The ‘previous’ of 2017 Fernando Alonso and Jolyon Palmer have a ‘common’ past that some F1 fan with a good memory will remember: in the 2017 season, during the Italian GP, ​​Palmer – at the time a Renault driver – cut a chicane while fighting with Alonso and did not give back the position to the Spaniard who – already frustrated by the poor performance of his McLaren – thundered furiously at his English colleague. “Palmer has to give me my position back – he said over the radio – what does he do?”. Then, warned of the five-second penalty imposed on his rival, he said that the sanction was “a joke”, judging it insufficient. Subsequently, when Alonso was told that Palmer had finally withdrawn from the GP, Alonso came out with the epic team radio in which he only said “karma!”. Almost a decade later Alonso is still in the car while Palmer has become a highly regarded technical analyst for the official F1 website. In a recent episode of the F1 Nation podcast, the former Renault representative spoke about the serious technical crisis that the Aston Martin-Honda team is going through, not sparing harsh criticism and a ruthless comment (but unfortunately supported by the reality of the facts) regarding the two-time world champion from Asturias. Historic crisis, Alonso test driver “In Japan they were very slow. Obviously they are solving the problems, but they had to make adjustments just to allow the car to finish the race. The situation is serious – underlined Palmer – what we are witnessing is one of the biggest failures in history. Aston Martin can only finish a race if it runs with very little power to try to get some handling and reliability and they managed to get only one car to the finish line after three Grands Prix. It is terrible.” Palmer then focused on Alonso’s situation although his words, rather than a criticism of the #14, seem rather to be a certification of his total impotence: “For Fernando we are back to 2002 (when he was third driver in Renault, ed.). He has returned to being a test driver after so many years. This is Aston Martin at the moment. It’s really a shame that they are not competitive. In Suzuka, Fernando arrived behind a Cadillac. They are really behind. There is nothing at stake Neither for him nor for Stroll. Every weekend they show up at the track, ride around and report comments. At this point, it doesn’t even matter anymore. It’s clearly Honda’s job and it doesn’t look like they’ll find a quick solution. Before the Japanese Grand Prix they still didn’t know what was causing the vibrations.” Will it depend on karma?

A special test Formula 1 returns to Germany, at the Nurburgring. No, it is not a new round of the championship to make up for the cancellations of the Middle Eastern races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, nor an attempt to ingratiate himself with Max Verstappen given that the Dutchman now spends almost more time on the historic German track than at home. These are, simply, tests organized by Pirelli with McLaren and Mercedes for 14 and 15 April and which will take place on the Nurburgring track, obviously in its ‘modern’ version for F1 and not on the old Nordschleife so dear to the four-time world champion of the Red Bull team. However, this is news of a certain significance, given that this two-day test will mark the first return of F1 single-seaters to the iconic German facility since the 2020 Eifel GP, held in the season marked by the Covid pandemic, when the calendar opened the doors to many historic European tracks to at least partially compensate for the impossibility of trips outside the Old Continent in America and Asia. McLaren and Mercedes on the track The test session which will involve the reigning world champion team among the Constructors and the team favored to inherit the throne this season is part of Pirelli’s seasonal testing programme. Attention – weather permitting – should focus on the dry compounds, after the recent tests carried out at Suzuka by Red Bull and Racing Bulls in pouring rain and the specific tests for wet tires which will be carried out by Ferrari on 9 and 10 April on the Fiorano circuit. Given the impossibility of traveling to Bahrain due to the conflicts currently underway in the Middle East, the Nurburgring track is considered ideal by Pirelli for collecting useful data.

Ricciardo’s confession Christian Horner and Helmut Marko did not take Daniel Ricciardo’s ‘escape’ to Renault well in the summer of 2018. The team principal and the Red Bull consultant had presented a rich renewal offer to the Australian – after, however, having secured Max Verstappen with a very rich contract extension – but Ricciardo preferred to settle in Renault where he would undoubtedly have been the first driver of the French team. Among the many reasons that pushed Ricciardo to leave Red Bull there were also fears – which proved unfounded – about the competitiveness of the Honda power unit which starting from 2019 would equip (profitably) the cars of the Milton Keynes team. In an interview with The Athletic, however, Ricciardo also admitted that the fear of being overtaken by Verstappen in the following seasons also pushed him to leave Red Bull: “Obviously if I look back that was the biggest sliding door of my career – said Ricciardo – but there are various reasons that make me believe that it wouldn’t have worked anyway. In 2018 Verstappen and I were neck and neck and we pushed each other, but I don’t deny having thought about the scenario which would have seen me succumb and be destroyed by Verstappen in the following seasons, perhaps my career would have ended earlier.”

Two stages to change the F1 regulations Over the Suzuka weekend it was learned that Thursday 9 April would be a key date for the future of F1. In fact, the important discussion on the possible changes to be made to the 2026 regulation is scheduled for that date. The April break is in fact the perfect opportunity to decide without too much haste on which aspects to intervene and with what timing. Line of thought espoused by Ayao Komatsu, Haas team principal: “We are examining the situation from every point of view, because when we make changes, we will have to make the right ones. We cannot act impulsively and then after a few races recognize that we have made wrong choices”, he underlined to Sky Sports. From the report from RacingNews365 colleagues it emerged that the meeting on April 9th ​​will not be in person in London but virtual. The meeting will basically be a discussion between the parties involved – the FIA ​​technical sector, the teams and the engine engineers.
The data collected in the first three grand prix will be evaluated and proposals will be discussed to improve what has been seen so far, mainly on the energy management side.
It will be a first step that will give rise to changes that will then be put to a vote on April 20, in a meeting already scheduled between the team principals, the FIA ​​and F1. On this occasion we will also talk about longer-term proposals, perhaps those regarding the division between the internal combustion engine and the hybrid part.
After the vote, another step: formalization in the FIA ​​World Motorsport Council.

Red Bull RB22, chassis under attack Red Bull’s start to the season was decidedly far from expectations: out of three grands prix in 2026, the best placing achieved was Verstappen’s sixth place in Melbourne. In particular, there is a lot of dissatisfaction in the team with the performance of the chassis, and on this aspect one of the background stories revealed by the F1-Insider newspaper is very indicative: “Red Bull sources believe they are 1 second behind the leader and it is said that 0″8 of that second is due to the chassis and only 0″2 to the engine”.
The RB22 is undriveable, according to both Verstappen and Hadjar, and this has increased the pressure on technical director Pierre Wachè. Wachè at risk What was said yesterday was also confirmed by the Germans at F1-Insider: Pierre Wachè’s future in Red Bull is more than ever at risk. The French technical director would have lost the trust of his men, so much so as to arouse internal gossip: “He had boasted that his car would be 1” faster than the Racing Bulls. Now, however, the Racing Bulls is not only as fast as the Red Bull, but also easier to drive and therefore more predictable. And a team insider explained: ‘With a Racing Bulls, Max would certainly start further up the grid.’ Miami already decisive? The departure of chief designer Craig Skinner, which occurred in mid-February, is also linked to misunderstandings with Wachè. Furthermore, the updates brought to Suzuka made the RB22 worse rather than better, which is why – again according to F1-Insider – “the Miami race already risks being Wachè’s last: if the update package turns out to be another flop, the Frenchman’s days will be numbered”.

Convincing debuts Selected by the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2022, for two years Oliver Bearman was the bet of the Maranello youth team, as demonstrated by his sudden and impressive debut with the Ferrari at the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP: urgently called to replace the unavailable Carlos Sainz, the young Briton (at the time in F2) immediately obtained a placing in the points in Jeddah with 7th place, and then replicated in the top-10 in Baku, this time with Haas. From the following year to today, Bearman has always been part of the US team as an official driver, but on several occasions there have been rumors about his possible promotion to Ferrari. Reason for satisfaction A hypothesis that does not even exclude the Haas Team Principal, Ayao Komatsu, who does not fear Bearman’s departure, on the contrary. Interviewed by the official F1 podcast, Beyond the Grid, the Japanese manager believes that this transfer should be a source of pride for the work done by the team in managing its young driver: “He has enormous potential – he commented – there is no point in worrying about his possible departure. I firmly believe that we should focus on what we can control. Ferrari has been investing in him for years. We have already signed him last year and this year, and if we have done a good job with Ollie Bearman and he performs so well that Ferrari wants it, then we should be satisfied that we have done our job well. We must concentrate on ours.” Negotiations underway between Haas and Ferrari which are not secret at all, even if Haas, as reiterated by Komatsu, prefers to focus on the current season, which started positively both for the team and for Bearman himself (except for the bad accident in Japan), even 5th in China: “It’s just a conversation between us and Ferrari – he added – we are all focused on getting the best performance from the car and from Ollie. This could mean losing him next year. Obviously, we hope not, but ultimately we have no control over the situation.”

Aston Martin in crisis Lawrence Stroll had spared no expense to bring the brilliant designer Adrian Newey to Aston Martin and with him a series of reference technical figures (Enrico Cardile, Andy Cowell) with the aim of excelling with the new regulations of 2026. Except that Honda was not as ready and the English team is currently the tenth fastest team on the track, ahead of only the debutant Cadillac.
In short, Aston Martin is the big disappointment of this start to the championship and it is not clear how long it will take to see Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll fighting for the top positions, if it ever happens. Damon Hill compares Newey to Moses On the podcast The Undercut, the 1996 world champion Damon Hill – who won his world title with Newey as a designer – analyzed the Aston Martin situation as follows: “Continuing to push in that direction will lead to something, but it will take time. We will have to see if there are too many problems, but I have faith. Newey knows that things will settle down and at the end of the season, when we look back, we will have proof of this. He has a vision that aims for perfection and he wants that everyone is united and therefore he will insist. It’s like Moses: everyone wonders about the promised land and doubts that they will reach it, Adrian asks for faith that they will reach it while everyone wonders if he has lost his mind.” Martin Brundle: “Aston Martin like a Premier League club” The former Formula 1 driver, Martin Brundle explained to Sky Sports UK: “Jonathan Wheatley would be a good signing for them. But they need to stabilize and reach a certain level. At the moment they seem like a Premier League club that constantly changes the manager. This makes everyone else hide because they don’t know what will happen and who they have to answer to, or what strategy there is. In Aston Martin there has been a coming and going of managers, they have taken some rather curious decisions in my opinion. Hiring Wheatley is a smart move, for his pragmatism and his vision.”

Energy management has upended qualifying as it was known, debasing the drivers’ ability to push the car to the limit. The FIA ​​and the teams will discuss what to do, starting from the analysis of what was observed on the track. The first three Grands Prix have shown that the problem arises from a completely different use of the brake and accelerator than in the past, which is why, in addition to clipping on the straight, attention must be paid above all to the cornering dynamics. We brake less and less An excellent summary of the qualifying situation was offered by Lando Norris on the eve of the Chinese Grand Prix, reflecting on the differences with the past: “We drove as we have always done all our lives: brake and accelerator. In general, using the accelerator more and more and the brake less and less, that kind of thing. [Adesso]for the first time in our lives, we drive in a completely different way”. The world champion placed emphasis on two crucial phases of driving: acceleration and braking. Starting from the second, Formula 1 experiences a paradoxical scenario in which less braking is performed despite the cars going slower through corners than before, having less grip. Brembo’s estimates suggest that in the first three Grands Prix the average time of use of the braking system has fallen from 13.7% in 2025 at 12.7% currently. The worst case is Suzuka, where the reduction was 2%, going from 10.4 to 8.9 seconds per lap. Marcel van Dorst/EYE4IMAGES/NurPhoto via Getty Images The drivers no longer have the same opportunities to make a difference in braking. 350 kW, slowing down the problem, it would be necessary to regulate the charging of the battery differently, by intervening on the energy and/or power. A possible solution would be to limit the energy that can be accumulated at each lap, so as to discourage people from stepping off the gas to recover energy too tied to the accelerator The other big problem of qualifying is corner exit. Leclerc has repeatedly underlined that taking risks no longer pays off, as pushing to the limit and playing with the accelerator confuses the energy management software, even if you go faster in the corner, you lose more time than you gain on the next straight, as the management of the electric power is now messed up second as soon as the driver hits the accelerator at 100%. Marcel van Dorst/EYE4IMAGES/NurPhoto via Getty Images From time to time, however, the FIA can grant an exemption in some corners and in Suzuka the advantages were felt. “In the first part of the lap you are at the limit, but then from turn 6 you can’t push anymore because you have to manage the battery,” commented Hamilton after the Japanese qualifying. The reference to turn 6, at the end of the serpentine, is not random, since the pre-event notes excluded the stretches between turns 3-6, 8-9 and 13-14 from those in which it was mandatory to activate the electric motor when returning to the throttle. The cure could be to untie the first moments of use of the accelerator from the use of the battery, but there would be contraindications. Watch out for the side effects. Going down this path, we could reach the extreme case in which the hybrid would be reduced to providing a simple additional thrust. straight or even in some predefined activation zones, as with the old DRS. By doing so, however, Ferrari engines would benefit more than the competition, enjoying a smaller turbo that guarantees more torque and reactivity in the traction phases. Conversely, other engine manufacturers have designed their power unit by conceiving the electric motor as a power buffer, i.e. as an assistance tool at low speeds to compensate for the lack of thrust from the thermal part due to turbo lag Furthermore, the hybrid would distort the basic concept of the new power units and introduce a further problem. In the more driven sections, without the electric boost one would accelerate less, arriving at the corners with less speed and further reducing the use of the brake. Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images Finding a solution will not be simple and above all it will be a question of compromise, having to accept the lesser evil, however, is a must given that, in addition to keeping the drivers from expressing themselves at their best, it also makes it difficult to judge the chassis qualities of the various cars. After Australia, Norris even refused to comment on the harmony with the MCL40, having not yet had the opportunity to evaluate it: “To be honest, it is still very early to say and it is [una situazione] quite different, because you no longer drive the car at the limit, but you drive the power unit.” The cancellation of the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia has made precious time available to work on them and it will be appropriate to make the most of it.

