GPFans News

Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is convinced that Lando Norris is the clear preferred driver within McLaren, and that this fact is gnawing away at Oscar Piastri.#f1 #mclaren #landonorris #oscarpiastri

The FIA is considering making a two-stop strategy mandatory in Formula 1 starting next year. The idea is still in its early stages, but teams that already struggle with pit stops could come under even more pressure as a result. So why is the FIA thinking about enforcing a two-stop rule anyway, and how do the other parties feel about it? In this GPFans Special, we take a closer look.

Red Bull's Laurent Mekies is aware that his team's continuation of the current car development will come at the expense of next year's challenger, but he feels it is the right direction for the team to go in.

There's disagreement within Red Bull Racing on who to pick for next year's second seat next to Max Verstappen, according to Last Word on Sports. Team principal Laurent Mekies and advisor Dr Helmut Marko both want a different driver at the senior team for 2026, with no final decision made as we approach the end of the year.

Former Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button has announced that he will retire from professional racing after the upcoming 8 Hours of Bahrain. Button has been very active since retiring from F1, mainly participating in endurance racing, but will hang up his helmet and gloves for good after next week.

After his dominant victory in Mexico, Lando Norris has taken the lead in the Formula 1 standings, edging out teammate Oscar Piastri by just one point. While Norris is in peak form, Piastri seems to be struggling at this crucial stage of the season. What's going on with Piastri, and why does the world title appear to be slipping through his fingers? GPFans takes a closer look.

The FIA have explained why Max Verstappen was left unpunished during the Mexico City Grand Prix during his hard-nosed battle with Lewis Hamilton. Meanwhile George Russell has revealed that part of his new contract at Mercedes includes a clause that if he meets a certain performance-based target, it will automatically be extended into the 2027 season.

A lot of people were surprised as to why Lando Norris was getting booed following his Mexico City Grand Prix win, and an explanation has now been offered. Mexican F1 journalist Carlos Jalife from Fast Mag explained to Norris himself during the press conference that it dates back to the Italian Grand Prix, and McLaren's team orders during that race. Speaking of explanations, the FIA have also released a statement to explain why a Virtual Safety Car was deployed in the dying embers of the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Red Bull Racing are considering delaying their final decision on who to put in their second car next season, according to Last Word on Sports, after Yuki Tsunoda has started to impress the team. Red Bull originally set a deadline for this weekend in Mexico, but might deliberate further as the Japanese driver has had an uptick in performance.

Oscar Piastri is most likely going to miss out on FP1 of the year-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Piastri still has to let a rookie driver deputise in his MCL39 for one more practice session in 2025, and by all accounts, this will be at the season finale, when the title will most likely be on the line.

Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko believes there is no more circuit in what is left of the 2025 season that will favour McLaren.#f1news #f1 #mclarenf1 #redbullracing #maxverstappen

Charles Leclerc has hit out at what he calls unfounded noise and rumours around Ferrari, noise that he admits hasn't made it easy for the team and himself to perform. Meanwhile Alpine have released a statement following the United States Grand Prix expressing their disappointment with Franco Colapinto for not following team orders.

Red Bull Racing have been given what the FIA call a significant penalty following the United States Grand Prix as they breached the International Sporting Code. Meanwhile Carlos Sainz has been given a five-place grid penalty for this weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix. The penalty was given for Sainz's attempted overtake on Kimi Antonelli during Sunday's US Grand Prix, where the two cars collided and the Spaniard had to retire from the race after.

Fred Vasseur has fully backed Lewis Hamilton to come back from his early struggles at Ferrari as the Frenchman is adamant the seven-time champion will bounce back as he continues to settle in. Meanwhile The Independent report that George Russell has become the third-highest earner on the F1 grid after Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen with his new Mercedes contract.

