Formula 1

With four laps to go in F1 2021’s season opener, Verstappen went off track in Turn 4 in an attempt to snatch the victory away from leader Lewis Hamilton, forcing him to hand the position back to Mercedes driver. Verstappen questioned Red Bull’s call to give the position back, claiming he would have preferred to

Verstappen had closed in on Hamilton during his 17-lap third and final stint – during which he enjoyed an 11-lap tyre-life advantage over his rival – in what was a thrilling conclusion to F1’s 2021 season-opener after leading the early stages from pole and falling behind thanks to Mercedes’ aggressive strategy calls. The Red Bull

The four-time F1 world champion, preparing for his Aston Martin debut after switching from Ferrari over the winter, was knocked out in the first session of qualifying in 18th place ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix after aborting his final flying lap due to two separate yellow flag incidents. Vettel, who was initially cleared in

Red Bull’s Verstappen held off both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to claim the fifth pole position of his career to demonstrate his impressive pace during pre-season testing and practice in Bahrain. Hamilton edged Mercedes team-mate Bottas to take second place, feeling he got the maximum out of his W12 F1 car, as the reigning

The four-time F1 champion is making his Aston Martin debut this weekend following his switch from Ferrari over the winter, but endured a frustrating qualifying in Bahrain when he was knocked out in Q1 after having to back off on his final flying lap due to traffic and yellow flags. Vettel had to slow down

The AlphaTauri driver let rip with some choice swear words over his team radio during the opening practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix after being dumped out in to traffic. While his feistiness captured the interest of fans on social media, Tsunoda thinks that he needs to control his emotions better. “I always try to

Following an encouraging pre-season test, Verstappen continued to set the pace for Red Bull by going quickest in both free practice sessions on the opening day of the Bahrain Grand Prix. At the end of FP2, McLaren’s Lando Norris was the Dutch driver’s closest competitor, with the pair split by just 0.095s, while defending F1

Ferrari is aiming to rebound from a dreadful 2020 season in which the Scuderia finished sixth in the constructors’ championship and it has appeared to make good progress during the off-season. Boosted by an improved power unit newcomer Sainz was fourth fastest in Friday’s second practice, using Pirelli’s soft tyres to come within three tenths

The German manufacturer conducted a deep analysis of the troubles it suffered in pre-season testing, when main rival Red Bull enjoyed a confidence boosting three days of running. PLUS: Is this Red Bull’s best chance to beat Mercedes? It thinks a combination of the impact of the new harder Pirelli tyres, allied to the implications

This year, F1 will again hold a pre-race moment for drivers to express their personal views following the ceremony’s introduction in 2020 in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests that followed the killing of George Floyd. A change has been made ahead of the 2021 season, with the moment no longer being held

The daily F1 weekend podcasts that Autosport began producing in 2020 will now be hosted by motorsport broadcaster Ariana Bravo. Bravo is an experienced motorsport podcaster, who currently co-hosts the ‘Driven by Diversity Podcast’, which shines the spotlight on a range of individuals from underrepresented backgrounds and discusses their journey into motorsport, with the hope

The one billion fans figure has been projected by sports industry analytics company Nielsen Sports. Nielsen’s forecast is based on its analysis of individuals with an interest in F1 that are aged between 16-69 in the championship’s key markets, and it claims to have detected a noticeable increase in F1 interest mainly coming from the

If F1 can navigate the problems still being caused by COVID-19 around the world, a record 23 races will be held this year. This includes the return of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort and a new addition in the form of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at a street circuit in Jeddah. The global pandemic

It’s also a question that is impossible to answer, simply because even the man himself is adamant that he doesn’t yet know. Speculation about Hamilton’s career plans has been rife since his new one-year deal was finally announced on 8 February, a little over a month before the start of testing in Bahrain. It’s not

Alonso will make his F1 comeback at this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, returning to the grid after spending the last two seasons racing in IndyCar, the World Endurance Championship and the Dakar Rally. The two-time F1 world champion is beginning his third stint with the Enstone-based operation, having raced for Renault between 2003-2006 and 2008-2009.