An uphill debut Lewis Hamilton’s debut season at the wheel of Ferrari, in 2025, was certainly not memorable for the seven-time world champion, who only achieved very small satisfactions on the occasion of two Sprint GPs: in China, with pole position and victory, and in Miami, with 3rd place. In the long races, however, Sir Lewis achieved neither a fastest lap in qualifying nor a podium finish, managing to do so (in the latter case) for the first time only at the start of this world championship in China. The feeling with the SF-26 A result that helped the 41-year-old to overcome the curse of negative results with the Maranello single-seater, and which contributed to reaching the provisional 4th place in the general classification while awaiting the Miami GP, scheduled for the beginning of May: “I like driving this car – he commented to the official F1 channels – it’s a car in which I had an important role in developing on the simulator, and I see things that I asked for. I see them in the design, I feel them, and I feel them in a positive way”. Seven-time world champion. In a certain sense, decisive and positive statements from the #44, which at the same time arise as a sort of revenge towards those who had strong doubts about the Briton’s potential: “I see some people who have not even remotely reached my level of success and who continue to speak badly of me – he added without naming names – they still do so now. I feel great to be back, to start this season and to be strong. I continue to prove that I have what it takes.”

Did Russell underestimate Antonelli? After the tests confirmed the superiority of Mercedes, the whole paddock expected George Russell to take a single bite out of Kimi Antonelli and the rest of the grid, at least in the first races. And instead in Shanghai and Suzuka it was the Italian who prevailed, while the Briton – although unlucky in several episodes – appeared at least surprised by the pace of his teammate. The impression one gets of Russell is that of a certainly fast and competitive driver, who took advantage of the opportunity to grow at Williams and demonstrated that he knows how to beat Lewis Hamilton: a university tackled brilliantly by a boy who presented himself for his thesis with top marks. Yet, now that he has to discuss it and become champion, he finds himself facing an obstacle that perhaps he had underestimated. This can be understood from some paternalistic and snobbish statements after Antonelli’s results in China: mind games in which, however, Kimi did not fall, to the point of winning again in Suzuka. Where, not surprisingly, Russell’s reaction was very different: not only due to the clearly unfortunate timing of the Safety Car but also because Antonelli demonstrated superior pace when both were in clear air. Brundle’s words According to former driver Martin Brundle, to win the internal challenge Russell must change his mentality and consider Antonelli like Hamilton: “He needs to start from scratch. These are difficult times for George, he will show up in Miami with a gap of nine points from his teammate”, this is the comment of the Briton to his compatriots on Sky Sports UK. “He must treat Kimi as if he were Hamilton at the peak of his career, as if he were a threat to the championship.” “As happened in China, George was attacked on the restart, where he clearly found himself without a battery,” he added. “He was frustrated and lost his head a bit. He had the race under control, he probably would have overtaken Piastri later.”

Aston Martin, what a disappointment While the other teams on the grid will use the spring break to focus on performance, Aston Martin seems to be competing in a championship of its own in this respect too. The Silverstone team is in fact far behind and must set itself “minimum” objectives: having finished a GP for the first time in 2026 (with only Fernando Alonso) is seen as a step forward, even if it does not allow for a festive atmosphere towards Miami, in the knowledge that the problems are many (mainly linked to an unreliable and even less powerful Honda power unit) and difficult to resolve in the short term. The Japanese know they have to work hard to make up for the obvious gap compared to the competition in terms of power, reliability and energy management. Honda engineering manager Shintaro Orihara knows this well, but he has clear ideas about the next steps to take at Sakura. Orihara’s words “We have completed the entire distance of the race, this is a good step forward in terms of reliability. We are giving our all to improve the effectiveness of the batteries. In the Sakura plant we are working hard to improve the performance of the engines and we are working hard to evaluate and optimize energy management”, this is the comment of the Japanese engineer in Suzuka. “We also need to develop the engine’s performance from a mechanical point of view, and that won’t be a short job,” he added. “We will therefore continue to work hard, improving performance in the background. However, we collected a lot of data during the race, which allowed us to improve rideability and energy management. They will give us useful information in view of Miami.”

The end of an era Last July 9th, three days after the British GP, Christian Horner’s era in Red Bull officially ended. After 20 years spent in the role of team principal, the British manager was shown the door and a few months later, at the end of the 2025 World Championship, the same fate befell the team’s historic consultant, Helmut Marko. Within half the year the two souls – often conflicting with each other, but still central – of the Red Bull F1 project were ousted. Now control of the team is in the hands of Laurent Mekies. The Frenchman, formerly of Racing Bulls, Ferrari and FIA, has a very different leadership style compared to his predecessors. This was highlighted on Sky UK by former Indian driver Karun Chandhok, a popular commentator on British TV. Chandhok underlined how the departure of Horner and Marko almost simultaneously changed the level of pressure within the Milton Keynes team, in particular lightening the load of tension that Isack Hadjar now has to bear compared to those who in recent years were Max Verstappen’s teammates. New management “It’s a very different team now that Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have left,” Chandhok noted, “this is the first full year of the Mekies era at Red Bull and I think maybe it’s a less stressful environment now.” The whirlwind of drivers in recent years, with Perez, Lawson and Tsunoda alternating on the team’s second single-seater, now seems to be over. “Putting all that pressure on Liam Lawson, giving him two races to prove his worth behind the wheel, didn’t work – underlined Chandhok – [una cosa del genere] it will never work. So I hope, for Isaac’s sake, that this situation continues. They don’t need him to beat Max. They need him to be a tenth or two behind Max and just make sure that, on a day when Max has a problem, or something happens, he’s there. As long as it’s right behind him and so far it has been there,” commented the former Indian driver.

An (unfortunately) unexpected stop The outbreak of war in the Middle East had obvious repercussions not only on the countries involved, but also in the world of sport, starting with Formula 1. In April, in fact, the Circus was supposed to host the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs, but due to this conflict both were cancelled. For this reason, the last race took place in Japan on March 29th, and there will not be any other challenges on the track until May 3rd in Miami: in total, there will be five empty weeks. In the history of F1, however, it is not the first time that we have witnessed a similar pause, on the contrary. The strange cases of the 90s Although for different reasons, in more recent times we must go back to 2012, the year in which the summer stop lasted from 19 July (Hungarian GP) until the return to Spa-Francorchamps on 2 September. More anomalous, if we look at it with today’s eyes, was the 1999 calendar: then, after the inaugural GP in Australia on 7 March, F1 remained at a standstill for over a month, returning to Brazil only for the race on 11 April. A season which saw the return of Ferrari to the top of the world in the Constructors’ World Championship after a long battle with McLaren, which entered that championship as the winner of the 1998 title. In that very season, moreover, there was a long duel between Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher, with a highly anticipated ‘grand finale’ scheduled for Suzuka, the last race of the world championship scheduled five weeks after the one held at the Nürburgring, home of the European GP. A challenge that was resolved in favor of the Finn, who also became world champion in 1999. The even longer break and the record The question arises almost spontaneously: have there been world championships in which the calendar has had breaks longer than five weeks? The answer is yes, and you don’t have to go too far back in time to spot the first. This happened in 1990, more specifically in the period between the Brazilian GP and the San Marino GP, the second and third rounds of the championship respectively. While at Interlagos Alain Prost achieved his first victory with Ferrari by exploiting a contact between Senna and Nakajima, at Imola Riccardo Patrese climbed to the top step of the podium, but seven weeks passed between these two victories, as regularly expected. However, this long period between two races does not represent a record: this dates back to 1965, the year in which the first world championship race was held on New Year’s Day in East London, South Africa. From then on, only non-championship races were held, until the return after almost five months, on May 30, in Monte Carlo.

No podium for Lando In the last GP that preceded this long spring break of F1 – imposed by the outbreak of war in the Persian Gulf – there was a partial resurrection of the McLaren team, after the difficulties experienced by the reigning world champion team in the first two GPs of the year. In Suzuka Oscar Piastri achieved a splendid second position under the checkered flag, after leading the Grand Prix for a long time, while Lando Norris – despite a difficult weekend affected by numerous technical problems – was still able to feel satisfied with his fifth place finish. Illustrious precedents In his first three races as world champion, however, Norris never managed to get on the podium, also thanks to the greater speed and reliability of rival single-seaters such as Ferrari and – above all – Mercedes. With his two fifths and a fourth place in three GPs, the Englishman from Bristol ‘unlocked’ a negative statistic that hadn’t been seen in F1 for 17 years and which featured one of Norris’ youth idols, as well as his compatriot: Lewis Hamilton. The current Ferrari representative, also a McLaren driver at the time, was in fact the last reigning world champion before Norris to miss the podium for the first three consecutive races. In Hamilton’s case, the abstinence in the 2009 season (the one following his first title won) lasted a long time, even until mid-season. However, it was interrupted in a special way with the victory in the Hungarian GP which paved the way for the last nine races of that World Championship in which the future seven-time world champion redeemed himself with two successes and five overall podiums. SeasonReigning world championFirst podium of the season2026Lando Norris (McLaren)after at least 3 GPs2009Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)10th GP2005Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)4th GP2003Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)4th GP (champion at the end of the year)1998Jacques Villeneuve (Williams)11th GP1997Damon Hill (Arrows)11th GP From then on, even decidedly unfortunate and disappointing title defenses – such as that of Sebastian Vettel in 2014 – still saw the title holder celebrate at least one podium finish in the first three GPs. Obviously Nico Rosberg, who after the title won in 2016 decided to hang up his helmet, is not counted in this statistic. Going back in time we also find the case of Michael Schumacher in 2005, off the podium in the first three GPs but then second in the fourth race of the year, in Imola. Schumacher had also missed the podium in the first three races two years earlier, in 2003: in this case, however, the Kaiser reacted in an extraordinary manner and at the end of the year he was able to celebrate his sixth career title, the fourth in a row. Before that, in 1998, it took Canadian Jacques Villeneuve 11 Grands Prix to regain a top-3 finish after the championship won the previous year in the infamous finale at Jerez de la Frontera. An English ‘curse’ Then there is a sort of curse that seems to concern the British world champions in the year following their first World Cup victory. In fact, no driver from the United Kingdom has ever won his first two career titles consecutively. Before Norris and Hamilton, then also Damon Hill, world champion in 1996 with Williams, had a nightmare first season as reigning champion at the wheel of Arrows: in his case the only podium of the season (a historic second place) came only in the 11th GP. Jenson Button is an exception in this sense: after the title won in 2009 he climbed to the top step of the podium already at the second GP of the following year, in Australia. At the end of the year, however, he too would have had to abdicate, finishing the World Championship in fifth place.

History at auction The famous auction house RM Sotheby’s will sell on April 25th in Monte Carlo the 1984 Toleman TG183B-05, car #19 with which the late Ayrton Senna made his debut in Formula 1 on the occasion of his Brazilian Grand Prix. On the Jacarepaguà track, the debut was not particularly exciting for the future three-time world champion, forced to retire due to a turbo failure, but in the subsequent events of that championship he had the opportunity to impress with a single-seater not up to par with the top teams. A memorable debut After 6th place in South Africa which earned him the first point of his career, immediately replicated in Belgium, the Brazilian achieved an incredible second position under the violent downpour in Monte Carlo, where he had the real possibility of winning the race if it hadn’t been for the red flag displayed just as he was close to Alain Prost. An episode that gave birth to one of the greatest rivalries (if not the greatest) in the history of F1. The other two podiums of that season were in England and Portugal (in both cases 3rd place), enough for Lotus to decide to bet on him in 1985. The evaluation The price of Senna’s famous single-seater is estimated between 2,800,000 and 3,800,000 euros, but during the auction it will not only be the Toleman at the center of collectors’ attention: among the Ferraris, for example, there will be the 642 from 1991 by Jean Alesi and Alain Prost, or a 312 T3 from 1978, driven that year by the duo Carlos Reutemann and Gilles Villeneuve.

Back to the future What we are experiencing now could be a crucial phase in determining the medium and long-term future of Formula 1. The regulations introduced this year, especially those linked to the hybrid power unit with an ‘enhanced’ electric and a distribution between the thermal and electrical parts divided almost equally at 50%, are leaving enormous doubts not only among enthusiasts but also among professionals. Many drivers have complained, but not just them: the hybrid era of the Circus, at this point, may have its days numbered. Enough power units, yes to synthetic fuels Naturally it is unthinkable to overturn the type of engine used in the very short term, even taking into account the huge investments made by all the engine manufacturers present on the grid: Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, Audi and Honda have committed themselves – albeit with very different results – to creating these power units and it is unthinkable to throw everything to the wind in the space of a couple of seasons. But behind the scenes there is already discussion for a new revolution that puts aside the hybrid and re-embraces combustion engines, however driven by 100% sustainable synthetic fuels with zero impact in terms of carbon emissions. The revelations from Auto Motor und Sport This is the revelation launched by Auto Motor und Sport. In the columns of the German website we read that the entry into the scene of the new engine regulation should take place in 2031: “In theory – writes Amus – the hybrid component could be completely eliminated. Fuels with zero CO₂ emissions would be sufficient to guarantee sustainability. Since almost all production cars now use turbocharged engines, it is expected that Formula 1 engines will also be turbocharged. The favorite at the moment is a 2.4-litre V8 turbo engine”. This plan, which had already been suggested in unsuspecting times by the president of the FIA ​​Mohammed Ben Sulayem and which would also have the green light from the CEO of F1 Stefano Domenicali, would represent, if implemented, a radical reversal of direction compared to the path taken by the Circus starting from 2014.

Still in trouble As had already happened in 2015, this year Honda found itself unprepared for the technical revolution of F1 and the introduction of the new power units, paying a truly significant deficit compared to the competition from the point of view of performance and reliability of the engine. If ten years ago McLaren paid the price, this year it is the Aston Martin team that suffers the consequences of the ineffective partnership with the Japanese giant. There was no shortage of mutual barbs and controversies between the two parties, with a return of accusations and responsibilities. The brand ambassador of the Silverstone team, Jenson Button, tried to bring some peace. The 2009 world champion knows Honda’s modus operandi very well: he worked with the Tokyo company for a long time in both F1 and SuperGT, experiencing good and less good moments. He, together with Fernando Alonso, was at the wheel of McLaren in the disastrous two-year period 2015-2016. The two, one still in the car and the other in his role as man-image, are therefore reliving familiar sensations. Button’s confidence Yet in an interview given to the Spanish website AS, Button said he was “100% certain” that Honda will return to being competitive and will help Aston Martin in its climb to the top of F1: “All those involved [nella squadra] they understand where we are as a team – observed Button – they know that the foundations are solid and that we will be competitive. This is a very demanding sport. Mercedes and Ferrari have been at the top for a long time and always with the same engine. The partnership between Aston Martin and Honda is very recent, as is the one with Newey. There are many elements that need to come together and this doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time. Everyone is aware of what this team can do in the future. This is the only team that can make the top four in the future. That’s how it is.” “It’s difficult to talk about timing – the former English rider then added – and I’m not the right person to answer. I don’t know the details. It won’t happen in three races, but time flies. Eventually it will seem like it all happened overnight. Is bankruptcy possible? No. I’m 100% sure. It’s just a matter of time. [In Honda] they always make it. Always”.