Mercedes have announced contract extensions for both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, but have only stated both drivers will be at the team in 2026. The-Race.com have since reported that according to their sources, Russell's contract is a multi-year deal, meaning it runs into 2027, which was a big point of contention during negotiations. Meanwhile Sky Italia have denied the recent rumours that Ferrari chairman John Elkann has been in contact with Christian Horner.#f1news #f1 #mercedesf1 #ferrarif1 #georgerussell #mercedes #ferrari

Red Bull Racing, in contrast to many of its rivals, is still investing a lot of time and money into the 2025 car. The Austrian team wants to use this to gain more insight into the correlation between the wind tunnel and what actually happens on the track, and it also gives Max Verstappen a small chance at the 2025 World Championship. Which strategy has Red Bull Racing chosen, and could this potentially lead to Max Verstappen's fifth title? In this GPFans Special, we dive into that.

According to German outlet F1 Insider, Ferrari's trust in team principal Fred Vasseur has already deteriorated despite having extended his contract only a few months ago. With the team still waiting on its first win of the season and on the brink of dropping to fourth place in the constructors' championship, interest in Christian Horner could also be renewed, the report states.#f1news #f1 #ferrarif1 #ferrari #mclarenf1 #mclaren #haas #haasf1

According to Corriere Dello Sport, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur had a heated exchange in Singapore with the team's head of track engineering Matteo Togninalli. Meanwhile Alex Palou has alleged that Zak Brown blocked a move for the Spaniard to sign for Racing Bulls midway through 2023. Palou told the UK High Court that Red Bull were interested in getting Palou into their second F1 team, until a phone call from Zak Brown to Dr Helmut Marko shut everything down.#f1 #f1news #ferrarif1 #mclarenf1

IndyCar's Alex Palou claims Zak Brown assured him he could get the Spaniard an F1 drive for 2023, leaving him furious when Oscar Piastri was eventually announced to team up with Lando Norris.

Max Verstappen claims McLaren still very much have the quickest car in F1, despite having outscored both papaya orange cars for three races running. Verstappen's won two of the last three races and finished second on Sunday, but believes McLaren had better outright pace in Singapore.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem is almost certain to run unopposed in December's FIA presidential elections. The-Race.com have uncovered a quirk in the requirements for being able to step forward as a candidate that make it virtually impossible for anyone but Ben Sulayem to run, all but guaranteeing his re-election. Meanwhile Mark Webber has admitted that his client and protégé Oscar Piastri could well be heading to Ferrari in the future, but only if and when he wins the championship first.

Lando Norris collided with his team-mate and championship leader, Oscar Piastri, on the opening lap of the race in Singapore — and from that moment on, things got interesting. In this GPFans Special, we take a closer look at the agreements within McLaren and explore the key question: is Lando Norris being favoured at McLaren?

Sky Sports pundit and former F1 driver Martin Brundle believes the relationship between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will never be the same after the Singapore Grand Prix. Meanwhile George Russell may have added a fifth win to his Formula 1 CV, but the Brit still does not have a contract for next season at Mercedes as things stand.

Max Verstappen has seemingly given up hope on winning a fifth consecutive F1 championship. The Dutchman finished in second place on Sunday, beating both McLaren drivers, but he claimed he needed to dominate and win the race to even stay within a chance.

Lando Norris sees nothing wrong with his overtake on team-mate Oscar Piastri at the start of the Singapore Grand Prix, saying that if you don't go for that move, you shouldn't be in F1.

Toto Wolff has shut down rumours that Kimi Antonelli would be dropped by Mercedes and loaned out to a different F1 team in 2026.

It's race weekend in Singapore, and it's shaping up to be a crucial one for Red Bull Racing. Max Verstappen has dominated the last two races — but can the reigning champion keep the momentum going on the streets of Singapore?

Charles Leclerc has been named among athletes that have been subject to a bizarre data breach from a company linked to the Chinese government. Meanwhile Helmut Marko says Red Bull Racing have started to help Yuki Tsunoda out more in coaching him during weekends, and helping him set up the car more to suit his driving style.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella insists that Max Verstappen is still very much a title contender for the 2025 season.

Christian Horner is interested in taking up a leadership role in Haas, which would involve the Brit buying a significant stake in the team as part of the deal.

George Russell has revealed he almost pulled out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix because of illness, and only drove because he claims Baku is one of the easiest circuits on the calendar physically and mentally.

Christian Horner is officially no longer a Red Bull Racing employee as the former team principal and CEO has agreed to a severance package worth up to, wait for it, 100 million dollars.

