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Lewis Hamilton won't retire from F1 until Africa returns to the calendar

Lewis Hamilton is promising not to retire until Formula 1 ends its ongoing 33-year hiatus from Africa with the seven-time world champion continuously campaigning for a return. 

F1 has not raced on the continent since the 1993 South African Grand Prix, as the event subsequently dropped off the calendar due to the new Kyalami owners wanting to run the facility at a profit. 

It therefore ...

Franco Colapinto shrugs off heated Flavio Briatore exchange: "There is normally a reason for it"

Alpine Formula 1 driver Franco Colapinto has addressed the heated conversation shown between him and Flavio Briatore during the latest season of Netflix’s Drive to Survive.

After replacing Australian rookie Jack Doohan midway through the 2025 season, the pressure was on Colapinto to perform alongside his experienced team-mate Pierre Gasly. 

The second episode of the eighth season of Drive ...

F1 pre-start procedure introduced for Australian GP after Bahrain test

Formula 1's Australian Grand Prix will debut the five-second 'pre-start' delay to allow the drivers at the back of the grid extra time to prepare their new powertrains for the beginning of the race.

The revision to the starting procedure has been detailed in the race directors' notes, following a successful test in the final week of pre-season testing in Bahrain. This came following concerns ...

F1 pre-start procedure introduced for Melbourne after successful Bahrain test

Formula 1's Australian Grand Prix will debut the five-second 'pre-start' delay to allow the drivers at the back of the grid extra time to prepare their new powertrains for the beginning of the race.

The revisions to the starting procedure has been detailed in the race directors' notes, following a successful test in the final week of pre-season testing in Bahrain. This came following concerns ...

F1 Australian GP: Friday practice schedule, weather, and How to Watch

Formula 1’s 2026 season begins this weekend at the Australian Grand Prix, opening a new era for the championship following a major overhaul of both chassis and power unit regulations.

After nine days of pre-season testing across Barcelona and Bahrain, teams arrive at Melbourne’s Albert Park with only limited data on the competitive order. Early indications suggest McLaren, Mercedes, Red ...

Aston Martin Australian GP compromised by vibration issues

The Aston Martin Formula One Team has revealed that it will most likely have to retire early from the season opening Australian Grand Prix. In one of the most explosive early revelations of recent years, team principal and designer Adrian Newey broke the news to the assembled press at Albert Park. In previous press releases […]

The qualifying challenge and chaos teams face at Australian GP's Albert Park

One aspect of Formula 1's 2026 regulations that has become increasingly evident through feedback from the engineers and drivers is the track-dependent nature of the new cars. There's a cast of circuits where drivers won't have to stray too far from their natural driving inputs to harvest energy, and another group of tracks which will make it difficult to charge the battery.

Melbourne fits into ...

Aston Martin vibrations like 'electrocuting yourself on a chair', says Lance Stroll

Aston Martin could be forced to limit its running in the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix this weekend as severe engine vibrations are impacting its car and drivers, with Lance Stroll comparing the issue to getting electrocuted.

All eyes are on Aston Martin at the opening race of the 2026 F1 season after a tough start to the year. The team was late to the Barcelona shakedown and struggled in ...

Why Mercedes is so confident about overtaking in Australian GP when rivals aren't

If the Formula 1 news agenda were a weather system, right now it would be trapped in an anticyclonic gloom. Until the new-generation machines start running on track competitively, as opposed to pottering around on different run plans as they were in testing, the unknowns remain stubbornly unknown.

Only the ongoing slow-motion car crash that is Aston Martin has provided a narrative which moves ...

Max Verstappen responds to calls to change 2026 F1 rules: “We're a bit late with that"

Max Verstappen reckons it’s too late to make tweaks to the 2026 Formula 1 regulations despite Carlos Sainz calling for the FIA to listen to feedback and be fluid with any changes.

This year, F1 is debuting what’s arguably its biggest regulation overhaul in history with changes to both the chassis and power unit, the latter of which is the biggest point of contention. 

That’s because ...

Lando Norris: 'McLaren won't be on the back foot' at the start of F1 2026

McLaren's Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris says his team's history of developing itself to the front has bolstered his confidence the papaya squad 'won't be on the back foot' even if it's not among the two quickest teams in Melbourne.

While F1's first real pecking order in Melbourne has yet to emerge, and can fluctuate circuit to circuit depending on power unit demands, McLaren believes it ...

F1 drivers place trust in the championship and FIA amid Iran-US conflict

George Russell has expressed his trust in Formula 1 to make the correct decision over its forthcoming Middle Eastern grands prix amid the ongoing Iran-United States conflict. 

The US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran during 28 February, killing the country’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei plus many other officials and the situation has since escalated.

Iran and its allies ...

“He’s just super excited”: Charles Leclerc plays down Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari reset

Charles Leclerc believes Lewis Hamilton isn't in a "different place" at Ferrari compared to his first year with the team. Instead, he argues he's simply excited as the duo head into a bout of new regulations.

Hamilton's first season in red was a disappointing one as the seven-time world champion struggled with his Italian machinery. It was the saddest we'd seen the Briton as weekend after ...

Esteban Ocon claims overtakes look "quite difficult on paper" as he points to minimal gains

Esteban Ocon believes that overtaking currently looks "quite difficult on paper" as the new Overtake Mode only "seems to gain a tenth".

The new wave of regulations that has been introduced to Formula 1 in 2026 includes Overtake Mode, replacing DRS, along with active aerodynamics. Overtake Mode deploys an extra 0.5MJ of electrical power, allowing the car to reach higher speeds to aid - you ...