A shock start Honda and Aston Martin dreamed of a decidedly different Japanese GP – it is the home race of the Japanese engine manufacturer – but the start of the partnership between the Japanese giant and Lawrence Stroll’s team is presenting more obstacles than expected. At the moment Aston Martin is the worst car on the starting grid behind even Cadillac. At the press conference reserved for team principals, Honda HRC number 1 Koji Watanabe underlined that on a chassis level Aston Martin is as responsible as the Honda power unit in making the AMR26 uncompetitive. Andrew Benson, correspondent to the GPs on behalf of the BBC, answered questions from users and underlined that in reality the deficit of the chassis weighs more on the balance sheet than that of the power unit: “Over half of Aston Martin’s gap compared to the leaders was due to the chassis, this fact was indicated to me by an authoritative and highly experienced figure during the Suzuka weekend – Benson’s words – a thesis which coincides with what was observed by the other teams on the GPS data regarding the speed of the cars in the different sections of the circuit, data to which all teams have access. Establishing a clear distribution is however complicated because the behavior of the engine can influence the cornering performance of the car. There has been a lot of talk about vibrations, but are they an intrinsic factor to the engine or is it the chassis that amplifies them? Newey himself admitted in Australia that the car had deficiencies and that in terms of chassis it was probably the fifth force on the track Alpine and Haas. The AMR26 is certainly overweight and particularly suffers from fast corners.”

Ferrari, how to judge the first three races? The April break will allow the Formula 1 teams to take an initial assessment of this start to the championship and decide which areas to push on development. Ferrari is currently in second place in the constructors’ championship, thanks to three third places achieved so far, two by Charles Leclerc (Australia and Japan) and one by Lewis Hamilton (China). The gap from Mercedes is heavier on the track than in the standings (-49) so far and therefore a shock is needed already from Miami to try to close the gap to the Silver Arrows. Of course, Mercedes seems quite far away, but Ferrari has certainly been better prepared so far than McLaren (even if it seemed to be making a clear recovery in Suzuka) and above all Red Bull. Montagny doesn’t trust Ferrari Regarding the situation of the Rossa, it is interesting to listen to the opinion of former F1 driver and current Canal Plus commentator, Franck Montagny: “This year, Ferrari is synonymous with serenity. Serenity reigns, both with respect to the battles on the track and the changes made, whether they work or not, they don’t get too upset. The drivers are positive, aware and serene. They believe in the process. For me, Ferrari is the only team that doesn’t seem to show any doubt. And that’s why it’s the only team that worries me. Have they understood something that we haven’t understood? In the first three grands prix there hasn’t been a discordant note in the statements, and it’s the first time in the last ten years that I feel Ferrari is so calm. If I were in another team I would be really worried, because I would ask myself: has Ferrari found something?” April’s plans As reported in recent days, Ferrari took to the track last week at Mugello for the TPC tests – to be carried out with single-seaters from previous years. This week there will be the Fiorano test on artificially wet asphalt with at least one of the starting drivers. The colleagues at AutoRacer.it then anticipated the filming day in Monza on April 22nd.

Red Bull, a terrible chassis After Suzuka both Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar did not hide their dissatisfaction with a Red Bull that was decidedly far from expectations. And what ends up in the crosshairs is not the home-built power unit, but rather the chassis. Hadjar’s words were clear and leave no room for interpretation: “The car was really undriveable, even dangerous. We have a good power unit. The engine is good, it’s the chassis that is terrible. It’s slow in corners.”
It’s no mystery that the RB22 was born with a few extra kilos, around ten according to the latest reports that emerged in the paddock. Is it Pierre Waché’s fault? Considering that after three grands prix Red Bull has collected a paltry 16 points, like Alpine and two less than Haas, the position of technical director Pierre Waché seems to be anything but solid.
The Dutch from GPBlog have in fact stated that the French engineer is “increasingly under pressure” and that “his future with Red Bull becomes more uncertain every day”. The RB22 was the first single-seater designed without the indications of Adrian Newey and under the full responsibility of Waché, a fact not to be underestimated: the ownership could in fact place the blame for the flop at the beginning of 2026 on him. Ferrari observes… Colleagues at AutoRacer.it in recent days have finally recalled how in the past Frederic Vasseur had put Waché in his sights to bring him to Ferrari and to have him collaborate with Loic Serra – with whom he shared the work in Michelin.
A flirtation that could translate into a flashback: “With the current instability and a Verstappen very uncertain about his future, could it be the right time to try?”, asked the Italian newspaper.

Updates for Kimi? Andrea Kimi Antonelli will enjoy an unexpected break as leader of the World Championship, a scenario perhaps even more unpredictable for the Mercedes driver after George Russell dominated the Melbourne weekend in Australia. In China and Japan, however, Antonelli achieved the first two victories of his F1 career, a double that put him at the top of the Drivers’ Championship with a nine-point advantage over his teammate. Juan Pablo Montoya underlined that at the moment Antonelli seems to have a clear advantage over Russell when the hard compound tires are fitted: “In China, I think Antonelli was very lucky, but he did a great job, in Japan, with or without a safety car, he would have won that race – the words of Montoya reached by Casinostugan – Antonelli was much more comfortable in the car with the harder tires than George. With the softer tyres, the car is more forgiving. Once you put the harder tires on, the car becomes more on the limit and a little more difficult to drive. And I think that’s where George struggles.” Montoya also put forward the hypothesis that Mercedes had brought something new to Japan that was perhaps better digested by Antonelli than Russell: “It was said that Mercedes had a new rear suspension or something different at the rear of the car – added Montoya – what I wonder is: is it an update that goes towards Kimi’s driving style? Is Mercedes satisfying his every request? In this sport you can never please all the drivers”.

Bearman accident, FIA under accusation The new generation Formula 1 has been very lucky. There have been legitimate criticisms, but the situation could have been (sportingly, but not only) catastrophic if Franco Colapinto hadn’t had the reflexes of an alien at the start of the Australian GP, ​​when he had to dodge a Liam Lawson who was practically planted on the track, and if Oliver Bearman hadn’t avoided the Argentine last Sunday, perhaps on a street circuit with no escape routes. As F1 has learned in the past, hoping for good luck is dangerous and often leads to a very high bill. The FIA ​​must take advantage of the month of forced break (another assist of fate, in the tragedy of the war in Iran) to also apply corrective measures to the safety of the new cars. The Bearman accident at Suzuka, which occurred due to the high speed gap created between two cars with different charging strategies, raises an issue that can no longer be ignored. Yes, because not only the riders but also the teams expressed strong doubts to the Federation, even before the start of the World Championship. Stella’s words For McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, the danger of serious accidents was evident months ago: “We already said during the tests that there should be some aspects of the 2026 regulation on the FIA’s agenda that should be improved.” “Regarding the accident involving Oliver, it is no surprise that the approach speed is so high when one car is charging and the other is accelerating,” added the engineer from Orvieto. “We don’t want to wait for things to happen to take actions, and something happened in Suzuka. We have the responsibility to intervene with necessary and appropriate safety measures.”

The World Championship is ‘shrinking’ Formula 1 recently announced the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix – although formally the two races in Sakhir and Jeddah have not yet been definitively excluded from the calendar but ‘only’ removed from their place in the month of April – thus bringing the number of GPs scheduled for 2026 to 22, against the 24 originally planned. Furthermore, worrying rumors are emerging about the possibility that other races are in the balance and that therefore the program of this championship could undergo further shocks. Fixed limit for teams and motorists There is one thing that however will certainly not change, regardless of the number of GPs that will actually be contested this year, be it 24, 22 or even less: the Budget Cap limit. In fact, the regulation specifically states that the 215 million dollars foreseen as the spending limit for the teams applies if “24 GPs or less” are held. The only change would be if events are added – not removed – to the 24 rounds originally planned. In that case the maximum spending ceiling would be increased by 1.8 million dollars for each additional race. The same goes for the spending limit imposed on power unit manufacturers, which remains fixed at 130 million dollars. Having fewer races scheduled will therefore allow teams and engineers to be able to exploit their budget with greater flexibility. This – theoretically – could help the teams and engine manufacturers most in crisis to close the gap that separates them from their adversaries. Abstractly imagining that all teams use their Budget Cap in full over the course of a season, each team will ‘save’ on average almost a million dollars for each race that is cancelled. A compensation that could become crucial during the year in the race for developments.

Too much weight The start of 2026 has been anything but simple for the Red Bull team. The Milton Keyens stable has begun the new regulatory era of the Circus also having to deal with its own new power unit, built in-house and for which it is inevitably paying the price of the novitiate. Another big problem that emerged in these first races however, as it had been in 2022, is that of weight. In fact, everyone in the paddock confirms that Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar’s car is significantly ‘overweight’. After the Chinese GP it was assumed that the kilos in excess of the limit imposed by the regulation were as much as 20. In reality, a recent analysis conducted by the RacingNews365 website estimated the excess weight of the Austro-English single-seater at around 9-10 kg. Everyone on a diet from Miami The team led by Laurent Mekies has therefore started working hard to be able to put the RB22 on a ‘diet’. In theory, the updates that should have resolved at least in part these problems were scheduled for the weekend of the Bahrain GP, ​​which however, as is known, has been removed from the calendar as well as – at least for now – that of Saudi Arabia. The introduction of the innovations which aim, among other things, to make the single-seater lighter will therefore be postponed to the beginning of May, during the weekend of the Miami GP. This package should be worth at least a couple of tenths in lap time, the ones that Verstappen and Hadjar are currently leaving on the field precisely because of the extra kilos that their car carries with them.

Disastrous start The new technical rules introduced this season have had a strong impact on Red Bull and its drivers, starting with Max Verstappen. Dissatisfied with the results and characteristics of the new cars, the Dutchman even threatened to retire from Formula 1, with teammate Isack Hadjar, another who arrived in Milton Keynes after his experience in Racing Bulls, who also expressed very negative opinions on the RB22, particularly after the Japanese Grand Prix. Suzuka, moreover, was the third race of this championship, which ended with only Verstappen in the points, but still in 8th place. If we add to this the negative results of the four-time world champion and Hadjar in the previous rounds, the Anglo-Austrian team now occupies sixth position in the Constructors’ standings, tied with Alpine on 16 points. A worse start It is necessary to go back eleven years, to 2015, to remember how much worse Red Bull did in Formula 1 after the first three GPs, in a season in which the Sprint race had not yet entered the world championship (in the only one held this year in China, both Verstappen and Hadjar did not score any points). Following the departure of Sebastian Vettel, who moved to Ferrari after his four world titles won in Red Bull, the team replaced the German with Daniil Kvyat, promoted after his first season in F1 with Toro Rosso (now renamed Racing Bulls). However, the Russian driver’s debut in Australia turned into a sporting nightmare: on the reconnaissance lap, in fact, he had to deal with a gearbox problem, retiring even before the start. His teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, finished in front of his home crowd in 6th place, in what would prove to be the best result of the first three races of that championship. First in Malaysia and then in China, the then #3 achieved 10th and 9th place respectively, in both cases at the bottom of the points. Furthermore, in Sepang, Ricciardo finished right behind Kvyat, who had to retire once again in China, in that case due to an engine failure just at a time when he was occupying the points zone. After the race in Shanghai, Red Bull found itself in fifth place in the world championship, with only 13 points. During the season, however, the Milton Keynes house managed to recover, albeit without any victory. While Ricciardo reached the podium on two occasions, Kvyat took 2nd place in Hungary just ahead of the Australian. The world championship ended with Red Bull in fourth place at 187 points, -70 from Williams (third) and -516 from world champion Mercedes, who failed to win in only three of the nineteen races on the calendar.

What the former driver said A good month without F1. This is the epilogue forced by the geopolitical situation in the Middle East which made it impossible to race in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, i.e. the two GPs scheduled for the month of April (the material used in the tests is still at Sakhir and no one has even speculated yet whether and how to recover it). According to Riccardo Patrese, a solution to profitably exploit this far from ideal situation would be to organize a collective open-door test in Barcelona to allow the teams to work not only on the simulator on the development of the 2026 cars: “I believe that the FIA must give the teams the opportunity to carry out more tests, perhaps in Barcelona – said Patrese reached by Grosvenor Casino – the teams must be authorized to go on the track, because the simulators are ok, but if you need to test something important, especially with regards to the engines you have to go on the track.” “This break can help the teams most in difficulty to catch up – added Patrese – I hope that from May we will see a better F1 especially in which the drivers can always use the accelerator”.

The alarm about overtaking in F1 In recent weeks our newspaper has also looked into many situations seen on the track in F1 that could be definitely improved, both for entertainment and for safety. First of all in qualifying, where it is counterproductive for the driver to go to the limit, but also in overtaking favored by superclipping and the charging difference between the cars. This last aspect can create situations of great danger, as reported by the protagonists themselves and as clearly seen in the accident between Franco Colapinto of Alpine and Oliver Bearman of Haas.
Formula 1 has a meeting scheduled in London on April 9th, in which the possibility of an immediate and future change to the current regulatory system will be assessed. Gary Anderson is afraid The words of the Northern Irish designer Gary Anderson – who has a long career behind him between McLaren, Ensign, Jordan, Stewart and Jaguar – to the English Telegraph express the paddock’s anxiety about the danger of certain situations.
Anderson explained: “F1 needs to change the dangerous rules, so there’s a risk of death. The FIA ​​needs to take some of the responsibility for the Bearman crash. It was an accident when you have a system that allows two cars at vastly different speeds to go around the same track. And I’m sure we’ll see it again. If it had happened while overtaking going into Turn 1, it would have been like a plane crash – potentially risking death.” The engineer then analyzed these rules as a whole: “A GP is no longer a physically exhausting race and this difference is noticeable on tracks like Suzuka, Spa and Silverstone. Seeing cars overtaking each other is fun, but they are not competitive overtaking: there is still a lot to do to make everything more like a race.” Jacques Villeneuve: “Danger that shouldn’t be there” On this type of accident risk, Jacques Villeneuve explained to Canal+: “In this race at Suzuka we saw the negative side of the regulations. The track didn’t lend itself to good overtaking and we saw the dangerous aspect with the Colapinto episode. He was going in slow motion and the difference in speed created a danger that shouldn’t be there.”