Oscar Piastri will not receive a grid penalty for the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix despite not being able to serve his time penalty during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

In this exclusive GPFans interview, former f1 team principal, Gunther Steiner shares his thoughts about the up and coming new v1 team Cadillac and if McLaren are too intervering regarding the drivers' championship fight between Oscar Pastri and Lando Norris.

Lewis Hamilton has underlined that he's not planning on retiring from Formula 1 any time soon. Some of his critics, including former F1 owner Bernie Ecclestone, believe it is best for the seven-time champion to step aside, but the Brit is deadset to turn his fortunes at Ferrari around.

This weekend in Baku, McLaren has the chance to secure the first big prize of the season – the Constructors' Championship. With eight race weekends still to go, it's a clear sign of their dominance in 2025. But how does this stack up against Red Bull and Mercedes during their peak years? We explore it all in this GPFans Special.

The Red Bull hierarchy have decided on three of the four drivers for the 2026 F1 season, according to Auto Motor und Sport, with only the second Racing Bulls spot still being up for grabs.

For the first time since 2016, Formula 1 will feature 11 teams and 22 cars on the grid. Cadillac is entering the sport with Bottas and Pérez behind the wheel. But as a brand-new outfit starting completely from scratch, they face some serious challenges. In this GPFans Special, we break down why their debut might not be as smooth as it seems.

Team orders — after last weekend, they're once again a hot topic in Formula 1. The FIA once banned them, but today they're completely legal. Why do teams use them, why do drivers follow them, and how does F1 really see these instructions?

David Coulthard believes his former team McLaren have manipulated the Italian Grand Prix by swapping Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at the end of the race. While swapping drivers is certainly nothing new, it normally never happens when team-mates are direct rivals for the championship, and Coulthard can't help but feel uneasy about the situation.

Max Verstappen has credited his new team principal Laurent Mekies for how much he's pushing the team in the right direction in terms of car development. Verstappen added it's better than under Christian Horner's management, where changes would be extreme and the team wasn't on top of the car.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has warned McLaren that the team orders they are deploying could be a very slippery slope by setting a precedent that is difficult to undo.

According to The Race, Mick Schumacher has turned down Cadillac's offer to become their F1 reserve and WEC driver. Currently racing in WEC with Alpine, the former F3 and F2 champion is also in talks with McLaren about joining their endurance team in 2027.

Cadillac has announced Colton Herta as one of its test drivers for 2026, as the American will also compete in Formula 2 in a bid to secure enough Super License points to race in F1. Herta has left his seat at Andretti in IndyCar and will actively pursue a seat with the Cadillac F1 team in the near future.

Jacques Villeneuve has absolutely slammed Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli for his collision with Charles Leclerc on Sunday at Zandvoort, calling it a move you'd normally only see in Formula 3 or 4. On top of that, the former world champion questioned whether Antonelli should be in F1 altogether.

Lewis Hamilton has been given a grid penalty following the Dutch Grand Prix, where he was the first driver to drop out of the race. Hamilton will have to serve this penalty this weekend at Ferrari's home race, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

The FIA have announced ahead of this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix that they're going to increase the pitlane speed limit from 60 to 80 kilometres per hour.

It's official! Cadillac have announced their line-up for their debut season in 2026 and they've gone for experience as both Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will be suiting up for the American team next year, when they will form the 11th team on the grid.

German outlet Auto Motor und Sport have reported Isack Hadjar will be promoted to Red Bull Racing in 2026, while Yuki Tsunoda will be left without a seat at both Red Bull and Racing Bulls. Arvid Lindblad will be promoted to F1 and drive alongside Liam Lawson, according to the very reliable German outlet.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has responded to Max Verstappen's claim that the papaya cars are the quickest in medium-speed corners. Stella agrees, noting that McLaren's advantage lies almost entirely in those sections – which make up the majority of turns on the F1 calendar.

An interesting story has emerged regarding Red Bull Racing. According to Japanese sources, Red Bull's majority stakeholder, Chalerm Yoovidhya, wants his fellow countryman Alex Albon to return to the team should Max Verstappen leave in the future. Yoovidhya had reportedly already inquired about Albon for next year, before Verstappen announced that he would not be leaving the team.