Formula 1

Christian Horner has welcomed Ferrari’s support for a Formula 1 engine freeze from 2022, but says a system must be in place to ensure it does not cause performance disadvantages. Red Bull is seeking a freeze on F1 engine development from the end of next year so it can continue to use Honda’s power units

Fernando Alonso may have quit Formula 1 at the end of 2018 in order to pursue outside interests, but he has rarely been far away from the series’ orbit. In fact, by the time Alonso returns full-time with Renault in 2021 and lines up on the grid for the season-opener in Australia, he will have

Lewis Hamilton says racing for Ferrari in Formula 1 “just wasn’t meant to be”, with the Briton poised to renew his long-term commitment to Mercedes. The seven-time world champion was linked to a possible Ferrari switch at the end of last year, when it emerged he had held talks with the Italian manufacturer’s boss John

Lewis Hamilton believes the points gap to Mercedes Formula 1 team-mate Valtteri Bottas has been inflated by the Finn’s bad luck, calling him “one of the strongest drivers here”. Hamilton clinched his seventh F1 world championship with victory at the Turkish Grand Prix two weeks ago, moving into an unassailable lead over Bottas with three

Red Bull Formula 1 sporting director Jonathan Wheatley has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not attend this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix. Red Bull announced on Thursday morning ahead of the upcoming race weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit that Wheatley had tested positive for COVID-19 as part of the pre-event screening. Wheatley’s positive test

Formula 1 starts its triple-header finale of the reshuffled 2020 calendar with the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit. After Lewis Hamilton wrapped up the F1 world drivers’ title in Turkey, sealing a record-equalling seventh crown to match Michael Schumacher’s all-time record, focus will turn to the rest of the grid and the

Saudi Arabia’s motorsport boss insists the country is not trying to ‘sportswash’ its image amid criticism over its inclusion on Formula 1’s calendar for 2021. The Middle East kingdom has just signed a deal to hold a night race on a new street circuit in Jeddah from next year. The grand prix will then switch

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has cautioned that Formula 1 should focus on costs when deciding upon new power unit regulations for 2026. Wolff says that F1 made a mistake when the current hybrid V6 rules were drawn up, because they have proved to be overly complex and too expensive. Those rules will be in place

Formula 1 bosses and engineers will find it ‘phenomenally difficult’ to do their job remotely in the future, says senior Williams figure Dave Robson. The rapid expansion of the F1 calendar, which has scheduled 23 grands prix next year with plans for it to jump up to 24 in the longer term, has prompted questions

Carlos Sainz Jr believes very few of the current Formula 1 drivers would be able to beat Lewis Hamilton as his Mercedes team-mate but would win races with his car. Hamilton wrapped up his seventh world title after one of his most dominant campaigns in his career, capped by a brilliant comeback win in the

Red Bull Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen has dismissed suggestions that the 2022 F1 regulations are designed to stop Mercedes from dominating and says they “need to make racing more exciting”. After a one-year postponement caused by the pandemic, F1 will move to all-new technical regulations in 2022 with cars designed to improve the show

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff says he always felt “pretty relaxed” about George Russell’s future despite a brief period of uncertainty at Williams last month. Russell has been part of Mercedes’ junior programme since 2017, and has impressed since making his F1 debut with Williams last year, with Lewis Hamilton saying he has “the

Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Mattia Binotto says his outfit’s recent uplift in form at the Turkish GP is an encouraging sign that it can make further progress in 2021. The Italian squad faced a difficult start to this season, with its SF1000 down on power compared to last year and its chassis lacking aero

Mercedes has managed to cure the major weakness its long-wheelbase Formula 1 car concept has had in terms of difficulty with corner rotation, says Lewis Hamilton. The seven-times constructors world championship-winning outfit has differed from other teams in electing to run a longer car during the latest rules phase. While the length of the car

Lewis Hamilton says Ross Brawn made the breakthrough in convincing him to join Mercedes’ Formula 1 team for 2013 after remaining uncertain following initial conversations with Niki Lauda. Hamilton wrapped up his seventh F1 world title last weekend in Turkey to equal Michael Schumacher’s all-time record, having won six of the championships with Mercedes. Hamilton