Lewis Hamilton: F1 2025 version of myself has "gone"

Formula 1 in 2026 will be defining for Lewis Hamilton.

The seven-time world champion heads into the new regulation era amid questions regarding his future, as the past four seasons failed to witness the version which established him as arguably F1’s greatest ever. 

It started with three troublesome seasons at Mercedes before his blockbuster move to Ferrari for 2025, but last year was his ...

Valtteri Bottas pokes fun at Aston Martin as Adrian Newey admits Australian GP limits

Valtteri Bottas used the first FIA press conference of the 2026 season to poke fun at the Aston Martin team, joking that drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were his picks for a championship win.

It's been over a year since we've been treated to Bottas's dry humour in a press conference after he performed reserve driver duties for Mercedes in 2025. But with the driver's vast experience now ...

F1 returnee Valtteri Bottas loses grid drop after all

Valtteri Bottas has been told he won't have to serve a lingering grid penalty at Formula 1's Australian Grand Prix.

Bottas accrued a five-place grid penalty on his last F1 outing at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for punting Red Bull's Sergio Perez - now his Cadillac team-mate - out of the way.

Drivers have to serve the penalty at the next round they take part in, which in the Finn's case ...

Alonso's defiant message on Aston Martin's F1 car limitations

Aston Martin has moved to change the messaging after team boss Adrian Newey’s frank admission that his drivers are likely to be limited to 25 laps of running in the Australian Grand Prix.

Vibrations from the new Honda power unit had been said to be damaging not just to the hybrid system but also to the car and its occupant, to the extent that the drivers risked long-term health issues if they ...

Lewis Hamilton gives "F1" sequel progress update, teases "TV shows, documentaries and movies"

Lewis Hamilton has confirmed that he is working on the F1 movie sequel.

The seven-time champion not only made a cameo appearance in the Brad Pitt-led film but also served as executive producer on the blockbuster. Since its release in June 2025, the film has exceeded $630million at the global box office and has been a regular in the 2026 awards season.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently ...

Fernando Alonso's defiant message on Aston Martin's F1 car limitations

Aston Martin has moved to change the messaging after team boss Adrian Newey’s frank admission that his drivers are likely to be limited to 25 laps of running in the Australian Grand Prix.

Vibrations from the new Honda power unit had been said to be damaging not just to the hybrid system but also to the car and its occupant, to the extent that the drivers risked long-term health issues if they ...

George Russell warns even the “straightforward” parts of F1 are complicated under new regs

Despite feeling optimistic going into the 2026 season, George Russell has admitted that the new set of regulations has made even the "straightforward" parts of Formula 1 racing feel complicated.

The Mercedes driver has arrived in Melbourne with a wide smile on his face after a successful stint of testing in Bahrain. The Brackley outfit looked fairly dominant in the running we saw at the Bahrain ...

Ollie Bearman warns Australian GP could be "worst-case scenario" for new F1 regulations

Oliver Bearman doesn't want to "draw any conclusions" from the Australian Grand Prix, arguing that the season-opening race could be the "worst-case scenario" for the new regulations due to the lack of braking zones at Albert Park.

While the 20-year-old driver has some reservations about the upcoming weekend of racing, he looked to the silver lining of capitalising on the chaotic ...

Just 25 laps in Melbourne? The key questions behind Aston Martin and Honda’s F1 crisis

Even before a single wheel has turned in Melbourne, Aston Martin has already become the main story in the Formula 1 paddock. After a disastrous winter test, Lawrence Stroll’s ambitious project starts the new F1 era with a significant deficit, something that is closely linked to the troubled start of its engine partner Honda.

Finishing the season opener appears to be a utopia, as became clear ...

Aston Martin F1 drivers limited to 25 laps to avoid nerve damage

The Honda engine vibrations that Aston Martin is suffering are so severe that they limit the number of laps drivers are able to complete without risking damage to their hands, Formula 1 team boss Adrian Newey has revealed.

The new partnership between Aston Martin and Honda got off to a disastrous start in pre-season testing when a variety of reliability issues limited the AMR26's running. The ...

Aston Martin F1 drivers limited to 25 laps to avoid nerve damage

The Honda engine vibrations that Aston Martin is suffering are so severe that they limit the number of laps drivers are able to complete without risking damage to their hands, team boss Adrian Newey has revealed.

The new partnership between Aston Martin and Honda got off to a disastrous start in pre-season testing when a variety of reliability issues limited the AMR26's running. The headline ...

Sky Sports F1 confirms 2026 broadcast team as Danica Patrick drops off line-up

Sky Sports has confirmed its broadcast team for the 2026 Formula 1 season, and the absence of former NASCAR and IndyCar driver Danica Patrick has been picked up by fans. 

Joining lead commentator David Croft will be Simon Lazenby, Natalie Pinkham, Ted Kravitz, Rachel Brookes and Craig Slater as presenters and reporters.

Martin Brundle, Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Jacques Villeneuve, Naomi ...

Autosport Explains video: How the new F1 cars will challenge the drivers

Formula 1's 2026 cars present a very different challenge to the drivers. Racing this year will not only rely on natural aptitude and reflex, but on mental acuity and bandwidth to get the most out of the new generation of machines. What does it take to be successful, and where are the limits with the new-for-2026 cars?

Autosport visited the Williams F1 team at its Grove HQ to speak to Harrison ...