Gasly enjoyed a solid 2020 season by finishing tenth in the drivers’ championship, capped off by a shock maiden win in the Italian Grand Prix. AlphaTauri’s 2020 car allowed Gasly and former teammate Daniil Kvyat to be firmly in the midfield mix, the pair scoring points on 17 occasions as the team finished seventh. Despite

Last year, F1 drivers were given a platform to display their anti-racism stance with a special time set apart during the moments on the grid before the start. But the gesture of taking a knee divided opinion among drivers, with not all opting for it. While Lewis Hamilton led the charge, six of the 20

Demaison arrives at Williams after a decade-long spell at Volkswagen Motorsport, where he helped develop the ground-breaking I.D.R electric car that achieved multiple records at Pikes Peak and the Nurburgring. He was also responsible for the WRC Polo C car that won the rally titles from 2013 and 2016. During that time he forged a

Officially named John Crichton-Stuart, but known to friends as Johnny Bute, he took on the surname he became known by to race fans worldwide in order to keep his background as low profile as possible. A statement from his family said that he was “devoted husband, father, brother, uncle, son and grandfather and loved by

GP Racing editor Ben Anderson and columnist Mark Gallagher join host Stuart Codling to debate whether Red Bull’s punchy performance during the Bahrain test is all that it seems. Is Mercedes really on the back foot? What version of Valtteri Bottas are we on? Can new Red Bull recruit Sergio Perez succeed where Max Verstappen’s

The Dutchman is coming out of an encouraging pre-season testing run for Red Bull, with its new RB16B having proven to be both quick and consistent. His team’s form was in contrast to Mercedes, which had a more troubled run in Bahrain as Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas battled with a poor balance on the

Williams regular Russell was drafted in by parent team Mercedes for the second race in Bahrain last December when a positive test for COVID-19 ruled out Lewis Hamilton. Russell qualified second and dominated the majority of the race on the Bahrain International Circuit’s outer loop, only for a tyre mix-up by Mercedes and a late puncture to deny

This year, the entirety of pre-season testing was compressed into three days at the Bahrain International Circuit to help minimise costs and ensure that cargo could be shipped to the same venue as the opening round, following the postponement of the Australian Grand Prix. The complete overhaul in F1’s regulations for next season, in which

After a 2020 campaign where Alfa Romeo duo Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi struggled at times to make much of an impression in the midfield battle, the Swiss outfit was left more encouraged by its run in Bahrain. The new C41 showed signs of being a step forward over its predecessor, and on the final day of

The four-time world champion has just signed a deal to become an ambassador for Austrian water treatment company BWT, which is pushing a number of sustainability projects. It wants to cut back on single-use plastic bottles around the world by expanding the use of water treatment facilities so more clean tap water is available. Vettel’s

During the run of 2021 car launches this year, the lengths that some teams went to to hide their new ideas became a big talking point. Mercedes and McLaren both blanked out areas of their cars in launch images, while AlphaTauri released renders of its 2021 car with a completely different nose and suspension design.

Verstappen led Red Bull to the top of the timesheets as the team enjoyed a smooth three days of running in Bahrain with the updated RB16B. Contrasting Red Bull’s strong showing was defending champion team Mercedes, as both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas reported issues with the rear end of the W12, causing instability on-track.

The four-time champion has switched Formula 1 squads this year, moving from Ferrari to the rebranded Aston Martin outfit that has taken over from Racing Point. After his first official public outing with the team during pre-season testing at Bahrain last weekend, Vettel has highlighted the key areas where he feels there are gains still

Drive to Survive has been a hit for Netflix since it was first shown in 2019, helping bring rafts of new fans to F1 with unparalleled behind-the-scenes access. Haas team boss Steiner has become a fan favourite through the first two seasons of Drive to Survive, most notably for his forthright demeanour and interactions with

Ferrari heads into 2021 looking to recover from its worst campaign in 40 years as it slumped to sixth in the constructors’ championship last season, scoring just three podium finishes. The team struggled with a troublesome SF1000 car that was compromised by a lack of straight-line speed, owing to its underperforming power unit and draggy