Italian pride After the first three GPs of 2026, Italy, which loves motorsport, finds itself living a daydream. ‘Our’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli is in fact leader of the world championship ranking after having achieved success in the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix and seems ready to compete for the title with his teammate George Russell, certainly more shrewd and experienced than him but who for the moment in the standings is looking from behind the 19-year-old from Bologna. The question that intrigues all fans in the Circus, Italians and beyond, is whether a young and inexperienced driver like Antonelli will be able to withstand a head-to-head with his garage partner at a distance, keeping the contention for the championship open until the end of the season. In this regard, while applauding the results achieved so far by the #12 of Mercedes, the former Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya expressed more than one doubt. Montoya skeptical The 50-year-old from Bogota – who in 2003 came quite close to winning the World Championship, but was then beaten by Michael Schumacher in a spectacular three-way sprint that also included Kimi Raikkonen – speaking to the Casinostugan website, he shot down Antonelli’s ambitions: “I don’t think Antonelli will become world champion. When he starts to realize that he is at the top of the standings I think the pressure could get the better of him, because he is very young and not has never experienced a situation like this before.” “It’s much easier to be the hunter than to be the prey – added the former Williams and McLaren driver – so, if you are the prey and you start to get beaten again, you could go haywire and start to collapse, making various mistakes”.

All about Alpine In recent weeks there has been a lot of talk within the F1 paddock about the now ‘famous’ shares of the Otro Capital investment fund within the Alpine team. The private equity firm, which is based in New York, controls 24% of the Enstone stable but appears particularly interested in selling its shares. Among the possible interested buyers, in addition to the entrepreneur Steve Cohen (owner of baseball’s New York Mets), Christian Horner has emerged – looking for a return to the Circus in style after being shown the door by Red Bull – and Toto Wolff, who in his role as executive director of Mercedes in Formula 1 would like to be able to control shares of the team which from this year is powered by the Brixworth power unit. Business is business The fact that interest in purchasing this 24% emerged first for Horner than for Mercedes made many think that Wolff was moving above all to prevent his historic rival from having a privileged access route to returning to F1. In a recent interview given to the Press Association, however, Wolff denied this reconstruction, claiming that this operation is completely disconnected from the personal relationship that unites – or rather, it would be better to say divides – him and Horner. “Our interest in that share has nothing to do with Christian – said Wolff – the idea that there is a rivalry between me and Christian over who buys a share of Alpine is invented. It would be rather sad if this were a determining factor in deciding whether or not to make such an investment. We are evaluating the issue from different angles and have not reached any conclusions. We want to understand if it makes sense”. During his F1 career it is worth remembering that Wolff has already held shareholdings in other teams besides Mercedes, such as Williams and Aston Martin.

According to Patrese, the title is between Russell and Antonelli After having won four consecutive world titles and having defended the throne to the last meter in Abu Dhabi – still recording the highest number of GP victories in the season, eight – Max Verstappen finds himself in anonymity due to a Red Bull team that is currently very far from the top in terms of competitiveness and performance. “Verstappen is not happy because he knows that Red Bull is far behind the pacesetters – said Riccardo Patrese reached by Grosvenor Casino – even at power unit level Red Bull and Ford have a long way to go”. According to the former driver Verstappen can still potentially land in Mercedes in 2027 (Toto Wolff has dismissed this possibility, while Juan Pablo Montoya is sure that Max has already contacted the Mercedes team principal), but if he does he will have the reigning world champion in the garage because Patrese believes that the world title is a question between George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli: “Kimi and Russell both have the chance to win the championship. One of the two will be world champion this season. If Max wants to go to Mercedes, and I think he will be able to do it because he is still the best driver in Formula 1, at that point whoever his teammate will be the reigning world champion. We will see if it will be Russell or Kimi.”

Domination at the beginning of the year The first three races of this season saw Mercedes as the only, great protagonist: while in Australia the Anglo-German company celebrated George Russell’s success, complete with a double for Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s 2nd place, the order of arrival was reversed in China, with the first career victory of the young driver from Bologna. In the last weekend in Japan, Antonelli achieved his second consecutive victory, with Russell in this case falling off the podium in fourth position. Placements that allow Mercedes to occupy the leadership of the world championship, but despite this there is a problem that the Brackley company will have to work on before returning to the track in Brackley. The negative starts Like other teams such as Audi, Mercedes particularly suffered from starts. Despite having monopolized the front row in all three GPs (including the Sprint in China), the two drivers encountered difficulties when turning on the green lights, losing a total of 21 positions. Difficulties that did not affect Ferrari, but not even a team like McLaren, which also has Mercedes power units. The Deputy Technical Director of the Brackley manufacturer, Simone Resta, admitted what was wrong: “We know that it is probably one of the weak points, if not the weakest, of our car at the moment – he explained in a video released by the team – we are working with the highest priority on this aspect to try to improve it in view of the next races. We know, for example, looking at McLaren’s start in Suzuka, that our power unit can start well. We will do our best to improve our performances in this area for Miami and we will try to defend as best we can whatever position we manage to gain in qualifying.” Despite the two victories, Antonelli was the one who suffered the most from Mercedes’ problem at the start, as demonstrated by the greater number of positions he lost compared to his teammate at the start. Andrea Kimi Antonelli GPDEPARTURE AFTER LAP 1ST POSITIONS LOSTAustralia2nd 7th5China (Sprint)2nd 6th4China1°2°1Japan1st 6th5 George Russell GPDEPARTURE AFTER LAP POSITIONS LOSTAustralia1st 2nd 1China (Sprint)1st 2nd 1China2nd 4th2Japan2nd 4th2

The German brand expands its portfolio Adidas continues its very aggressive campaign in terms of inclusion in its portfolio of F1 teams in what is becoming a real pursuit of compatriot Puma as regards supplies to the Circus stables. After Audi and Mercedes, in fact, Adidas has reached an agreement with Red Bull which from 2027 will show off Adidas-branded technical clothing. According to what was reported by Bild, Adidas will pay around 27 million euros per season into Red Bull’s coffers, a figure in line with what Audi and Mercedes have already received. The agreement reached with Red Bull allows Adidas to even the score at top team level in the comparison with Puma: Adidas will ‘dress’ Mercedes and Red Bull, Puma Ferrari and McLaren.

Mercedes, record start The closer we got to the 2026 World Championship, the more the paddock whispered about Mercedes’ superiority. The rumors have become reality, and now Formula 1 finds itself once again dominated by Toto Wolff’s team. The W17 driven by George Russell and Kimi Antonelli defeated the competition in Melbourne, Shanghai and Suzuka, missing out only in Japan. And such obvious initial expressions of superiority almost always translate into titles. For the 17th time in 77 championships, a team won the first three races of the season: on all previous occasions the team took home at least one Drivers’ and Constructors’ title, while in 16 out of 17 it celebrated the Drivers’ World Championship at the end of the year. The exception dates back to 50 years ago: in 1976 Ferrari started very strong, winning the Interlagos and Kyalami events with Niki Lauda and Long Beach with Clay Regazzoni. The title, as is well known, went to James Hunt, but the crash at the Nürburgring (which ousted the Austrian from three GPs) and the deluge of Fuji, under which Lauda himself refused to race, still affected by what happened to him months earlier, had a decisive impact. Mercedes’ supremacy is expressed above all on the flying lap. It is the second time in the history of the Circus that a team has monopolized the front row in the first three rounds of the year: only McLaren managed to do so in 1999. If Antonelli and Russell also respect the prediction in Miami, Mercedes will become the only team to start the championship with a poker of front rows.

Aston Martin still dry The start of the World Championship has divided the grid into three parts: Mercedes is in command, with Ferrari and McLaren who can hope to compete with the Brackley team in certain conditions; followed by six teams (including Red Bull) who are very close to each other and form a large midfield group; Aston Martin and Cadillac close, clearly the teams that started the worst in the new technical cycle. If a difficult start in F1 was foreseeable for Cadillac, for the Silverstone team it is a clear disappointment after the enormous investments and efforts made by owner Lawrence Stroll. In the first races of the World Championship, the theme of Honda’s power unit emerged, a source of vibrations that make it almost impossible to complete the GP. The problem recurred at Suzuka, but only starting on Saturday: in the first free practices, in fact, Aston Martin adopted an effective solution by fitting new components. Which, however, were not taken to the race. Krack’s words “We have implemented several measures and tests carried out during the session showed a small improvement,” explained Chief Trackside Officer Mike Krack. “We have worked on a variety of components, but their integration always involves a certain risk. For reliability reasons, we decided not to use the new ones in the race. However, we saw some promising signs.” With the first three races archived, and with the break of over a month due to the war in Iran, it would be a surprise to see Aston Martin bogged down again due to vibrations in the power unit: “I firmly believe that in Miami we will have made progress and we won’t have to talk about it anymore.” But the other teams certainly won’t stand by and will bring developments to Florida to improve performance. Aston Martin must instead give priority to solving the serious problems affecting the AMR26. The risk, therefore, is to see Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll delayed even further in the resumption of the championship.

The world at the feet of Kimi Toto Wolff enjoys the historic championship lead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, fresh from two consecutive victories between Shanghai and Suzuka. And if it is undeniable that on both occasions good fortune partly favored the success of the young Italian driver – in China, Russell ended up knocked out due to a problem in qualifying when he seemed to be headed towards pole, in Japan the Safety Car which came onto the track at the right time undeniably helped him in his comeback after the terrible start from first place on the grid – raise your hand if you would have bet even just one euro on such a solid and mature performance after just three races since the start of the second season among the greats. Perhaps not even Wolff himself, who however has always been almost a putative father of the 19-year-old from Bologna, and who defied the criticism of the press and fans by choosing in 2025 to replace the legend Lewis Hamilton with a very young debutant. After the Suzuka race, the team principal said he didn’t want to hear anything even remotely about the possibility of Antonelli winning the title, between regulation changes, technical developments and the new compression ratio verification system, but also considering the greater experience of George Russell who sooner or later will also come to the fore in the internal comparison in the Mercedes garage. But, on the other hand, he didn’t even deny the surprise of having to comment on his pupil’s leadership in the F1 standings. Thus Antonelli also surprised Wolff “I think that, when we decided to give him a seat – explains Toto Wolff speaking of Kimi Antonelli – a year and a half ago, we all hoped that he could set himself on this winning trajectory, even considering the ups and downs that can be expected from an 18-year-old driver in his first season in Formula 1. We hoped that it would be precisely in the second year that success would materialise, and that is how it is actually going. But, apart from that, if you ask me if I had ever expected two victories in the first three races with Kimi, well the answer is no, but he was fast when he needed to be.” “And of course, luck was on his side, but I also believe that everything else, overall, determined Antonelli’s second consecutive victory,” concludes Toto Wolff.

Luke Browning is certainly not having a good time in Japan, competing this year in the Super Formula championship. The 24-year-old, reserve driver for Williams and member of the same team’s Academy, suffered a bad accident in a recent test at Suzuka, from which he fortunately emerged unscathed. The episode occurred at the height of the 130R in wet track conditions, with heavy rain recurring again this weekend at Motegi, where the first round of the season took place. Specifically, the Kondo team driver collided during the race with Zak O’Sullivan, another talented member of the Williams Driver Academy. The own goal between the two young men from Grove, however, could have had decidedly worse consequences for both drivers: after the Safety Car entered the track, O’Sullivan and another competitor to his left slowed down in front of Browning, who due to the splashes of water in front of him did not see the Safety Car warnings, thus proceeding at high speed. Browning’s instinctive reaction and luck meant that the latter only hit the front left tire of his compatriot, passing at high speed between the two cars and above all avoiding a potentially dangerous collision with O’Sullivan.

1997: Schumacher against Villeneuve The second half of the 1990s brought a brief but intense rivalry between two drivers such as Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve. The first, who moved to Ferrari in 1996 after two world titles won in Benetton, arrived in Maranello in the same year in which the Canadian made his F1 debut at the wheel of Williams. Son of Gilles (one of the most beloved drivers in the history of Ferrari), he also arrived with the aim of establishing himself in the Circus after winning the CART (now IndyCar) championship and the Indianapolis 500. A duel that reached its climax in the 1997 European GP, ​​in Jerez, when Villeneuve attempted to overtake the German for first position, while the Ferrari driver decisively and controversially closed the door on the Canadian. A contact that had negative consequences on Schumacher, who in addition to retiring and losing the championship was also disqualified for the maneuver. The first victory and the world championship Almost thirty years after that episode, which gave Villeneuve his first and only F1 world championship, the Canadian returned to talk about the rivalry between him and Schumacher in the Beyond the Grid podcast, focusing on what was his first F1 victory obtained at the Nürburgring in 1996, also in that case ahead of the German: “It was fantastic, and he was always in the rearview mirror – he said regarding the first success – in part because I was still racing in the IndyCar style, that is, without creating a gap. I was just keeping an eye on Michael, because that was what I was used to doing over the years. It was always so close that a small mistake on my part would have given him the lead, and then I wouldn’t have been able to overcoming it is always difficult when you are the prey, because you can only make mistakes.” Enemies on and off the track Villeneuve and Schumacher were therefore rivals on and off the track. Between the two, as confirmed by the 54-year-old, there has never been a good relationship: “We never got along – he continued – it’s strange, because in reality we never socialized in all the years I was in F1. Yet he was my main competitor, so it was a bizarre situation. I’m not sure if it was due to the rivalry on the track. Perhaps because the name Villeneuve was also still linked to Ferrari and it had an effect. In Italy there were fans who cheered for him, for Ferrari, and for me too, and that unbalanced things a bit. Furthermore, he knew that I didn’t care, that I wasn’t impressed or intimidated by him, and I think he wasn’t used to it. That’s why in the battles I had with him it didn’t always go well, because I stood up to him. I noticed the same thing when I was at BAR afterwards. There was a sort of, I don’t know if respect, or uncertainty about what it would be happened, but he knew I would just deal with it. Maybe coming from the United States also helped.” The overtaking at Estoril Another iconic moment of the duel between the two drivers occurred at Estoril in 1996, when Villeneuve was the protagonist of a very complicated overtaking on the outside against Schumacher at the flyover before the finish line: “For many years I was very sad, because the only shot available was the onboard one, which didn’t allow you to see everything that was happening – he concluded reflecting on that maneuver – then, not many years ago, I The outside shots came up and I thought, ‘Oh, wow, now it looks good.’ During all the winter testing, that corner reminded me of a one-mile oval, like the one at Nazareth, for example, which has a slight banked type of bend. I spent the whole winter telling Jock Clear and the team that I would pass someone on the outside during the race. It was a goal. I know it sounds arrogant or cocky, but it was part of the fun, and that’s why I’ve always loved racing: for those moments when you can really be different, make a difference, do something you know others wouldn’t do. Before the race, Jock said to me: ‘Ok, tell us which lap, so we come with a spoon to pick up the pieces.’ I think he knew. We were about to pass a lap, so he slowed down a little to catch his breath, and that’s when I saw my moment. I thought, “Okay, he slowed down a little. I don’t give up, I overtake him on the outside and surprise him. That was the only way to get past Michael by surprising him. I remember the second half of the curve. In the first half I thought, ‘Oh, wow, I’m over it,’ then suddenly I lost grip, the car started skidding and I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be tough.’ But I stayed on track. Normally, on an oval, you exit corners faster because you start from a higher height, slightly downhill, with a smaller steering angle. That’s why the outside trajectory usually works. But with the trail of the slow car in front of me, I had enough speed to overtake Michael and then take the lead. It was a very close race, and yes, the car was moving on sand marbles. It probably should have ended up against the wall.”

