During that race weekend, Carson Hovevar will be pulling double-duty. He’ll be heading to the dirt track across the street.

On April 24 and 25th, the Talladega Short Track is hosting the Alabama Gang 100. The track will host the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in the event.

Friday’s event will pay $12,000 to the feature winner. Saturday’s feature will see a check for $25,000 handed out to the winner.

Hocevar stated, “Heard they’re racing dirt late models across the street from Talladega while NASCAR is in town.”

He confirmed, “this is a ‘I’m racing this race, please buy a t shirt from our t shirt trailer at the dirt track’ if that wasn’t clear.”

Spire Motorsports has previously fielded a dirt late model for Hocevar. The Longhorn Chassis machine has previously been sponsored by Chili’s.

Will other NASCAR drivers join the field? Chase Elliott has previously raced at the same track as recently as 2023.

The Talladega Short Track is a 1/3-mile dirt oval. The entrance to the facility is directly across the street from Talladega Superspeedway.

NASCAR called Carson Hocevar after he leaked schedule changes

Links

Carson Hocevar | Talladega Short Track | World of Outlaws | NASCAR

Context:

Hocevar will compete in dirt late model races worth up to $25,000 while NASCAR visits Talladega Superspeedway.

Context:

This showcases NASCAR drivers expanding beyond stock cars to compete in grassroots racing during off-time.

Context:

Chase Elliott previously raced at the same dirt track in 2023, suggesting other Cup drivers may join.

Tonight, NASCAR O’Reilly Series drivers take the green flag in Tennessee. Now, the field is rolling to the half-mile of Bristol Motor Speedway for a round of practice and qualifying to set the starting grid.

View the Bristol starting lineup for the NASCAR O’Reilly Series below.

Bristol Menu
Truck: Prac/Qual | Race
O’Reilly: Prac/Qual | Race
Cup: Prac/Qual | Race

Bristol TV Schedule

William Sawalich will start from the pole position. He turned a laptime at 15.634 seconds in NASCAR qualifying.

Bristol Motor Speedway
Starting Lineup
April 11, 2026
NASCAR O’Reilly Series

Pos | Driver | Best Time

1. William Sawalich
15.634

2. Sheldon Creed
15.676

3. Kyle Larson
15.709

4. Brandon Jones
15.757

5. Sam Mayer
15.769

6. Taylor Gray
15.786

7. Justin Allgaier
15.802

8. Carson Kvapil
15.816

9. Parker Retzlaff
15.829

10. Brennan Poole
15.830

11. Ryan Sieg
15.831

12. Jesse Love
15.851

13. Jeb Burton
15.852

14. Corey Day
15.853

15. Connor Zilisch
15.859

16. Sammy Smith
15.864

17. Brent Crews
15.892

18. Anthony Alfredo
15.948

19. Jeremy Clements
15.949

20. Kyle Sieg
15.959

21. Dean Thompson
15.984

22. Harrison Burton
15.998

23. Austin Hill
16.076

24. Logan Bearden
16.087

25. Austin Green
16.102

26. Lavar Scott
16.124

27. Josh Bilicki
16.139

28. Gray Gaulding
16.142

29. Josh Williams
16.151

30. Blaine Perkins
16.153

31. Mason Maggio
16.175

32. Patrick Staropoli
16.283

33. Ryan Ellis
16.286

34. JJ Yeley
16.287

35. Garrett Smithley
16.427

36. Joey Gase
16.619

37. Blake Lothian
16.926

38. Rajah Caruth
No Time

Bristol Motor Speedway
Practice Results
April 11, 2026
NASCAR O’Reilly Series

Pos | Driver | Best Time

1. Taylor Gray
15.746

2. Brandon Jones
15.774

3. Kyle Larson
15.817

4. Jesse Love
15.840

5. Jeb Burton
15.843

6. Corey Day
15.848

7. Anthony Alfredo
15.856

8. Connor Zilisch
15.864

9. Carson Kvapil
15.882

10. Parker Retzlaff
15.894

11. Sheldon Creed
15.896

12. Ryan Sieg
15.906

13. Sam Mayer
15.924

14. William Sawalich
15.924

15. Brent Crews
15.949

16. Justin Allgaier
15.952

17. Kyle Sieg
15.955

18. Sammy Smith
15.960

19. Brennan Poole
16.028

20. Dean Thompson
16.035

21. Patrick Staropoli
16.042

22. Jeremy Clements
16.048

23. Lavar Scott
16.082

24. Rajah Caruth
16.104

25. Mason Maggio
16.104

26. Blaine Perkins
16.143

27. Austin Green
16.147

28. Harrison Burton
16.152

29. Austin Hill
16.164

30. Gray Gaulding
16.180

31. Garrett Smithley
16.195

32. Ryan Ellis
16.203

33. Josh Bilicki
16.217

34. Josh Williams
16.262

35. Logan Bearden
16.276

36. Joey Gase
16.285

37. JJ Yeley
16.341

38. Blake Lothian
16.575

Links

Bristol Motor Speedway | NASCAR

Context:

William Sawalich claims pole position at Bristol with a qualifying time of 15.634 seconds.

Context:

Bristol's tight half-mile track creates intense competition with close qualifying times across the field.

Context:

Kyle Larson, a Cup Series regular, starts third in the NASCAR O'Reilly Series race.

On Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series drivers take the green flag in Bristol, Tennessee. Today, teams are set for a round of practice and qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Before teams are allowed on the track for practice they must clear several inspection sections. Multiple teams have failed inspection, multiple times.

Failed inspection twice: Kyle Larson, Michael McDowell, Ross Chastain, Cole Custer and Chad Finchum

Per the rulebook NASCAR is allowed to eject a crew member of their choosing. McDowell has had an engineer ejected. For the other four, they have all had their car chief ejected for the duration of the race weekend.

All five teams will also lose pit selection for Sunday’s race.

Teams are now rolling to the track for practice. All five teams have cleared inspection after initial failures.

NASCAR Team Members Ejected

The following crew members have been ejected:

Jesse Saunders
(Car chief, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

Adam Sturgill
(Engineer, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet)

David Fero
(Car chief, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet)

Scott Brewer
(Car chief, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet)

Dylan Roberts
(Car chief, N0. 66 Garage 66 Ford)

NASCAR Inspection Penalties
Pre-Qualifying

The following includes various levels of inspection penalties:

1 Failure
No Penalty

2 Failures
Crew member of NASCAR’s choosing ejected. Additionally, the team loses pit selection.

3 Failures
Not permitted to qualify plus above penalty. They also have to serve a pass-through penalty at the start of the race.

Related: Bristol TV Schedule

Links

Bristol Motor Speedway | NASCAR

Context:

Five NASCAR teams failed pre-race inspection twice, resulting in crew member ejections at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Context:

Inspection failures disrupt team operations and force last-minute adjustments before crucial race weekend events.

Context:

Teams also lost pit selection privileges, affecting their strategic positioning for Sunday's race.

Tomorrow, NASCAR Cup Series drivers will take the green flag in the 500-lap race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Now, the field is rolling to the half-mile in Tennessee for a round of practice and qualifying.

View NASCAR qualifying results from Bristol Motor Speedway below.

Bristol Menu
Truck: Prac/Qual | Race
O’Reilly: Prac/Qual | Race
Cup: Prac/Qual | Race

Bristol TV Schedule

Officials have issued multiple penalties today. Multiple teams failed inspection just ahead of practice and qualifying.

NASCAR ejects multiple crew members from Bristol Motor Speedway

Ryan Blaney will start from the pole position on Sunday. He turned a laptime at 15.101 seconds.

Bristol Motor Speedway
Starting Lineup
April 12, 2026
NASCAR Cup Series

Pos | Driver

1. Ryan Blaney
15.101

2. Tyler Reddick
15.124

3. Chase Briscoe
15.135

4. Riley Herbst
15.147

5. Ty Gibbs
15.164

6. Ross Chastain
15.175

7. Chris Buescher
15.190

8. Kyle Larson
15.192

9. Austin Cindric
15.200

10. Carson Hocevar
15.201

11. Denny Hamlin
15.225

12. Bubba Wallace
15.231

13. Daniel Suarez
15.233

14. Christopher Bell
15.261

15. Zane Smith
15.277

16. Noah Gragson
15.279

17. Ryan Preece
15.282

18. Chase Elliott
15.285

19. Michael McDowell
15.291

20. Joey Logano
15.311

21. Brad Keselowski
15.312

22. AJ Allmendinger
15.323

23. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
15.331

24. Austin Dillon
15.344

25. Josh Berry
15.364

26. Connor Zilisch
15.368

27. Alex Bowman
15.368

28. Erik Jones
15.378

29. Kyle Busch
15.389

30. Cole Custer
15.404

31. John Hunter Nemechek
15.467

32. Ty Dillon
15.498

33. Shane van Gisbergen
15.514

34. William Byron
15.554

35. Todd Gilliland
15.593

36. Cody Ware
15.613

37. Chad Finchum
15.711

Bristol Motor Speedway
Practice Results
April 11, 2026
NASCAR Cup Series

Pos | Driver

1. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
15.403

2. Noah Gragson
15.439

3. Austin Cindric
15.451

4. Erik Jones
15.453

5. Bubba Wallace
15.459

6. Michael McDowell
15.462

7. Connor Zilisch
15.470

8. Ty Gibbs
15.470

9. AJ Allmendinger
15.474

10. Kyle Larson
15.476

11. Riley Herbst
15.478

12. John Hunter Nemechek
15.479

13. Zane Smith
15.491

14. Ryan Preece
15.494

15. Ryan Blaney
15.496

16. Alex Bowman
15.497

17. Kyle Busch
15.497

18. Todd Gilliland
15.503

19. Carson Hocevar
15.504

20. Joey Logano
15.521

21. Tyler Reddick
15.525

22. William Byron
15.529

23. Christopher Bell
15.535

24. Denny Hamlin
15.535

25. Cody Ware
15.549

26. Austin Dillon
15.554

27. Chase Briscoe
15.562

28. Chase Elliott
15.571

29. Brad Keselowski
15.575

30. Ty Dillon
15.579

31. Ross Chastain
15.582

32. Cole Custer
15.586

33. Josh Berry
15.622

34. Shane van Gisbergen
15.634

35. Daniel Suarez
15.635

36. Chris Buescher
15.673

37. Chad Finchum
15.746

Links

Bristol Motor Speedway | NASCAR

Context:

Ryan Blaney secured pole position at Bristol with a blazing 15.101-second lap time.

Context:

Bristol's tight half-mile track makes qualifying crucial as passing opportunities are limited during the race.

Context:

Multiple teams faced inspection penalties before qualifying, ejecting several crew members from the facility.

Update: Bristol Race Results

NASCAR Cup Series drivers will take the green flag in Bristol, Tennessee on Sunday afternoon. This is the race info page for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

View the NASCAR starting lineup and TV schedule for Bristol Motor Speedway below.

Stages:
125/250/500 2026

Purse:
$11,233,037

Bristol Motor Speedway
TV Schedule

The following includes all on-track action:

Sunday
April 12, 2026

1:30pm ET
NASCAR.com
Press Pass

3:00pm ET
FS1 | FOX One | HBO Max | PRN
NASCAR Cup Series
Race

NASCAR.com
Press Pass: Post NCS Race

Bristol Motor Speedway
Qualifying Results
April 2026
NASCAR Cup Series

Pos | Driver | Best Time

1. Ryan Blaney
15.101

2. Tyler Reddick
15.124

3. Chase Briscoe
15.135

4. Riley Herbst
15.147

5. Ty Gibbs
15.164

6. Ross Chastain
15.175

7. Chris Buescher
15.190

8. Kyle Larson
15.192

9. Austin Cindric
15.200

10. Carson Hocevar
15.201

11. Denny Hamlin
15.225

12. Bubba Wallace
15.231

13. Daniel Suarez
15.233

14. Christopher Bell
15.261

15. Zane Smith
15.277

16. Noah Gragson
15.279

17. Ryan Preece
15.282

18. Chase Elliott
15.285

19. Michael McDowell
15.291

20. Joey Logano
15.311

21. Brad Keselowski
15.312

22. AJ Allmendinger
15.323

23. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
15.331

24. Austin Dillon
15.344

25. Josh Berry
15.364

26. Connor Zilisch
15.368

27. Alex Bowman
15.368

28. Erik Jones
15.378

29. Kyle Busch
15.389

30. Cole Custer
15.404

31. John Hunter Nemechek
15.467

32. Ty Dillon
15.498

33. Shane van Gisbergen
15.514

34. William Byron
15.554

35. Todd Gilliland
15.593

36. Cody Ware
15.613

37. Chad Finchum
15.711

Click here to view practice results

NASCAR Cup Series
Point Standings

Ahead of: Bristol

Pos | Driver | Points

1. Tyler Reddick
353

2. Ryan Blaney
-82

3. Denny Hamlin
-94

4. Chase Elliott
-104

5. William Byron
-115

6. Ty Gibbs
-131

7. Christopher Bell
-141

8. Brad Keselowski
-147

9. Kyle Larson
-147

10. Chris Buescher
-147

11. Bubba Wallace
-147

12. Joey Logano
-168

13. Ryan Preece
-173

14. Shane van Gisbergen
-179

15. Carson Hocevar
-182

16. Daniel Suarez
-186

— Playoff Cutline —

17. Michael McDowell
-195

18. Austin Cindric
-204

19. Ross Chastain
-217

20. AJ Allmendinger
-219

Links

Bristol Motor Speedway | NASCAR

Context:

Ryan Blaney leads the Bristol starting grid with a 15.101 qualifying time ahead of points leader Tyler Reddick.

Context:

Bristol's concrete surface and steep banking create unique racing dynamics that often shake up championship standings.

Context:

The Food City 500 features a massive $11.2 million purse, one of NASCAR's largest payouts of the season.

CARS Tour drivers are on the ground in Nashville, Tennessee. The 0.596-mile Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is set for a night of short track racing.

View Nashville results for the CARS Tour below.

Dylan Fetcho and Parker Eatmon set the front row. 125 laps of late model racing are up next…

LMSC
Main Event

Green flag, Eatmon is clear via the outside lane.

81 to go, Eatmon works heavy lap traffic. He leads Fetcho by three car lengths.

76 to go, Fetcho is all over the bumper of Eatmon. They continue to slice through lap traffic in tandem.

68 to go, Eatmon rubs doors with lap traffic. Fetcho looks to the outside! He boxed in, Eatmon holds the lead.

67 to go, Fetch dives inside of Eatmon. They rub fenders but Eatmon holds the lead.

65 to go, the race break caution is out.

Green, Eatmon holds off Fetcho exiting turn two. Caden Kvapil works the outside lane and he takes 2nd away.

56 to go, Dale Eanrhardt Jr has climbed to 16th. He’s making a run since the halfway break.

30 to go, Eatmon has opened the gap on Kvapil and Fetcho.

9 to go, Landon Huffman spins off turn four, caution.

Green, Kvapil drives it deep to the bottom! He slides Eatmon for the lead and Kvapil is clear off turn two.

Caden Kvapil wins at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway!

Nashville Fairgrounds
Race Results
April 11, 2026

The following includes multiple divisions:

LMSC
Main Event

1. Caden Kvapil

2. Parker Eatmon

3. Dylan Fetcho

4. Conner Jones

5. Landen Lewis

6. Treyten Lapcevich

7. Carson Brown

8. London McKenzie

9. Chase Burrow

10. Chad McCumbee

11. Landon Pembelton

12. Dale Earnhardt Jr

13. Sam Butler

14. Carson Loftin

15. Mason Diaz

16. Brandon Lopez

17. Landon Huffman

18. Doug Barnes Jr

19. Donovan Strauss

20. Matt Craig

21. Jake Bollman

22. Mason Bailey

23. Aiden King

24. Jared Fryer

25. Brandon Pierce

26. Ronnie Bassett Jr

27. Riley Gentry

28. Kade Brown

29. Landon S Huffman

30. Thomas Beane

31. Jace Hale

Pro Late Model
Main Event

1. Dawson Sutton

2. Kaden Honeycutt

3. Brandon Lopez

4. Brett Robinson

5. Jackson Boone

6. Brody Monahan

7. Evan McKnight

8. Ben Maier

9. Cody Dempster

10. Conner Jones

11. Treyten Lapcevich

12. Chase Burgeson

13. Corey Deuser

14. James Seeright

15. Aiden Potter

16. Case James

17. Rodney Dowless Jr

18. Hunter Wright

19. Carson Ware

20. Conner Popplewell

21. Dylan Garner

22. London McKenzie

23. Trey Craig

24. Taylor Hull

25. Anthony Bello

26. Colton Hale

27. Taylor Corum

28. Tony Cosentino

29. Ben Mack

30. Davey Coble

31. Cole Williams

32. Mason Walters

33. Zach Johnson

34. John Bradley

35. Daniel Bolden

36. Landon Huffman

Nashville Fairgrounds
Video Highlights Links

Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway | CARS Tour

Context:

Caden Kvapil won at Nashville Fairgrounds after a late-race pass on leader Parker Eatmon with 9 laps remaining.

Context:

Dale Earnhardt Jr's return to short track racing draws major attention to the growing CARS Tour late model series.

Context:

Nashville Fairgrounds is one of America's oldest speedways, hosting races since 1904 at the historic venue.

View full Bristol race results for the NASCAR Cup Series below.

Bristol Menu
Truck: Prac/Qual | Race
O’Reilly: Prac/Qual | Race
Cup: Prac/Qual | Race

Bristol TV Schedule

Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick set the front row. 500 laps of stock car racing are up next…

Bristol
Stage 1 – Report

Laps: 125 (1-125 / 500)

Green flag, Blaney gets the jump and he’s clear before the flagstand. Ross Chastain rolls the top into turn one and he takes 2nd away.

Lap 44, Blaney gets loose as he works through lap traffic. Kyle Larson drives under him and takes the lead away.

Lap 62, Brad Keselowski spins with help from Ricky Stenhouse Jr, caution.

Larson leads most of the field to the pit lane. Chase Elliott and Josh Berry stay out as Larson restarts 3rd with fresh tires.

Green, Larson makes it three wide for the lead into turn one! Larson clears them both off turn two and returns to the lead in a hurry.

Kyle Larson wins stage one at Bristol Motor Speedway!

Bristol Race Results (Stage 1) : 1. Kyle Larson; 2 Christopher Bell; 3. Ryan Blaney; 4. Chase Briscoe; 5. Josh Berry; 6. Denny Hamlin; 7. Carson Hocevar; 8. Riley Herbst; 9. Bubba Wallace; 10. Austin Cindric

Bristol
Stage 2 – Report

Laps: 125 (126-250 / 500)

Pit Penalty: Christopher Bell has been penalized for speeding on the pit lane. He’ll drop to the rear.

Green flag on stage two, Larson clears Hamlin into turn one and he holds the race lead.

Lap 144, Christopher Bell tags the wall after getting loose off turn four. He spins with a broken suspension! The caution is out. Bell is now three laps down after the crew made repairs.

Lap 160, Shane van Gisbergen spins. He collects John Hunter Nemchek, Alex Bowman and Todd Gilliland. The caution is back out. Heavy damage for Bowman.

Lap 200, after a terrible pit stop, Blaney has fought his way back to 2nd. Larson leads by 1 second.

Lap 228, Blaney is all over the bumper of Larson in the battle for the lead. Larson appears to be struggling with handling as he works heavy lap traffic.

Kyle Larson hangs on and wins stage two at Bristol Motor Speedway!

Bristol Race Results (Stage 2) : 1. Kyle Larson; 2. Ryan Blaney; 3. Denny Hamlin; 4. Carson Hocevar; 5. Chase Briscoe; 6. Josh Berry; 7. Ty Gibbs; 8. Joey Logano; 9. Bubba Wallace; 10. Austin Cindric

Credit: BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – APRIL 12: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 12, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Bristol
Stage 3 – Report

Laps: 250 (251-500 / 500)

Larson leads the field to the pit lane and the pit exit. Slow stop for Ryan Blaney as he’s off pit row in 7th.

Green flag on stage three, Larson leads Hamlin off turn two.

Lap 289, after another terrible pit stop, Blaney clears Hamlin for 2nd. Larson leads by 1.5 seconds.

Lap 312, Riley Herbst spins Kyle Busch off turn four. Erik Jones and Christopher Bell are collected and the caution is out.

Lap 338, Blaney leans on the bumper of Larson in the battle at the front. He shoves him off the bottom lane. Blaney takes the lead away!

Lap 382, Connor Zilisch spins, caution.

75 to go, Blaney leads Larson by 2.5 seconds.

57 to go, Ty Gibbs rolls the outside lane. He works to the right rear of Larson and takes 2nd away.

30 to go

30 to go, Blaney leads Gibbs by 0.8 seconds.

24 to go, Chase Elliott spins and the caution is out.

Blaney and Larson head to the pit lane. Larson wins the race to the pit exit. 8 of the 13 lead lap cars have pitted. Ty Gibbs stays out and takes over the race lead. Larson restarts 6th with two fresh tires. Blaney restarts 7th with four fresh tires.

Green, Gibbs is clear into turn one. Reddick makes it three wide and he takes 2nd away. Larson shoves Hocevar and he takes 3rd away.

13 to go, Reddick looks inside of Gibbs for the lead. Larson is closing on both of them.

11 to go, Larson clears Reddick for 2nd. Blaney is right there with him.

8 to go, Blaney dives inside of Larson, side-by-side for 2nd. Blaney clears him.

6 to go, Blaney works inside of Gibbs. Side-by-side for the lead. Gibbs holds him off.

5 to go, Larson shoves Blaney and they both lose ground to Gibbs.

4 to go, Riley Herbst is in the fence with help from Kyle Busch, caution.

Green in NASCAR Overtime, Gibbs clears Blaney off turn two. Blaney drives it deep to the bottom in turn three, he’s even.

1 to go, Gibbs rolls the top as Blaney runs the bottom. They make contact off turn four.

Ty Gibbs wins at Bristol Motor Speedway!

Credit: BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – APRIL 12: Ty Gibbs, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 12, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Bristol Motor Speedway
Race Results
April 12, 2026
NASCAR Cup Series

Pos | Driver

1. Ty Gibbs

2. Ryan Blaney

3. Kyle Larson

4. Tyler Reddick

5. Chase Briscoe

6. Todd Gilliland

7. Joey Logano

8. Ryan Preece

9. Denny Hamlin

10. Carson Hocevar

11. Bubba Wallace

12. Daniel Suarez

13. Chris Buescher

14. Brad Keselowski

15. AJ Allmendinger

16. Austin Cindric

17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr

18. Austin Dillon

19. Zane Smith

20. Ross Chastain

21. Riley Herbst

22. Chase Elliott

23. Erik Jones

24. Michael McDowell

25. Kyle Busch

26. Noah Gragson

27. Christopher Bell

28. Cole Custer

29. Ty Dillon

30. William Byron

31. Cody Ware

32. Josh Berry

33. Connor Zilisch

34. Shane van Gisbergen

35. John Hunter Nemechek

36. Chad Finchim

37. Alex Bowman

Credit: BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – APRIL 12: Ty Gibbs, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 12, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)NASCAR Cup Series
Point Standings

Pos | Driver | Points

1. Tyler Reddick
386

2. Ryan Blaney
-62

3. Denny Hamlin
-86

4. Ty Gibbs
-105

5. Chase Elliott
-122

6. Kyle Larson
-126

7. William Byron
-141

8. Bubba Wallace
-150

9. Christopher Bell
-155

10. Chris Buescher
-156

11. Brad Keselowski
-157

12. Joey Logano
-168

13. Carson Hocevar
-177

14. Ryan Preece
-177

15. Daniel Suarez
-194

16. Shane van Gisbergen
-209

— Playoff Cutline —

17. Chase Briscoe
-210

18. Austin Cindric
-214

19. Michael McDowell
-215

20. AJ Allmendinger
-230

21. Ross Chastain
-233

22. Zane Smith
-242

23. Erik Jones
-253

24. Kyle Busch
-255

25. Josh Berry
-258

26. Todd Gilliland
-259

27. Austin Dillon
-262

28. John Hunter Nemechek
-275

29. Riley Herbst
-277

30. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
-279

31. Noah Gragson
-282

32. Ty Dillon
-291

33. Connor Zilisch
-302

34. Cole Custer
-310

35. Cody Ware
-322

36. Alex Bowman
-362

Bristol Motor Speedway
Video Highlights Links

Bristol Motor Speedway | NASCAR

Context:

Kyle Larson dominated early stages but Ryan Blaney's late-race charge secured victory at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Context:

This win could be crucial for playoff positioning as the NASCAR Cup Series season reaches its midpoint.

Context:

Bristol's concrete surface and steep banking make it one of NASCAR's most challenging and unpredictable short tracks.

View NASCAR points after Bristol below.

Next week, NASCAR is rolling into Kansas Speedway. The green flag is scheduled for Sunday, April 19th.

Bristol Race Results: April 12, 2026 (NASCAR Cup Series)

Updated NASCAR Points

After: Bristol

Pos | Driver

1. Tyler Reddick
386

2. Ryan Blaney
-62

3. Denny Hamlin
-86

4. Ty Gibbs
-105

5. Chase Elliott
-122

6. Kyle Larson
-126

7. William Byron
-141

8. Bubba Wallace
-150

9. Christopher Bell
-155

10. Chris Buescher
-156

11. Brad Keselowski
-157

12. Joey Logano
-168

13. Carson Hocevar
-177

14. Ryan Preece
-177

15. Daniel Suarez
-194

16. Shane van Gisbergen
-209

— Playoff Cutline —

17. Chase Briscoe
-210

18. Austin Cindric
-214

19. Michael McDowell
-215

20. AJ Allmendinger
-230

21. Ross Chastain
-233

22. Zane Smith
-242

23. Erik Jones
-253

24. Kyle Busch
-255

25. Josh Berry
-258

26. Todd Gilliland
-259

27. Austin Dillon
-262

28. John Hunter Nemechek
-275

29. Riley Herbst
-277

30. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
-279

31. Noah Gragson
-282

32. Ty Dillon
-291

33. Connor Zilisch
-302

34. Cole Custer
-310

35. Cody Ware
-322

36. Alex Bowman
-362

Links

Bristol Motor Speedway | NASCAR

Context:

Ty Gibbs earned his first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Bristol, holding off Blaney and Larson on old tires.

Context:

This breakthrough win moves Gibbs to 4th in points and secures his playoff position early in the season.

Context:

Tyler Reddick maintains his points lead by 62 over Ryan Blaney heading into next week's Kansas race.

NASCAR driver Kyle Busch dumped Riley Herbst with just 4 laps to go after an incident earlier in the race

On Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series raced on the half-mile of Bristol Motor Speedway. The short track is known for short tempers.

On lap 312 of 500, Riley Herbst leaned on the back bumper of Kyle Busch. He shoved him out of the way and Busch went spinning.

Erik Jones and Christopher Bell were also collected in that incident. All drivers were able to continue.

Fast forward, Busch didn’t forget and he evened the score before the checkered flag. With just 4 laps to go in the race, Busch pushed on the back bumper of Herbst.

As Herbst got sideways, Busch didn’t lift. Herbst was sent spinning into turn one. He looped around, climbed the banking and backed it into the fence.

Watch the video of the incidents below.

Bristol Race Results: April 12, 2026 (NASCAR Cup Series)

Kyle Busch vs Riley Herbst (Video)

More contact for Riley Herbst and Kyle Busch  https://t.co/z9k7BRMKOW pic.twitter.com/CJogjHIhL2

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 12, 2026

Links

Kyle Busch | Riley Herbst | Bristol Motor Speedway | NASCAR

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Context:

Busch waited over 180 laps to retaliate against Herbst for an earlier racing incident at Bristol.

Context:

Short track racing intensifies rivalries as drivers have limited space to avoid contact and settle scores.

Context:

Bristol's concrete surface and steep banking make crashes more dramatic when drivers lose control.

The wry smile etched across Sami Pajari’s face demonstrated his mental dilemma.

“I feel very happy for Taka and Aaron,” he told DirtFish. “I was much more gutted yesterday when the lead was taken away. I basically, that moment, in a way, knew that the win is gone.

“I mean, it ended up being really dramatic until the last moment, but still, we basically recovered well from what happened yesterday, so still need to be happy about it.”

The dilemma was an agreement he and eventual Croatia Rally winner Takamoto Katsuta struck on Saturday night.

Both drivers suffered punctures on the second pass of the brand-new Generalski Stol – Zdihovo test, leaving them each over a minute behind Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville.

Katsuta and Pajari finished first and second, but thought they were on for second and third

With Pajari losing a lead he’d fought well to protect, and Katsuta needing to finish at all costs after accidents for the two other manufacturer-nominated Toyotas on Friday, the pair realized they had a common interest.

Let’s not fight each other on Sunday.

“There was a big gap between me and Thierry and also Sami, so we just agreed a quite separate, clear plan that I bring car back to the finish,” Katsuta explained. “And if it is possible, I try maybe a few points for the powerstage. Not full points for sure, but that’s our target.

“Then Oliver and Elfyn are going for it, for the points. And yeah, that was very clear, separate target. So it went well. And Elfyn and Oliver were as fast as expected. So it was very good weekend for the team.”

Pajari started the final leg 31.9s adrift of Katsuta but ended it 20.7s behind. Had he pushed hard, he could have ended up winning a rally he was convinced had been taking away from him.

“Of course I should be happy, I should be satisfied with the final results, to be P2,” the Finn mused. “I was joking about it that I have already enough of those third positions, so it would be nice to get something more at some point! So that’s what happened.

“So I still should be really happy for what we did this week. When coming here I was for sure not expecting to have such a strong performance and we ended up leading the rally on Friday overnight and for a good distance also on Saturday until it was taken away.

“So it still leaves some hunger for more. But of course the last two rallies has been really positive for us, so I’m happy for that.”

Words:Luke Barry

When team-mate Adrien Fourmaux clattered a telegraph pole and booked himself a spot at a friendly local’s lunch table instead of into the afternoon’s stages, Hayden Paddon became Hyundai’s insurance policy.

Little did anybody know how badly he’d be needed.

Finishing the Croatia Rally powerstage in what he thought was fourth place, Paddon was suddenly promoted to a podium place when Thierry Neuville went off and was forced to retire from a comfortable lead.

“It’s bittersweet to be fair,” Paddon told DirtFish. “Obviously unexpected but the first thing is I’m gutted for the team and for Thierry. I’m here for the team this year, not for myself, and victory is what the team deserves. It’s hard to be happy I guess.”

But the flipside was Paddon never expected to be on the WRC podium again in his career, having last stood on the rostrum at Rally Australia 2018.

“Very unexpected to be on the podium and it’s been quite some journey over the last 10-20 years,” Paddon added. “To even get back in the Rally1 car this year and now, I’d never thought I’d be standing back on a WRC podium again, so it’s a bit of a pinch yourself moment.”

Paddon drove with "110% brain" and netted his first podium in eight years

Hyundai sporting director Andrew Wheatley was no doubt grateful for Paddon’s dependability after Neuville’s mishap, and praised the Kiwi’s “110% brain”.

Wheatley told DirtFish: “He’s just jumped into the car with a minimal amount of testing, 110% brain and done exactly what was required and I am delighted that he will be getting a podium to take back to New Zealand.”

So what next? Will Paddon get a shot at a gravel event where he can really show what he’s made of in terms of speed?

“He’s put himself in a very strong place,” admitted Wheatley. “I think we have a plan for the year, but the plan for the year was always that there was some flexibility depending on how the drivers reacted.

“But I think so far this year, both EP [Lappi] and Hayden have done a fantastic job. You know, they’ve done absolutely what we asked. We know that coming to a rally like this and putting yourself in place to win is tough. It’s really tough, especially with five Toyotas. But, let’s see.”

Paddon made no secret of his desire to drive the i20 N Rally1 on the loose.

“I’d love to have a gravel round because then I could feel comfortable and enjoy it,” he said, “but I’ll take any rally weekend and do the best I can for the team.

“Step by step. I’m a very realistic person, also very competitive, so I know there’s still pace to find, but we’re within half a second per kilometer on most of the stages where you can be comparable this weekend, which is what the personal target was,” he added, reflecting on his Croatia Rally.

“I know I’ve got to use my head a little bit more these days and play the smart game, which is what we had to do this weekend of playing a long game and staying out of trouble.”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Andrew Wheatley, Croatia Rally, Croatia Rally 2026, Hayden Paddon, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 14, 2026 DirtFish

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The progress is impossible to ignore. For this Irish driver’s first full season in this category, they’re making waves.

For Jon Armstrong, see Aoife Raftery.

Armstrong may be a further couple of rungs up the ladder for now, but Raftery has made as big an impression in Rally3 as her compatriot has in Rally1.

Last weekend, as preparation for this week’s Olympus Rally presented by DirtFish, Raftery placed a standout seventh overall in the British Rally Championship, and first non-Rally2 car, at the Wales’ Severn Valley Stages.

Even while driving his own rally in Croatia, that performance didn’t go unnoticed by Armstrong.

Raftery won her class at Severn Valley Stages, ideal preparation for her biggest rally yet this week

“I’ve known Aoife and her pace for a while,” the M-Sport pilot said of the DirtFish Women in Motorsport Driver.

“I’ve been able to work with her on a test before so I know she’s a very capable driver and she’s doing some fantastic things now, having moved up to the Rally3 category.

“It’s really cool to see her also rallying in the American championship because that’s so unique and I think it’s a great place to develop her skills.

“We’ll just keep an eye on her and just wish her good luck. Hopefully she can keep improving but keep enjoying it as well.”

Raftery will be joined by Hannah McKillop as she pushes for a big result this weekend in an Element Rallysport Ford Fiesta Rally3.

Raftery was runner-up in Limited 4WD behind outright rally winner Travis Pastrana at the most recent ARA National round, 100 Acre Wood

“Olympus Rally is the next round of the ARA and is the biggest event of the ARA season and also the biggest event that I’ve ever competed in with it being over 330 stage kilometers. I’ve never got the chance to do a rally as big as that, it’s like a proper WRC event in terms of stage kilometers and of course the stages over there are incredible too,” she smiled.

“With the DirtFish Women in Motorsport Driver Program we’re really beginning to show strong presence on the American stages, and I’m very proud to be part of that momentum.

“Our goal is to keep developing this Program and take it all the way to the top.”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Aoife Raftery, DirtFish Women in Motorsport, DirtFish Women in Motorsport Driver, