Formula 1 News
Every driver starting on the grid is on medium tyres today, the rain earlier means there’s not likely to be much grip on the track. And, of course, if it rains later …
Hadjar, starting in the pit lane, will start on hard tyres in the hope of making up ground on the field.
Continue reading...Italian driver lost both legs in high-speed cart race crash
He went on to win four Paralympic golds as a para-cyclist
Alex Zanardi, the former Formula One driver who lost both legs in a racing crash and went on to win Paralympic gold medals, has died at the age of 59, his family said on Saturday.
Zanardi, from Bologna, made his F1 debut in 1991 and later achieved success in the Cart series in the United States, winning back-to-back championships in 1997 and 1998. His life took a dramatic turn in September 2001 when he was involved in a high-speed crash during a Cart race in Germany that led to the amputation of both legs.
Continue reading...Before her first Miami Grand Prix in charge, Nowak opens up on F1’s boom time in the US and flying the flag for women in the sport
There is an air of buoyant confidence about Katharina Nowak that is striking but also understandable given the robust state of Formula One in the United States and at the Miami Grand Prix, where the 29-year-old who is at the helm of the race believes the sport only has more to come.
“F1 is at its strongest right now that we’ve seen, the interest in F1 is still going up and will go further,” she says in the buildup to this weekend’s meeting in Florida. “From my seat at the table, we are seeing the interest continue to grow.
Continue reading...French driver struck animal while driving at 230 mph
Peta says Grosjean failed to show compassion for death
French racing driver Romain Grosjean has angered animal rights group Peta for “flippant” comments after hitting a bird while testing for next month’s Indianapolis 500.
The driver, who survived a fireball crash during the 2020 Formula One Bahrain GP, described the bird strike at around 230 mph in graphic terms this week.
Continue reading...Foundation set up by F1 great is beginning to address the lack of representation of black people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds in motorsport
Sports people can be more than the sum of their athletic achievements. Lewis Hamilton stands unquestionably as one of the greatest drivers in the history of Formula One having delivered records and outstanding performances that will be hard to surpass. Yet it is indicative of his character that the seven-time world champion rates them all as sitting only alongside what might ultimately be his most significant and long-lasting legacy. His Mission 44 foundation is making an indelible impact on the makeup of motorsport.
“Talent is everywhere, opportunity isn’t and that’s what we’re here to change. Setting up Mission 44 is one of the things I’m most proud of,” Hamilton says, reflecting on the foundation he created five years ago. “I’ve been working in F1 for 20 years and I know first-hand how important it is to have representation in our sport, and how difficult it is for young people to get an opportunity.”
Continue reading...World champion expects Dutch rival to fight for fifth crown
‘It would be a miss for the sport’ if he acts on dissatisfaction
Lando Norris has said he believes Max Verstappen will continue to race in Formula One but that it would be “a miss” for the sport if the four-time world champion did decide to leave owing to his dissatisfaction with the way this season’s new regulations have affected how drivers race.
Verstappen has been outspoken in his dislike of the new regulations and their focus on electrical energy management that now makes up almost 50% of the car’s power output. He has intimated he might leave the sport but, with the rules having been adjusted by the FIA in an effort to address concerns of all drivers this week, Norris felt the Dutchman would remain in F1.
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Formula 1 doesn’t have direct equivalents to other sports, but the personalities, pressure and pecking order of the pinnacle of auto racing translates surprisingly well to elite basketball players and teams.
Stack today’s grid against the NBA, and the parallels start to line up: dominant champions, rising stars, quiet operators and young prospects already carrying the expectations of millions.
If you're a fan of both sports, you're aware no comparison is perfect, but these match-ups really do frame where each of Formula 1’s biggest names sit alongside their possible NBA counterparts.
Kimi Antonelli arrived in F1 in 2025 with expectations far beyond his experience level, and already started signing his name in the record books.
Likewise, the Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg, a 19-year-old sensation, is already in the running for NBA's Rookie of the Year. As with Antonelli, his stats are outstanding, as the youngest player to score 50 points, and the only teenager to ever score more than 50 points in a single game.
Much of the outside focus on both Antonelli and Flagg are on the next records they'll break. Their talent is obvious, and the timeline toward championship success is moving quickly.
George Russell delivers strong results but, despite starting many conversations, rarely sits at the centre of them. Like Jaylen Brown (Boston), Russell is core to a championship-winning operation (Mercedes), yet he has operated as a second option for much of his career and has proved he can lead when needed. The talent and consistency are there, even if the spotlight is taking its time in noticing.
Max Verstappen sets the standard every weekend and rarely gives races away when given the car to win. Like multiple-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, he controls everything without needing to look spectacular doing it. Results pile up because he makes the right decisions, lap after lap, season after season.
When performing at their very best, both superstars humble rivals with a seemingly ruthless ease.
Lando Norris has reached the level where wins and titles are now expected, not merely hoped for. Like NBA champion Jayson Tatum with the Boston Celtics, he can dominate a weekend but still has moments that leave the door open for heartbreak. Over a full season, though, both are firmly in the fight for championships.
Oscar Piastri keeps everything controlled, on track, and under the radar. Like multiple-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, Piastri doesn’t need attention to be effective. The pace is there, the execution is clean, and wins follow. For these two athletes, you could almost argue that quietly delivering results is their loudest personality trait.