George Russell says he really appreciates receiving praise from Formula 1’s top drivers, but treats the comments as “background noise” as he wants to prove himself on-track. Since making his F1 debut with Williams at the start of 2019, Russell has never been outqualified by a team-mate, with his head-to-head record reading 35-0 after the

The FIA has concluded there was no safety issue with Daniil Kvyat’s loose Formula 1 seatbelts at the Portuguese Grand Prix after AlphaTauri changed its internal processes. Following last month’s race at Portimao, a clip of onboard footage emerged from Kvyat’s car in which he complained to his AlphaTauri team via the radio that his

Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff has cautioned against the human cost of F1’s expanding calendar, as triple-headers return on the provisional 23-round 2021 schedule. Triple-headers with three consecutive race weekends were first used in the 2018 season but drew a lot of criticism from the teams due to the strain they put on travelling

McLaren boss Andreas Seidl says chaotic races like Turkey are entertaining – but also suggests that Formula 1 should be about the best car setting the pace. While Lewis Hamilton won the Turkish GP to claim his seventh world championship, the slippery surface and wet conditions in qualifying and the race provided an upset to

McLaren Formula 1 team boss Andreas Seidl says it is no surprise that Ferrari has closed in on the constructors’ championship battle for third following its strong result in Turkey. Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc finished third and fourth in the rain-affected Istanbul race, logging 27 points between them – by far the biggest single

Lewis Hamilton says he has only understood the key influence that Formula 1 champions like Michael Schumacher have in pushing their teams forward since arriving at Mercedes. Hamilton has just matched Schumacher’s tally of seven world titles, and now also holds the records for the most victories and the most pole positions in F1 history.

Daniel Ricciardo says he is not disheartened by Renault now being the “underdog” in the fight for third place in the standings with Formula 1 rivals Racing Point and McLaren. The Australian has played a central role in a fierce fight between his own Renault outfit and its two competitors for the best-of-the-rest tag behind

Callum Ilott will return to the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team when he takes part in the post-season test that follows next month’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Ilott had a test outing with the Hinwil-based squad in Barcelona in May last year, and recently took part in a Ferrari F1 test in a 2018-spec car

Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey says that the organisation is targeting a calendar of 24 grands prix “in the next few years”, with some events rotating. A 23-race calendar for 2021 featuring a new event in Saudi Arabia was announced earlier this month, but with no confirmation yet of what will replace the cancelled Vietnam

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff says there is no issue with Lewis Hamilton being polarising in order to speak out about important issues and use his platform. Hamilton wrapped up his seventh F1 world championship in Turkey last weekend, equalling Michael Schumacher’s all-time record with three races to spare in the 2020 season. It

Nico Hulkenberg says things have gone “very, very quiet” over his chances of earning a Formula 1 seat at Red Bull next year. The German is vying with Sergio Perez for a shot at Red Bull in 2021, if Alex Albon cannot do enough to keep hold of the drive. During an appearance on Red

Ex-Mercedes Formula 1 team technical director Paddy Lowe offers his views on whether Lewis Hamilton’s seventh title is down to his ability or the Mercedes W11 in Autosport’s latest video. Lowe worked at Mercedes between 2013-2017, and helped guide the Brackley-based squad and Hamilton to multiple world titles during his tenure. He joins Jon Noble

Haas Formula 1 boss Gunther Steiner explained that Kevin Magnussen wanted to retire from the Turkish GP because he feared poor rearward visibility could trigger an incident with faster cars. The Dane was struggling with poor rearward visibility due to dirty mirrors resulting from the wet conditions at the Istanbul Park circuit on Sunday, and

Esteban Ocon says that he made the best start of his Formula 1 season at the Turkish Grand Prix, prior to the tangle that wrecked his hopes of a good result. The Renault driver made a good getaway at Istanbul from seventh on the grid to haul himself past a number of cars in front

Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Mattia Binotto says Sebastian Vettel’s podium in the Turkish Grand Prix was “very important” for the German after a difficult season. Vettel delivered his best performance of the campaign so far as he surged into top three contention early on after a great getaway from 12th on the grid. Although