The situation in the Middle East Formula 1 began a long break this week which will last until the beginning of May. A stop which, compared to what was the pre-established calendar, was in no way planned, but which became inevitable after the outbreak of the war in the Middle East which involved various nations of this world region. These include Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, with the latter due to host the Circus on 19 April at the Jeddah circuit. The work does not stop Yet, near the capital Riyadh, the circuit which, according to plans, should welcome Formula 1 from 2028 is slowly taking shape: the Qiddiya Speed ​​​​Park. Conceived by former driver Alexander Wurz and designed by Hermann Tilke, this will be part of one of the most spectacular sports and entertainment complexes ever seen in the history of Formula 1. Particularly impressive, in fact, will be Turn 1. Known as ‘The Blade’, it will reach the height of a 20-storey building. A track that will include the characteristics of city circuits and permanent ones, with a height difference of 108 metres. In addition to this, the objective will be to make the track the longest in the world championship (beating the Spa-Francorchamps record), as well as creating the largest central grandstand. A layout that will guarantee the highest safety standards, to the point of hosting not only Formula 1 races, but also those of other championships, including MotoGP.

Max’s retirement intentions At the end of the Japanese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen openly hinted at the possibility of retiring from Formula 1 at the end of the season. Words not thrown there by chance or the result of frustration over a race gone wrong: the Dutch champion seemed more frustrated than ever for a generation of single-seaters far from his concept of ‘racing’.
Many have teased him by saying that Max’s outburst probably came due to the lack of competitiveness of Red Bull 2026, so much so that it pushed dad Jos to silence the critics.
Meanwhile, Mercedes’ Toto Wolff said he was sorry for Verstappen’s frustration, but also closed the doors of the Silver Arrows to the Dutchman, saying he had long-term commitments with Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell and that he was happy with his driver pairing.
asked Francesco Cigarini (present on Instagram and YouTube), at Ferrari for 22 years, if Verstappen could become a next target for the Maranello team. “Verstappen to Ferrari? Premature” Francesco Cigarini, when Max Verstappen talks about possible retirement, is he serious or is he suffering from Red Bull’s lack of competitiveness?
“I think that his outburst is not the result of a whim, but of the loss of those values that shape the driver and that make him feel capable of overcoming his own limits or those of the car. A challenging issue that gives the strength to get on the track to give the best. For now everything is too much delegated to software and the interaction between endothermic and electric. With evolution we will get closer to normality, but for now it is suffering. Then whoever wins or is competitive, enjoys the moment regardless of the regulations. Whoever doesn’t he suffers it and gets depressed.” Considering that Wolff has ruled out wanting him at Mercedes, should Ferrari think about Verstappen? Would you see Max as compatible with the Red?
“To date, with the pair of drivers that Ferrari has – formed by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton -, thinking about Max is premature. And he would like the certainty of top competitiveness and a winning project. In short, we need to convince him with facts.”

At home for a well-deserved break Having closed the Japanese Grand Prix with a victory that earned him the provisional leadership of the world championship, Andrea Kimi Antonelli returned to San Marino, where he lives, to enjoy the break that will continue until the beginning of May, when F1 will return to the track in Miami (on the same circuit where he obtained pole position in the Sprint qualifying last year). In an interview given to Sky Sport F1, the 19-year-old from Bologna spoke about the particularly positive moment he is experiencing, while maintaining a certain concentration already for the next event: “Of course, in the end it’s a shame that we have such a long break, but at the same time I’m not complaining too much because I manage to spend quite a few days at home. It’s important, because in any case it was a fairly intense, very intense start to the season. The pre-season was also very intense, so it’s always nice and it’s It’s important to be able to spend some days here at home.” Gravina’s gaffe and Antonelli’s joke Also during this interview, Antonelli also reserved a jab at the former FICG President Gabriele Gravina. The latter, after the third consecutive elimination of the Italian national team at the World Cup, had indicated football as a professional sport, unlike all the other disciplines considered amateur. A statement that sparked numerous reactions from many athletes, including Antonelli. When asked about the fact that, due to his young age (born in 2006), he never managed to enjoy the best years of the national team, the Mercedes driver responded with an instant joke: “Among other things, we play a sport for amateurs…”. A reaction that is already making the rounds on social media, but the 19-year-old also added considerations and memories related to the ‘Azzurri’: “Obviously it’s a shame that we’re not going to the World Cup this year… I have wonderful memories of the European Championships: I remember that I was at the European Championship match in Naples, in Sarno, and after winning the match my mother and I ran into the car and went home as quickly as possible because we wanted to watch the European Championship final: that it was a wonderful period, because seeing the national team play in the European Championship in that case was really nice. Obviously I was very disappointed not to see the national team qualify for the World Cup. It’s one more reason to try to continue to bring Italy to the top in my field.”

Ambition “One day I want to race for you. I want to race for McLaren.” It seemed like an extremely decisive sentence for a boy of just 10 years old who presented himself in this way in front of the then Team Principal of the Woking company, Ron Dennis, at the 1995 Autosport Awards. Instead, the repeated successes in the karting championships meant that it was the English manager who was the first to believe in the potential of a very young driver who would go on to write the history of the team and of Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton. Born in Stevenage in 1985, in that meeting the current Ferrari driver was actually even more precise about his ambitions, as he himself recalled: “to race for McLaren and become world champion”. A path that took a real turning point 28 years ago, more precisely on 3 April 1998, when Dennis seriously bet on Hamilton by announcing his entry into the McLaren-Mercedes Young Driver Support Programme. The dream realized From there, his growth was such that he increasingly convinced the Team Principal to bring him closer to the world of F1. All this after winning the Formula Renault 2000 UK championships in 2003, the F3 Euro Series in 2005 and the GP2 (now Formula 2) in 2006. Statements that transformed the dream of racing for McLaren in F1 in 2007, with Hamilton already coming close to winning the world title as a rookie, something that was not achieved just by being one point behind Kimi Raikkonen in a season that saw him take nine podiums consecutive from the first match of the championship. An appointment with history that however arrived the following year in a sensational finale of the Brazilian GP, ​​where Hamilton obtained the first world title in the land of his idol Ayrton Senna. 2008 was the only championship won with McLaren (the first for the team after Mika Hakkinen in 1999), but in his subsequent experience with Mercedes the Briton won six more world championships, equaling Michael Schumacher’s all-time record, as well as establishing other historical records such as the highest number of F1 victories (105, only driver above 100), pole positions (104) and podiums (203). An ambition, the one declared 31 years ago in front of Ron Dennis, which with hindsight turned out to be anything but naive or arrogant for a boy today known as Sir Lewis Hamilton.

Marko’s importance At the end of last season, Helmut Marko’s activity in Red Bull (and more generally in F1) officially ended after a long stay in the Anglo-Austrian team, where he acted as a consultant as well as having created and managed the historic Red Bull Junior Team nursery. A ‘school’ that has seen the growth of many young talents who have then found a place in F1, just like those who currently occupy the seat of the Milton Keynes single-seater, namely the four-time world champion Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. Never disappeared from the team At present the 82-year-old is enjoying a well-deserved retirement, but the contacts with Red Bull have not disappeared at all, on the contrary. The confirmation came directly from the most representative men of the team, starting with Team Principal Laurent Mekies, who was promoted in 2025 by Racing Bulls after the dismissal of Christian Horner: “Helmut has remained very open and available with us – he declared to Beyond the Grid – I talk to him, they (the drivers) do it, and I’m sure that we all talk to him and receive his advice, even if we don’t see him on the track. You can’t move on with Helmut, who built this young driver program for two decades with incredible success. So, right now, we live off his legacy and, like I said, he’s behind the scenes if we need him.” The contacts remain Marko absent in the pits but still present and available. A concept that was also shared by Max Verstappen, a driver who represented the top of the Red Bull Junior Team program and one of the most brilliant pages of the team together with that of Sebastian Vettel’s repeated successes: “Maybe there will be a little less Austrian jokes from Helmut, but I am still in contact with him – he confirmed to the media – perhaps not so much for the details of the car, but for life in general. I shared many moments with him, so, obviously, it will be a little different in the garage, but we also have to look ahead, right? We need to think about performance, but at the same time, as I said, we have an excellent relationship and we still stay in touch.” Gratitude Further confirmation also came from Hadjar, who has always remained grateful to his mentor despite a start to his career in F1 heavily criticized by Marko himself at the beginning of 2025 for having cried after a mistake made on the reconnaissance lap in Australia: “There are certain things he wants to see, and I can’t speak for the others and their experience, but I have always had an excellent relationship with him and he has contributed enormously to my career. The fact that he believed in me when others didn’t, I am very grateful to him grateful, because without him this opportunity would not have come.”

The best, once again Ferrari 98 points, Mercedes 62, this is the ranking after three GPs. No, we have not fallen into a parallel universe in which the Maranello team was the one who came up with the perfect car at the advent of the new regulatory cycle, nor in a ‘buggy’ video game in which the values ​​of the SF-26 are oversized compared to those of the W17. This ranking is real and concerns F1, but it is that of pit stops. In fact, the red team’s mechanics are confirming themselves as clearly the best on the grid at the start of the season, after having managed in 2025 to interrupt the hegemony of the Red Bull crew which had lasted for eight seasons. Between Australia, China and Japan, five of the seven fastest pit stops were made by the men in red who were able to finally revive the myth of the Ferrari pit stops of the early 2000s, when an important component of the triumphs of the Schumacher era was given precisely by the efficiency and speed of the pit stops. In the last race before the forced spring break, in Suzuka, the Ferrari mechanics made what are the two fastest stops of the season so far: 2.13 seconds for changing tires on Charles Leclerc’s car and even 2.00 seconds for the same operation on Lewis Hamilton’s car. This latest stop is almost two tenths quicker than Mercedes’ fastest stop of the season. Pos.TeamDriverGPDuration1FerrariHamiltonJapan2.002FerrariLeclercJapan2.133MercedesRussellAustralia2.174FerrariLeclercAustralia2.225Red BullVerstappenAustralia2.246FerrariHamiltonAustralia2.267FerrariHamiltonChina2.298Racing BullsLawsonChina2.349Red BullVerstappenAustralia2.4010MercedesAntonelliJapan2.40 While waiting for the official decisions on the ADUO, the expected developments on the SF-26 and any regulatory interventions, there is already a Ferrari that wins: it is the one in the pit lane.

The new F1 under accusation The new rules of Formula 1 have been criticized by the majority of drivers, led by Max Verstappen. No one else has threatened to withdraw from competition, but inside the garage there is dissatisfaction and frustration. Apart from Mercedes, which logically defends the new generation of cars, these rules have not made any inroads between teams and drivers; nor among the public, considering the plunging TV ratings in France and Spain. A voice out of the chorus comes from Juan Pablo Montoya: according to the Colombian, the drivers must think about driving the vehicle they have in their hands, without putting pressure on Formula 1 to change the regulations. Montoya’s words “There are too many people with opinions and too many people willing to listen to them. Other people’s opinions matter much more than in the past. In my day, if you didn’t like something, you just had to accept it”, these are Juancho’s words reported by Casinostugan. “I understand that drivers don’t like rules. But if you get paid to drive the car, whatever it is, you drive it.” “The last regulatory cycle was described as terrible for ‘porpoising’, which according to the riders was dangerous and caused back pain. Everyone talked about it constantly, then the teams found a solution. It lasted all of six months and the rules remained unchanged,” he added. “In the engines they can limit the amount of electric and reduce the points where it is delivered. But then you will have less overtaking, and this won’t be good either. Reacting on impulse based on what the drivers say would cause other problems.”