GOAT, meet GOAT. Lewis Hamilton remains one of the defining names of his era, even late in his career. Like LeBron James, he’s no longer at his absolute peak but remains capable of delivering at the highest level. The move to Ferrari carries the same weight as a late-career legacy chapter, similar to James' earned position on the Los Angeles Lakers' roster.
Charles Leclerc has the speed to win consistently, but hasn’t always had the platform to match it. Like Luka Doncic, Leclerc produces elite performances even when the wider team structure doesn’t fully support him, or the machinery lets him down.
When everything aligns, both of these stars can look like the best on the grid or court, and appear simply untouchable.
Ultimately, this comparison isn’t about forcing two sports together, it’s about perspective.
Formula 1 drivers operate in a different environment, but the same patterns show up in world-class athletes, NBA stars included: dominance, timing, opportunity and pressure.
Whether it’s a champion at their peak or a young driver just getting started, the roles are familiar — even if 'driving the lane' means something very different in the NBA than it does in F1.
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F1’s latest world champion speaks with deep candour about overcoming his insecurities but questions about Max Verstappen and regulations? Off limits
There are always complications and difficulties in Formula One, as there are in life and even in this interview. On a beautiful evening at a lavish golf club in Surrey, Lando Norris and I are tucked away in an anonymous yet brightly-lit room crammed with a television crew and representatives from his management team and Laureus, the global organisation driven by a belief that “sport has the power to change the world”.
At first Norris talks thoughtfully and honestly about his struggles with profound insecurity before becoming world champion last year. But we reach a low point when a young man from his management company feels sufficiently empowered to answer questions on the 26-year-old’s behalf, as a way of controlling our interview.
Continue reading...Tweaks to rules address energy management issues
‘Safety and fairness remain the FIA’s highest priorities’
The FIA has confirmed rule changes for the ongoing Formula One season as the sport reacts to driver dissatisfaction and safety concerns with the new regulations. The adapted rules address the energy management issues that have proved controversial across the opening three meetings this year.
Technical and sporting considerations had been discussed twice since the last round in Japan and on Monday senior representatives, including the FIA, team principals and their chief executives, the power unit manufacturers and F1’s chief executive, Stefano Domenicali, formally agreed the changes. They remain subject to ratification by the world motorsport council, a formality expected to be concluded before the next round in Miami on 3 May.
Continue reading...Mercedes driver doesn’t want to lose four-time champion
‘Natural’ for lack of competitiveness to start taking its toll
George Russell has said he would understand if Max Verstappen chose to leave Formula One after the four-time champion recently cast doubt on his future in the sport because of his dissatisfaction with current regulations.
Russell, who is currently second behind his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli in the world championship, insisted Verstappen had nothing left to prove.
Continue reading...Red Bull driver outspoken about regulation changes
‘In a meeting he was very keen to give suggestions’
Formula One must listen to Max Verstappen’s grievances about the sport’s new regulations and their effects on racing, according to F1’s CEO, Stefano Domenicali. His intervention comes as key players hold meetings to consider adjusting the rules for the remainder of the season.
Verstappen has been outspoken in his dissatisfaction with the new formula and the part energy management now plays in preventing being able to race flat-out. The four-time champion is not alone in his feelings with other drivers also critical of the deployment and recharging of electrical energy.
Continue reading...Gianpiero Lambiase set to join McLaren after 2027 season
Verstappen has worked with Lambiase since 2016
Max Verstappen’s engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is to leave Red Bull to join McLaren in a shock move that throws further doubt on the four-time world champion’s future in Formula One.
Lambiase has worked with Verstappen since the Dutchman joined Red Bull in 2016 and has been at his side through the driver’s four titles, with the pair forging a close bond. Their radio interactions during races have been closely followed in what has been an enormously successful professional and personal relationship, sharing great joy and some blunt exchanges.
Continue reading...As talks begin over fixing the controversial regulations, the FIA’s Nikolas Tombazis says changes to ‘specific aspects’ are needed, not a total overhaul
Formula One has endured a somewhat turbulent opening this season under the sport’s new regulations. Amid the sound and fury of some driver dissatisfaction with the new formula and safety concerns brought sharply into focus by a huge accident at the Japanese Grand Prix, three races in there is now an opportunity to propose changes, with the man who has been at the heart of the process since it began quietly confident that F1 can adapt successfully.
Nikolas Tombazis is the single-seater director for F1’s governing body, the FIA, and has been with the organisation since 2018. He was there when the very first discussions of the 2026 regulations took place in January 2021 and has been central to their evolution since. In his calm and articulate fashion, Tombazis says the noise around the new regulations is overstated.
Continue reading...Colapinto abused over Bearman’s crash in Japan
Ex-Alpine driver Ocon clashed with Colapinto in China
Alpine have condemned on Thursday online abuse of Franco Colapinto for an incident in the Japanese Grand Prix as well as death threats directed at the Formula One team’s former racer Esteban Ocon over prior events in China.
They also dismissed suspicions from some fans of “sabotage” and claims their Argentinian driver was not being given the same quality equipment as his teammate Pierre Gasly.
Continue reading...Jonathan Wheatley set to make switch to troubled team
Arrival would allow Adrian Newey to change focus
Jonathan Wheatley has left his role as Audi team principal, the Formula One team have confirmed, paving the way for his anticipated switch to the same role at Aston Martin.
Wheatley’s arrival would allow the current Aston Martin principal, Adrian Newey, to return his focus to the technical and design areas in which he excels after the team endured a disastrous start to the new season.
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