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."