The Suzuka race highlighted all the problems and risks of superclipping, the slowdown at the end of the straight which can exceed 50 km/h. As well as providing a questionable performance in qualifying, the phenomenon confirmed safety fears, causing large speed differences between cars which could lead to an accident. The FIA ​​and the teams are now evaluating possible solutions, but the problem is unlikely to be completely resolved, unless drastic action is taken. Acting on the combustion engine is not enough Clipping is a dual problem, which concerns both the discharge and recharging phases of the battery. In fact, to power the electrical part for as long as possible, it is necessary to recharge the battery while driving, even without braking. This presupposes using the combustion engine as a generator, using part of its power to generate electrical energy, which inevitably causes a loss of thrust to the wheels and speed, corresponding precisely to clipping. Among the hypotheses launched, there is that of increasing the maximum power with which to recharge the battery in a straight line from 250 to 350 kW. However, this would reduce the driving force even further, exacerbating the clipping phases, albeit shortening them. Another proposal is to change some parameters of the combustion engine to increase its horsepower, so as to experience less power loss during charging phases. However, this is not a road that can be traveled before next year and, moreover, it would not change the substance that a weakening would still be felt on the straight. Marcel van Dorst/EYE4IMAGES/NurPhoto via Getty Images The third option would be to reduce the recoverable energy per lap, as already timidly done in Suzuka. The idea here is to limit battery charging on a straight line, but, as the Japanese Grand Prix demonstrated, even this isn’t enough. Even if charging outside of braking were completely prohibited, even in extreme cases, clipping would still persist. This is because the other problem would always remain, that of premature battery discharge, which would require a revision of the 50:50 ratio between internal combustion engine and electric motor. Electrical power: an 80% cut would be needed. One of the options on the table involves cutting electrical power by 50, 100 or more kW, but, on closer inspection, not even this would be enough to eliminate superclipping. By regulation, the battery has a capacity limited to 4 MJ, more or less in the order of magnitude of the energy that can be recovered each lap when braking, a number which however varies depending on the track. Imagining using the electric motor to the maximum of the 350 kW currently permitted, the battery would discharge in 11 seconds. If the power were reduced to 300 kW, the energy would run out in 13 seconds, while at 250 kW it would run out after 16 s. At Suzuka, these would have been enough to travel the 130R straight without clipping, but then found themselves without energy in the rest of the circuit. Peter Fox/Getty Images On average across the various tracks, the cars travel with the accelerator wide open for over 50 seconds per lap. To avoid clipping in the race, the electrical power should be cut by 80%, limiting it to 80 kW. This is an even lower value than the 120 kW of the previous regulation, which says a lot about how detrimental the abolition of the MGU-H, the generator that recovered energy from exhaust gases, was. In qualifying the problem is less serious. Paradoxically, the problem is easier to manage in qualifying, when you launch with the battery at maximum, and then progressively recharge it during the lap. Imagining again that we wanted to limit charging to braking only, we would have 8 MJ of energy available per single lap. To use them all without clipping during the 50 seconds in which you travel at full speed on average, the electric power should be limited to 160 kW, with a cut of 55% compared to the current value. BATTERY CHARGING HYPOTHESIS ONLY WHEN BRAKING ELECTRICAL POWER DISCHARGE TIME IN QUALIFICATION [8 MJ]DISCHARGE TIME IN THE RACE [4 MJ]350 kW22 s11 s300 kW26 s13 s250 kW32 s16 s200 kW40 s20 s150 kW52 s26 s100 kW80 s40 s Photo David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images It would be a drastic decision, one that the FIA ​​and the teams do not seem willing to take. We thus return to the starting point again: no matter how much we try to improve the charging and discharging phases, power cuts and clipping will always exist. A realistic objective is to act on the energy recoverable at each lap, on the electric power and, from next year, on the performance of the combustion engine to dampen the slowdowns at the end of the straight, possibly by adjusting the various parameters based on the tracks. Accidents: the problem is software freedom. A different matter concerns the risk of accidents due to large differences in speed. When two cars clip at the same time, the problem does not arise, as they continue to proceed at a similar pace. Conversely, when one car is charging and the other is using the electric motor, the speed difference increases, even more so if the attacker is using the Boost button, as happened in the Bearman accident. Not only does this result in artificial or involuntary overtaking, defined by Alonso as “avoidance manoeuvres”, but it can also catch the attacker off guard, resulting in a rear-end collision. Kym Illman/Getty Images It all comes from the different strategies for using the battery, as Antonelli observed in Japan: “With Leclerc, I used much more battery in points where he didn’t use it at all and in these cases you find yourself with a significant difference in speed.” The problem arises from excessive freedom in energy management. “I don’t think it’s something that easy to fix,” Kimi observes. “Each team decides how and where to use the battery.” These are words that invite us to reflect on the need to place constraints on energy management logic, trying to standardize the various strategies. Nothing would prevent us from defining points where the electric motor can be exploited, along the lines of the old DRS activation zones. These would also reduce battery usage times from the current average of 50 seconds, which would dampen clipping. The only certainty is that drastic measures are needed and that none would be free from contraindications, but at this point the only possibility is to choose the lesser evil.

The 2026 rules don’t like the Dutchman “He throws a tantrum”. “He says that because he’s not used to not being in front.” Several prominent figures such as Gunther Steiner and Mario Andretti have criticized the attitude of Max Verstappen, who has never missed an opportunity to underline how much he doesn’t like F1 2026, going so far as to suggest retirement because he no longer enjoys it. According to Riccardo Patrese, however, F1 must examine its conscience regarding the 2026 regulation because – unlike what Juan Pablo Montoya believes – it cannot afford to lose drivers like Max Verstappen: “At the moment Verstappen is the driver capable of putting on the most spectacle and making F1 exciting – said Patrese reached by Grosvenor Casino – the Circus needs a driver like Verstappen, it cannot afford to lose him. He has a strong character and could even deciding to leave because he has already achieved the results he wanted, taking away all the satisfaction, Verstappen has always been very clear that when the motivation and joy of driving disappeared he would go and race elsewhere.” Regarding the possible departure from F1, Patrese still believes that before leaving the paddock Verstappen will try to win with another team: “We know that he has decided to stay in Red Bull this year to evaluate which team has interpreted the new rules best – added the former driver – I believe that before leaving Formula 1 he would like to try driving another competitive car and perhaps aim for his fifth world title”,

Ferrari awaits the ‘new’ power unit At the end of the Japanese GP both Frederic Vasseur and Charles Leclerc underlined that in some ways another championship will begin in Miami with cars that will change a lot as a result of an entire month’s break in which to work on updates, but at the same time it will not yet be possible to change what is currently the factor that generates the big difference between Mercedes and Ferrari, namely the power unit. Interviewed by Sky, however, Andrea Kimi Antonelli anticipated that this ‘stasis’ at the power unit level is destined to be short-lived because ADUO, the system designed to give engine engineers with a performance deficit the possibility of bridging the gap with the reference engine on the starting grid, will intervene shortly. On the regulation paper the ‘checkpoint’ is scheduled after the first six races, in this case four because the cancellation of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia did not move the first ‘settlement’ of the ADUO further forward, but Antonelli declared that Ferrari – and consequently also the other engine manufacturers – have already received the OK on the ADUO. What Antonelli said “I know that there will be some big changes – said Antonelli – also the ADUO that has been granted to Ferrari for example which will allow them to develop the engine. They will certainly get very close, because their car is strong anyway and therefore if they also manage to improve the engine they will get even closer. But I’m not worried too much, in the end once I go to the track I will think about doing what I have done in the past weekends, that is, trying to go as fast as possible, concentrating on myself and concentrate on what I have to do, on the objective that is set each weekend. Then I’m sure that we will also bring fairly important updates: the car is already going strong and there is a good dynamic in the team, so I’m not worried too much, but I’m aware that the other teams will arrive sooner or later.”

One team, one rivalry Following the victory achieved in the first race of the championship in Australia, George Russell was unable to repeat himself in China and Japan, GPs in which his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli instead prevailed. Two successes which have allowed the young Mercedes driver to occupy the leadership of the world championship standings, but which at the same time risk generating an internal rivalry in Brackley between the Bolognese and the Briton. War immediately? In this respect, former McLaren driver David Coulthard expressed his opinion on the podcast Up to Speed, who ‘advises’ what Russell should do now: “If I were him, I would declare war on Antonelli right now – he explained – just be a good boy. We had already said it after Kimi’s first victory. I saw an excellent interview with Toto Wolff and George in which they discussed the race (Japan). I thought it was fantastic that Mercedes had shared that message on the social It gives us an idea that Toto is there at a certain moment to help George. But on the other side of the box, he is praising Antonelli: ‘You did it, I always believed in you’. In addition, Coulthard added his opinion. on Antonelli, in particular on the possibility that the latter can sustain the pace shown in the last two races for the rest of the season: “It can be very tiring. We saw it last year with Oscar Piastri; he arrived in Baku for a race he was supposed to win, but made a series of mistakes. As a result, Lando Norris, with his greater experience, was able to make a difference.”

Red show In the first three GPs of this season, much of the show on the track was provided by the Ferraris: not fighting for victory – which has always been the prerogative of Mercedes – but almost always fighting among themselves for a place on the podium. In Australia and Japan the challenge was won by Charles Leclerc, while in China Lewis Hamilton prevailed, thus finally obtaining his first top-3 finish in a GP as a Ferrari driver. Many commentators, experts, but also simple fans appreciated the choice of team principal Fred Vasseur to leave the battle open between the two Prancing Horse drivers, unlike what happened in past eras in which the outcome of internal battles in the red garage was almost always predetermined by the wall. But could the team leaders actually give orders to the two drivers if they wanted? Not according to Ralf Schumacher. Armored contract The former German driver, now a popular television commentator for Sky Germany, is in fact convinced that Lewis Hamilton above all has a sort of team order ban in his contract which would make the role of team principal Vasseur almost useless in situations like those that occurred in the first three races of the year. In a speech on the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, Ralf Schumacher expressed his thoughts very clearly, which are bound to create great discussions: “I’m actually of the opinion – although obviously I’ll get a lot of criticism for this again, but I don’t care – that although Lewis Hamilton is clearly back in the game this year, which I’m very happy about, he will also have contracts that allow him to do exactly that,” Schumacher said. “I imagine that even if Fred wanted to, he couldn’t say anything, because I think Lewis Hamilton can decide for himself what he has to do. He will enjoy a certain ‘number one’ status. I can almost imagine that. That’s why Ferrari has no chance. He will decide for himself. But obviously this creates turmoil in the team. It stirs things up a bit. It should be handled a little differently but I think it depends on the contractual situation and I also think – and this is actually the main problem – that it doesn’t should underestimate this kind of thing,” commented Ralf.

Problem after problem Formula 1 in these first three races of 2026, with the new technical regulations just introduced, seems to have truly completely lost its original nature. Superclipping which drops the speed by around 50 km/h in a straight line and with the accelerator pressed to maximum, or the software which ‘interprets’ in their own way the moments in which the drivers leave the accelerator for an instant and decide autonomously when to give or cut the power, forcing those in the cockpit to passively suffer sudden drops in thrust, were not enough. The latest news – which emerged in Suzuka following the frightening accident of Ollie Bearman who had to ‘dodge’ Franco Colapinto’s Alpine in front of him when it was in a phase of recovering energy – is that the riders are now afraid to defend themselves. Alex Albon confessed this, speaking to journalists and revealing that this is actually becoming a topic of discussion in briefings between the riders and also in their ‘messages’ on the now famous WhatsApp chat that brings them all together. The Williams standard bearer explained that “we are talking about these things precisely during the drivers’ briefing – regarding the approach speeds [a un altra vettura]defense, maneuvers and all these things. At the moment all this seems really strange.” The danger of the defense But what is the fear of the drivers? That a defensive action that may be harsh but perfectly legal and regular, such as a change of trajectory made in the middle of the straight to protect the inside of the corner in an approaching braking section, turns into a very dangerous move due to an excess of power from the car behind or – vice versa – a cut in power from the car in front. A collision like this, with a high speed delta, could have tragic consequences. “You want to defend yourself, but sometimes you’re worried about the car behind – explained Albon – maybe we just need to make the SM mode (i.e. when the cars travel with the front and rear wings open) a little more stable, or less powerful. Something like that. Or maybe make it more similar to a normal DRS that can be controlled quite easily.” In practice now Formula 1 drivers are forced to be afraid of doing what they do this job for, that is, trying to prevent those following them from overtaking. And apparently the only way to solve this problem is… to go back to the wings mode which was deliberately canceled from the current regulation. Curtain.

Francesco Cigarini, at Ferrari for over 20 years, commented on what he saw at the start of this world championship

Max Verstappen returns to the Nurburgring Here we go again with Max Verstappen at the Nurburgring. The four-time world champion in Formula 1 is not having fun, he threatens retirement in an increasingly less veiled manner and returns whenever he can behind the wheel of GT3 cars to prepare for his next participation in the 24 Hours of the Nordschleife which will be held on the weekend of May 16th and 17th. For example, he did it already after Suzuka, when he rushed to board a flight from Japan to get into the Mercedes AMG GT3 of his Verstappen.com Racing team, and he will do it again and again: for example, the next dates to mark in red on the calendar are those of 18 and 19 April, with the Dutchman who will run two 4-hour races in two days. The program leading up to the 24 Hours The programs were revealed by Motorsport.com, which reports that the Red Bull driver’s next objective is not so much, as one might have imagined, the third race of the NLS championship scheduled for April 11, but rather the two “qualifying” races for the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring Nordschleife, taking place the following week. The reason is easy to say: in the two races on 18 and 19 April the track is slightly different than the one used in the NLS championship, but the configuration chosen is exactly the same as the 24 Hours. Furthermore, another thing that entices Max Verstappen, the Saturday race at the Nurburgring ends at 9.30pm, and therefore at night: a very important test for the four-time world champion, who up to now has driven in all the conditions of the Nordschleife, but not at night. Furthermore, the fact that Max will share the seat with Lucas Auer is also useful, given that both Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella – the two teammates with whom he raced in the race last March 21st, from whose finishing order the team was ousted due to technical irregularities regarding the use of tires – will be unavailable that weekend, as they are involved in the WEC in Imola. Auer was the only member of the 24 Hours crew with whom Max had not yet shared the cockpit, so the double appointment on 18 and 19 April, made possible only by the cancellation of the F1 races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, will ultimately be crucial for Max Verstappen at the Nurburgring.

F1, overtaking objective When Formula 1 decided to tweak the regulations, one of the main objectives was to increase overtaking on the track. And to achieve this goal it was decided to rethink the aerodynamics of the single-seaters, abandoning the principle of ground effect to try to create races in which the drivers could follow each other more closely. All with the possibility of also taking advantage of the 50:50 split between combustion engine and hybrid and therefore focusing on more options available for overtaking and counter-overtaking manoeuvres. What we saw in the first three races was a bit surprising compared to the recent past of the category: overtaking has certainly increased, but almost all of it took place using the charging and discharging of the battery. This has generated what the English have already nicknamed “yo-yos”, with pilots forced to overtake – even without wanting to – their colleagues who suddenly ran out of power. Then generating situations of absolute danger, as occurred in the accident that occurred to Oliver Bearman of Haas, who had to avoid Franco Colapinto of Alpine. A dizzying increase GARESOVERTAKINGS IN 2024OVERTAKINGS IN 2025OVERTAKINGS IN 2026GP Australia3545125Sprint China6539134GP China10290146GP Japan 8528106Average71,7550,5127,5Source: BBC The data from these first races of 2026, however, speak for themselves, the overtaking increased by 152.97% compared to the same weekends in 2025. A dizzying progress, approximately 2.5 times compared to twelve months ago.
The Suzuka Japanese Grand Prix was the one with the most important increase: +278% compared to 2025, followed by the Chinese Sprint: +243%.
As is known, F1 will evaluate next week – April 9th ​​- the changes to be made to what has been seen in the first world championship events, but there is a certain desire to defend in terms of spectacle what has been seen so far on the track.

Russell, what a mockery in Japan Considering the great superiority of Mercedes, which emerged from the first tests, and the experience accumulated in seven seasons of Formula 1, at the beginning of the year it was easily conceivable that George Russell would have done en plein in the first GPs. Instead the Briton “only” won the inaugural round in Melbourne, leaving the other two successes to Kimi Antonelli. And now he finds himself chasing the Bolognese in the standings. Although Antonelli was very fast on the race pace in China and Japan, some episodes put the Italian on a downhill road. For example, Russell’s technical problems in qualifying in Shanghai, or the extremely unfortunate timing of the Safety Car at Suzuka, which was sent onto the track a few seconds after the Briton entered the pits and which allowed Antonelli to make a free pit stop. Wolff’s words The outcome of these first races has led some observers to think that Toto Wolff has bet on Antonelli, but the Mercedes team principal continues to blindly believe in Russell. And, after the Japanese GP, he defended him: “I believe that the whole weekend went against him, starting from the decisions on the set-up on Saturday, which made the car worse from FP3 to qualifying.” “As for the pit stop, we had to stop it because otherwise we risked the position in favor of Leclerc (who in turn had stopped to cover Lando Norris’s stop, ed.). Then luck was on Kimi’s side, who was very fast at that moment, and not on George’s side, who then had a software problem and was overtaken by Leclerc.” Wolff, however, doesn’t just talk about bad luck, but also about the improvements that both the drivers and the team must show in Miami: “Certainly the start of George and Kimi saw some errors on the part of the drivers, but we also didn’t provide them with the best tools for the start.”

F1 changes immediately The new direction of Formula 1 is struggling to get going. The regulations approved for 2026 present problems not only of “youth”, but also of concept: in qualifying the driving is absolutely mortified, the driver no longer turns at the limit but adapts to the software to have the most effective delivery possible, with a performance flattening effect; in the race, overtaking is very often artificial and due to the different strategies in the use of electric. And then, also taking advantage of the forced pause due to the war in Iran, the Circus thought of corrective measures. As we reported, a meeting is scheduled for April 9th ​​in London between teams, engineers, FIA and F1 to discuss the changes to the regulations. For this meeting, the Circus has prepared six measures, as revealed by The-Race, which would especially modify Saturday, immediately indicated as the aspect to be changed most urgently. According to our British colleagues, the three areas to which priority should be given are safety, qualifications and speed at the end of the straights (or in any case sections that were once driven to the limit, such as the 130R). Safety is at the top of the agenda, and it couldn’t be otherwise considering that Oliver Bearman at Suzuka went into the barrier at very high speed to avoid Franco Colapinto, who was adopting a different charging strategy and was therefore proceeding much more slowly on the iconic Spoon stretch. The other areas concern entertainment and the usability of the product, aspects that take a backseat to safety but which F1 naturally takes into great account so as not to lose what Liberty Media has built in recent years. The measures that F1 will bring to the table are to increase the power of super clipping (from 250 kW to 350 kW) in order to confine it closer to the braking point; reduce the maximum output power by 350 kW (by consuming less energy, it is not used up too quickly); reduce the maximum recharge per lap from 9 to 6 MJ to facilitate recharging and avoid the use of lift and coast; unlimited use of active aerodynamics and the possibility of activating it anywhere; modify the 55%-45% balance between internal combustion engine and electric motor (but, in this case, it would not be an immediate change, because it would require adaptation times and at the moment would cause reliability problems); finally, simplify the rules to give drivers more control over their performance in the flying lap.

The start of the championship After the 2025 season ended with very little satisfaction, the first three races of this world championship instead gave good results for Alpine, currently in fifth position in the Manufacturers’ world championship. From the Australian GP to the Japanese GP, Pierre Gasly has always achieved finishes in the points, with the top-10 also achieved by Franco Colapinto in China. A positive start therefore for the French company, which for the first time in its history took to the track without Renault engines, but with Mercedes ones. Future projects Renault itself and the entire team, moreover, seem intent on continuing their project in Formula 1 which began with the return to the Circus in 2016, which saw the only change in 2021, the year in which the team changed its name to Alpine. A desire that remains even with the potential sale of 24% of the Alpine share held by the US investment fund Otro Capital. The project to return to victory was not indicated precisely by Alpine’s Executive Consultant Flavio Briatore, but the answer provided by the 75-year-old is however indirect confirmation of his desire to remain in F1 also in the coming seasons, increasingly increasing the level of competitiveness: “It’s a very difficult question, I don’t know – he replied to the media – we try to do our best and improve from year to year. But now we have everything to be competitive. We are very happy with the engine we have and we are quite happy with the whole team. Of course, we have made a lot of changes to the team and we have to prepare the foundations, the cornerstone, to build the team. We want to win and we will see what happens.

Montoya, farewell without regrets Juan Pablo Montoya was one of the most instinctive and spectacular riders of his generation, capable of combining talent and aggression without compromising. On the track he has always stood out for a rough style, made up of braking at the limit and decisive overtaking, and it was logical that a personality of this caliber, if brought into Formula 1, would clash with that of Michael Schumacher. It was precisely the combination between the Kaiser and Ferrari that was one of the reasons why Juancho achieved less than he hoped for (seven victories in 95 GPs), but the 1975-born driver remained in the hearts of fans and enthusiasts for being a divisive but authentic figure, who left Formula 1 very early (at 30) because he had no intention of driving to make up the numbers. And today, two decades later, he doesn’t regret it. Montoya’s words “I don’t regret leaving Formula 1, it was the right thing for me. One of the reasons why I left was that I didn’t feel comfortable staying just to make up the numbers”, these are Juancho’s words reported by Casinostugan. “In my day, drivers retired at around 35. So, in 2006, I was about to sign probably my last contract. And I wasn’t going to sign a contract to race mid-table, just to be able to say I was still in F1.” The Colombian’s adventure in NASCAR lasted seven full seasons. His best result came in eighth place in 2009: “I thought it would be fun, but, when I think about it, I wasn’t really having fun. I didn’t like going to the track. And considering all the effort I had to put into something I didn’t like, it didn’t make sense to continue.”

The performance in Suzuka The last Japanese Grand Prix ended with a convincing 2nd place for Oscar Piastri, who after the two races in which he did not take part for different reasons (an accident on the warm-up lap in Australia and a technical problem in China) obtained his first podium of the season behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli. A performance which, moreover, began with an excellent start for the Australian from McLaren, who took command of the race by taking advantage of a bad start from Antonelli himself, who took pole position. Remaining in the lead until the first stint, luck turned its back on the #81, with the entry of the Safety Car onto the track which favored the Mercedes driver from Bologna, who after the pit stop returned ahead of everyone and remained leader of the race until the end. However, after the 2nd place finish, Piastri said he was surprised to have resisted the pressure of Russell’s other Mercedes at the start, fearing that he might be overtaken by the Englishman even after half a lap. Overtaking the Mercedes: is it a possible goal? Instead, the satisfaction with the podium achieved in Suzuka has increased the 24-year-old’s confidence for the next races, to the point that he believes it is possible to defeat the Mercedes: “Can it be beaten? Yes – he confirmed to RacingNews365 – we already knew from last year, or rather, we already knew from last year, that even with the best car you have to know how to drive it at an incredibly high level. I think that in Japan we did an excellent job in this sense. It is interesting to see that when someone else has the fastest car, things they’re not that simple. The fact that I was able to keep George behind for so long was really encouraging.” Although he considers himself optimistic about the chances of overtaking the Mercedes, Piastri still intends to remain with his feet on the ground: “Let’s not have any illusions – he concluded – we did everything well over the weekend, but we were beaten by 15 seconds, so we have a big gap to fill. I’m confident that we can do it, but yes, we still have work to do”.

Against expectations The good performances of last season, which ended in 5th place in the Constructors’ standings after long and constant work focused on growing competitiveness, had given rise to hopes for further steps forward by Williams for 2026, which has been in a strong crisis of results for years. A general hope in that of Grove which, however, collapsed even before the pre-season tests, with the FW48 even absent from the shakedown in Barcelona as it was not approved by the FIA ​​and with subsequent problems linked to the overweight of the car. Optimism remains. A complex moment for the historic British team, recognized first and foremost by its ambassador Damon Hill, winner of the world title in 1996. The former driver, interviewed by Channel 4, remains optimistic about the fact that the team can make progress with the continuation of the season, but he was very honest about the current situation: “They’re coming – he declared – we have to keep moving forward, otherwise we’ll go backwards, but they’re starting from far behind, so they have a lot of work to do this year. It’s a “It’s a little daunting. They had a fantastic season last year, so they know the work ahead of them will be tough and they have to work hard, but right now it’s a work in progress.” How to seize the opportunity The team members will concentrate as much as possible during this month to implement the comeback from Miami onwards, taking advantage of the unexpected break resulting from the conflict in the Middle East which led to the cancellation of the GPs in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia: “Every single hour of this break will help us get back into shape at the right time for the return to Miami – explained Team Principal James Vowles on Williams’ social channels – clearly, we have not started the season as we would have liked. So this period will serve to evaluate what we can Now, without losses, we can rely on the fact that production can be focused on future performances, some of which may come to Miami, some later. It’s no secret that we are overweight again, the developments will be concentrated in that period, making sure we can reduce the mass of the car in a sensible way “It gives us an excellent opportunity to do so. The drivers will return here to the UK and we will use the simulator practically every day, as much as possible. Furthermore – he concluded – we will also do pit stop tests with the team here, on the majority of days when it is possible. So, it will be mainly a question of understanding what we can fit in and what will give us the maximum result with the minimum effort”.

A return to F1? Argentina is ready to experience a particularly exciting moment linked to the world of Formula 1: on 26 April, home idol Franco Colapinto will bring his Alpine through the streets of Buenos Aires, with the capital itself at the center of an important project. In this case, the Circus could seriously return to the calendar at the Autodromo Oscar y Juan Galvez, where the last edition of the South American GP took place in 1998. When? The track is currently unusable due to the modernization and redevelopment works on the facility, with the works due to be completed in time for the return of MotoGP expected next year. However, in addition to the MotoGP World Championship (which in previous seasons had held its races on the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit), the intention of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, together with a local promoter, the OSD Group, is to bring Formula 1 back in the same year if the opportunity arises, or more concretely in 2028. It is no coincidence that on the weekend of the Miami GP a meeting will be held with the top management of Liberty Media to present the project aimed at welcoming Formula 1 back to Argentina. Just in Miami, last year, there was a first meeting with the company that owns F1, but according to the latest statements by the Sports Secretary of Buenos Aires, Fabian Turnes, there has been significant progress in the work underway. The greatest possibility would be to see the Argentine GP back on the calendar in 2028, but an opportunity could also arise in 2027, thanks to the expiration of the contract of some tracks and, something that no one hopes for (starting from Turnes himself), the continuation of the war in the Middle East, which has already canceled the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs scheduled for this month.

Mercedes is being chased The Australia-China-Japan triptych highlighted what was feared on the eve of the event, i.e. a dominance of Mercedes, the most capable of exploiting the regulatory revolution. Three consecutive victories are not the result of chance and indeed there is the suspicion that Toto Wolff’s men are not even expressing their full potential. Ferrari is second among the constructors, -45 behind its rivals, but in Suzuka it also saw the return of McLaren to the top positions, also powered by Mercedes engines. Montezemolo encourages Ferrari In his speech on Radio 1’s “Politics in football”, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo did not hold back in commenting on Ferrari’s current situation.
The former sporting director and president of Maranello does not believe that the SF-26 can be a car capable of bringing home those world titles that have been missing since 2007 – among the drivers – and 2008 – in the constructors. Montezemolo hit on the management of the team and the company: “Today at Ferrari I see a real lack of leadership, that is, of a leader who works in Maranello 24 hours a day. When I talk about leadership, I talk about all-round corporate leadership, both with regards to road cars and therefore the Ferrari company, and with regards to F1”. And he added, in reference to the season: “I saw a good car in the first three races, reliable, regular, but it’s a car that doesn’t seem capable of winning the world championship. It needs horsepower, energy. It will be fundamental to see the team’s development capabilities.” The former president hopes for a boost from the team: “In Miami a new world championship will open for everyone, there is a month to work and I hope that Ferrari has the ability and strength to develop the car. After so many years it is not enough to win a few races or be enthusiastic about a podium, we have to win the world championship and we hope that the development will guarantee a more top car”, concluded Montezemolo.

Bearman dreams of Ferrari Perhaps not even Ferrari believed that Oliver Bearman would be ready for the Red so soon. The Briton, who only reached 30 GPs in his career in the unfortunate Suzuka event, instead proved all the skeptics wrong with performances of pure substance already in his debut year with Haas. A team that scored points in the first two Sundays. Before the bad accident in Japan, China even had an eye-opening top-5: excluding the unreachable Mercedes and Ferrari, it was Bearman who was the “best of the rest”. In short, if Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton represent Ferrari’s present, Bearman is unquestionably its future. The talent of the red Academy also knows this, having abandoned its initial shyness and openly declares that it feels ready for the big leap to Maranello. Bearman’s words “Of course I feel ready. I think if I didn’t feel ready to fight for the top I shouldn’t even show up on the track. I feel absolutely ready for podiums and victories”, he told the Telegraph. “If I’m here it’s only thanks to Ferrari, who trusted me and supported me from the beginning. My biggest dream, in the long term, is to wear a red suit and race with Ferrari. I’d be lying if I said otherwise.” Bearman, however, still has to wait, especially with Hamilton at the beginning of 2026, appearing physically and mentally regenerated, despite Suzuka’s small step back: “But I don’t think he sees me as a threat. He is the most successful driver ever in our sport, a model for all of us. And at the moment my attention is completely focused on Haas, I believe that this year, with the new regulations, we have the opportunity to do something really important.”

Is the Mercedes dominance numbered? Toto Wolff is happy about the start of the season in which his Mercedes dominated the scene, taking three pole positions and three victories, including two doubles, with the third probably lost due to the unfortunate timing of the Safety Car coming out on track which put George Russell’s Sunday even more uphill. The Austrian team principal, however, between pre-tactics and a little awareness of the upcoming changes, is not yet claiming victory and in fact expects that his rivals will be able to quickly close the gap by reopening a championship which to date does not seem to be all that hard-fought. The first event to mark on the calendar is certainly that of April 9th, with the much talked about meeting in London which could bring changes to the rules and, therefore, erode the performance “treasure” of the W17 a little. But then there is Miami, the first race after the long break caused by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs, as well as the first great opportunity for all the teams to start the race for updates that will most likely decide the outcome of the F1 World Championship. Not to mention that the concessions of the ADUO system will then arrive which Ferrari awaits with great desire, in addition to the new hot tests on the compression ratio, operational from next June. Toto Wolff speaks And it is precisely in relation to the appointment in Florida that Toto Wolff wanted to put his hands forward, almost quoting the words of his friend-rival Frederic Vasseur, who at Suzuka had explained how “a new championship” will begin from the next GP. “Miami will be a new start to the season – explains the Mercedes manager – because we will find out how the updates that the teams have introduced will work. How will we have optimized all the other systems? I think it will be exciting. The teams and drivers are starting to understand how to optimize these systems to their advantage, and we saw the first sign of this in Japan”. “During the first two races we were still dominant, but already in Suzuka it was no longer the case. We always warned people about this aspect, because we only had three GPs. At the moment we look like the heroes, but it is entirely possible that we will no longer be so in another three races”, concluded Toto Wolff.

Ferrari has a great opportunity in its hands. The April break will prevent Mercedes from further capitalizing on their early season advantage and will provide time to develop the SF-26. In Maranello we will work on aerodynamics, software, procedures and obviously on the engine, even if a new power unit will have to wait for the green light from the FIA.

Efficiency matters more than load Many have pointed to Ferrari as the car with the best chassis on the grid, but perhaps a risky statement. Let’s be clear, the SF-26 showed excellent downforce, but without expressing peremptory superiority in all corners. Furthermore, in this Formula 1 it is difficult to distinguish chassis qualities from other factors, given that mileage and even cornering trajectories often depend on energy management. Furthermore, never more than with current energy-hungry power units, rather than the load, what makes the difference is the aerodynamic efficiency, i.e. the ratio between vertical thrust and resistance to progress. Ferrari accumulates much of the gap behind Mercedes in the straights, paying for a lack of horsepower and less effective battery management which forces it to cut electric power earlier than its rivals. Even in this case, however, the teams have difficulty analyzing the GPS tracks, as the different speeds on the straight are affected by the aerodynamic efficiency and not just by the power unit. Even if it were confirmed that the Mercedes actually releases less load than the Ferrari, in Maranello it will be necessary to understand whether this does not allow the rival to drag along less resistance, gaining overall on the clock. Sona Maleterova/Getty Images The development agenda At Ferrari, the aerodynamic updates will have to increase the load and above all the efficiency of the SF-26. Growth on the straight will also come from the development of active aerodynamics, starting with the inverted mobile rear. The experiment conducted with the Macarena in free practice in Shanghai highlighted how there was still something to fine-tune in closing the profiles to ensure the right stability during braking. The Cavallino, however, never rejected the system and intended to propose it again in Japan, now sending it back to the Miami Grand Prix. On the same occasion, the package of updates initially planned for Bahrain will debut, plus some of the developments that were planned for Canada. The goal will be to improve stability and balance. Since the tests, the SF-26 has shown a certain nervousness at the rear, causing a cascade of damage to battery management. Corrections on the accelerator and spinning of the rear wheels are all phenomena that waste energy, as well as worsening tire management. Mercedes, which in Japan warned Antonelli not to push too much in the second part of the race, showed excellent pace over the long distance, a sign of knowing how to preserve the tires well, regardless of how much aerodynamic load it manages to release. On this front, it will be appropriate for Ferrari to also invest in the development of the rims. From this year, teams can develop them themselves again, making them a valuable tool for cooling tires from the inside. Sona Maleterova/Getty Images Work on the software In parallel with the aerodynamic development, the software development will continue in Maranello. As Antonelli was able to observe closely during his comeback in Japan, the Ferrari uses the electric boost in different points of the track compared to the Mercedes, which the stopwatch is proving right. The data collected in March will be used to develop better delivery and charging strategies, possibly more flexible for the various scenarios. In the laps following the start, for example, some problems emerged in the use of energy, at least until the situation tends to stabilize. Battery management will also include the ability to recharge it during braking, when the electric motor can regenerate at maximum power of 350 kW. It may not be a coincidence that the Mercedes spends more time on the brakes than the Ferrari, a sign of a different use of the braking system. Among all the teams there is great diversity in the design of the rear brakes, a consequence of the fact that some make more use of the MGU-K’s electric brake than the discs to maximize energy recovery. The components of the hydraulic system fall into the open source category, in which the projects can be consulted by all competitors. Teams are already taking inspiration from the best, asking their braking material suppliers to make changes. Clive Rose – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images Finally, to improve energy management, Ferrari will also need to work on the preparation of the drivers. Leclerc continues to complain about the new qualifying, such that those who take more risks in corners end up wasting more energy, paying the price on the straight. These are criticisms shared with most of my colleagues, but until the FIA ​​intervenes, there is nothing left to do but adapt. The only choice is to adapt to the new way of driving, a technique that the Ferrari driver has not yet mastered. Waiting for the engine The possibility for Ferrari to get closer to Mercedes, however, cannot transcend the reduction of the delay on the engine. However, there is no particular concern in Brackley about the introduction of the new compression ratio testing procedure from 1 June. Maranello doesn’t have high hopes in this regard either, considering maintaining the cold test an advantage for their rivals. The opportunity, if anything, could be the introduction of an updated power unit, if the FIA ​​were to ascertain a performance delay from Mercedes of at least 2%. The reference points are not only the Silver Arrows, but all the single-seaters with the Brixworth engine, monitored through torque sensors on the various drive shafts. Overall, there is room for improvement for Ferrari, although it is too early to say whether a new championship can truly begin in Miami.

No fun behind the wheel The technical regulations that came into force this season have significantly changed the world of Formula 1, in particular with regards to the performance of the new cars. An aspect not at all appreciated by four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who on more than one occasion has openly criticized the single-seaters, going so far as to define them as “Formula E on steroids”. But after the disappointing result of the Japanese GP, the Red Bull driver surprised everyone with one final consideration: that of considering retiring from F1. Withdrawal or ‘strategy’? A hypothesis that has generated various reactions from fans and some world champions such as Damon Hill, winner of the world title in 1996. According to the former Williams driver, the threat of leaving Formula 1 would be of no use, unless the latter serves to put pressure on the FIA ​​or Formula 1 to obtain the changes requested and desired. Specifically, the Briton expressed his opinion to the BBC as follows, considering what could be the most ideal solution: “I think that if you’re not happy doing something, you can stop and do something else. I mean, I don’t think we should feel obliged to do it. If he says it to gain some advantage over the current situation, then I don’t think it will work. I think this approach, where people will simply tell him ‘Max, leave and come back when you’ve thought about it’, won’t work. He’s not obliged to He’s made a lot of money. He’s been a dad for a long time. I think there comes a point where the bubblegum starts to lose its flavor a little bit.

No fun behind the wheel The technical regulations that came into force this season have significantly changed the world of Formula 1, in particular with regards to the performance of the new cars. An aspect not at all appreciated by four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who on more than one occasion has openly criticized the single-seaters, going so far as to define them as “Formula E on steroids”. But after the disappointing result of the Japanese GP, the Red Bull driver surprised everyone with one final consideration: that of considering retiring from F1. Withdrawal or ‘strategy’? A hypothesis that has generated various reactions from fans and some world champions such as Damon Hill, winner of the world title in 1996. According to the former Williams driver, the threat of leaving Formula 1 would be of no use, unless the latter serves to put pressure on the FIA ​​or Formula 1 to obtain the changes requested and desired. Specifically, the Briton expressed his opinion to the BBC as follows, considering what could be the most ideal solution: “I think that if you’re not happy doing something, you can stop and do something else. I mean, I don’t think we should feel obliged to do it. If he says it to gain some advantage over the current situation, then I don’t think it will work. I think this approach, where people will simply tell him ‘Max, leave and come back when you’ve thought about it’, won’t work. He’s not obliged to He’s made a lot of money. He’s been a dad for a long time. I think there comes a point where the bubblegum starts to lose its flavor a little bit.

Terrible start The arrival of Adrian Newey as Aston Martin’s new designer, combined with huge investments by Lawrence Stroll for the 2026 season, had given rise to hope in view of this world championship, with the Silverstone team driven by the new Honda power units after the conclusion of the partnership with Mercedes. Instead, at least in these first three tests, the team’s performance was disastrous: only Fernando Alonso managed to complete a race in the Japanese GP, but only finishing in 18th place. A result that highlighted the lack of competitiveness of the AMR26 and the Japanese engines, in a start to the championship also characterized by controversy over the vibrations suffered by the pilots inside the cockpit. Engineer and that’s it There is then a non-secondary aspect, which focuses on Adrian Newey: the latter, in addition to holding the role of designer, was also Team Principal of the team, with the role which should pass into the hands of Jonathan Wheatley after his brief experience in Audi. Former driver Juan Pablo Montoya spoke precisely about Newey as manager, expressing himself as follows to Casinostugan: “In Spanish we have a saying: ‘If you’re a shoemaker, keep making shoes’. Adrian is an engineer and should focus on that. He’s good at designing cars, he’s not a team principal. So, I can understand if they hire Jonathan Wheatley. Adrian is an engineer, he doesn’t deal with politics. He’s not there to manage the press. He shouldn’t deal with sponsors. His only objective it should be about making the car faster, which is what it excels at. It simply needs to focus on the basics.” Problems are evident in many respects at Aston Martin, but it is Montoya himself who believes in the team’s recovery, convinced that we will be able to see improvements already during this world championship: “The funny thing is that I still believe that they will surprise everyone once all the problems have been resolved. I really think that they will have a rather competitive car once all this s**t has settled. It will take them more time, but I think that Aston will surprise us and I believe that they will surprise us this year”.

Mercedes, trio of victories In the first three race weekends, Mercedes left the competition with the misery of a few placings, and only at Suzuka did they miss out on the podium, also due to unfortunate circumstances that affected George Russell’s race. The #63 stopped just before the entry of the Safety Car (sent on track for Oliver Bearman’s accident), unfortunate timing which instead rewarded Kimi Antonelli. Furthermore, the Briton had energy management problems which favored the overtaking of the two Ferraris: that of Lewis Hamilton just after the restart (28th lap), that of Charles Leclerc at the Spoon, ten laps later. Mercedes, through the head of track engineers Andrew Shovlin, commented on the episodes that complicated Russell’s race. Shovlin’s words “If we had stopped George a lap later, he would have kept the lead on the restart,” commented Shovlin. “Instead he slipped to P3 and lost a further position to Lewis as he reached his energy recovery limit too early in the lap and didn’t have enough battery for the restart. Then he was faced with another frustrating problem: a bug in the software code, triggered by simultaneously pressing a button and changing gear, caused the power unit to go into super clipping and charge the battery, thus allowing Charles to get through.” “Clearly, there are a lot of things we need to work on and understand in the coming weeks. We’ve started the season great, but our rivals are closing in,” warned the Briton. “Fortunately, we have plenty of room for improvement and we will make the most of the break to improve in the areas where we are less strong.”

It was on the Suzuka circuit that Yuki Tsunoda he was promoted to official Red Bull driver last season, taking over from Liam Lawson after just two races. Today, a year after that home debut, the Japanese driver is once again busy on the Japanese track, but this time as test driver for the Milton Keynes team in a Pirelli test for the 2027 tyres. After a championship that did not live up to expectations, Tsunoda is now present in the team in the role of third driver, with his activity mainly concentrated on the simulator.

The Japanese was the only one to have lost a place in F1 at the end of the 2025 world championship, but the desire to return to the track is there, and was also there at the end of the last world championship, when there was actually the opportunity to continue his career elsewhere: “It’s not that I can’t run – he commented to the local media – if I wanted to race, I would have chosen to race with another team. In this sense, I chose not to run; the goal was to stay in Formula 1. I don’t feel incapable of racing at all. It was a decision made considering my career, so I don’t regret it.”

Tsunoda himself has clarified what will be his main objective for next season, which will not only be to return to F1 in 2027but to do it with the Red Bull family: “For now, I will accompany the team to the races from Friday onwards and give them advice. By working on the simulator, I can choose the days to be present and, physically, I feel better than ever. Next year I would like to race again with the team I raced with beforebut this year I enjoyed the race as a spectator, along with everyone else.” Since this is a difficult goal to reach, the Japanese will have to take other categories into consideration if his return to F1 does not materialize. Already in the past, Tsunoda had been linked to IndyCara championship which then opened the doors to two other former F1 drivers such as Romain Grosjean and Mick Schumacher. Alternatively, the new cars Gen4 of Formula E are attracting the attention of several drivers, but Tsunoda’s priority always remains F1.

The resignation

Last week, after the first rumors about the possible immediate resignation of Jonathan Wheatley from the role of Audi Team Principal, the rumors turned into news as concrete as they were sensational: after just two races in this role, and a year after the same role held in the former Sauber, the English manager actually decided to resign for personal reasons, with Mattia Binotto becoming his replacement starting from the Japanese GP.

The message from mom

A strange and unexpected case which also caught the men belonging to the Audi team by surprise, including the drivers, who did not have any type of conversation with the team leaders to find out about Wheatley’s departure in time. The most curious confirmation, in fact, came from Nico Hülkenberg. German told the media how and when he learned of Wheatley’s resignation, which in no way includes direct contact with managers: “I found out about it along with the whole world. I found out about it on Thursday, last week, when it suddenly came out – he explained – actually, that day I was in the simulator and my mom sent me an article while I was looking at my phone. I thought, ‘Oh, s***!’”News that therefore shocked the 38-year-old, who nevertheless remains confident in the potential of the team also with Mattia Binotto, who until Wheatley’s exit was involved as Head of the Audi F1 project: “This is not a setback – he continued – an F1 team is made up of many people. We need strong people, but with Mattia, who obviously remains a leader, we are not without leadership, without structure or without a plan. So, even if the situation has changed unexpectedly, everything else goes smoothly as expected and as previously planned. From an operational point of view, during a race weekend, I don’t think much will change. Formula 1 teams, and Formula 1 in general, are bigger than a single person.”