Lewis Hamilton put his Ferrari sixth on the grid at Suzuka on Saturday. He was nearly eight-tenths of a second behind pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli, and left the session with no illusions about what the gap means. Ferrari, he said, has a long road ahead. “We’ve got a huge amount of work to do,” Hamilton told […]
Kimi Antonelli took control of the Japanese GP weekend on Saturday morning at Suzuka. The 19-year-old Mercedes driver topped final practice with a clear margin, laying down a marker just hours before qualifying. His lap of 1:29.362 put him well ahead of the field and underlined Mercedes’ pace at a key moment. The session answered […]
Kimi Antonelli claimed his second consecutive pole position at the 2026 Japanese GP, leading a Mercedes front row lockout at Suzuka as the Italian teenager continued his remarkable start to the Formula 1 season. Oscar Piastri will line up third for McLaren, alongside Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, as the sport’s new generation prepares for what promises […]
Max Verstappen described Red Bull’s difficult Friday at the Japanese GP in simple terms after practice at Suzuka. The four-time world champion said the car swung “from one extreme to another,” leaving the team searching for answers ahead of qualifying. He finished seventh in FP1 and slipped to 10th in FP2. Across both sessions, he […]
Oscar Piastri put McLaren on top in second practice at the Japanese GP on Friday, delivering a calm and controlled performance at Suzuka. His best lap of 1m30.133s on soft tyres was enough to edge Kimi Antonelli by 0.092 seconds, with George Russell a further tenth behind in third. The result marked a shift from […]
F1 teams arrived at the 2026 Japan GP under considerable pressure. The season has opened with Mercedes in full control. Two races, two one-two finishes, and front-row lockouts in both Australia and China. The Japanese GP will be the final race before a five-week break. With Bahrain and Saudi Arabia cancelled, teams know this is […]
George Russell set the fastest time in the opening practice session of the 2026 Japanese GP at Suzuka on Friday morning, leading a Mercedes one-two ahead of team mate Kimi Antonelli. Reigning world champion Lando Norris finished third for McLaren, with Oscar Piastri fourth. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton slotted into fifth and sixth. […]
Carlos Sainz arrived at Suzuka on Thursday with shorter hair, a bit of humour and a clear view of the steps ahead. According to the Spaniard, Williams has more to fix on the FW48 than just its weight problem. Speaking to Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz in the paddock ahead of the Japanese GP, Sainz […]
George Russell broke his silence Thursday on the front wing controversy that had shadowed Mercedes since the Chinese Grand Prix. Speaking to reporters at Suzuka ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, the championship leader was direct: the wing behaviour seen in Shanghai was a mistake, not a scheme. “It wasn’t intentional, and it’s not […]
The FIA has cut the maximum energy recharge allowed in qualifying from 9.0 MJ to 8.0 MJ ahead of the Japanese GP. The change will take effect this weekend at the Suzuka Circuit. All power unit makers agreed to the move. The FIA said it wants drivers to push harder and rely less on energy […]
Honda’s trackside general manager, Shintaro Orihara, has warned that Aston Martin still faces serious problems at Suzuka this weekend. The team’s power unit crisis has not been fully solved. A difficult Japanese Grand Prix lies ahead. Aston Martin sits last in the constructors’ championship after two races. Both cars retired in Australia. Both retired again […]
Red Bull is struggling to fight at the sharp end of the grid in 2026, where Mercedes currently sits. Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer says the team is missing more than just pace. It is missing Christian Horner. That is the argument Palmer made on the F1 Nation podcast. Speaking early in the 2026 season, […]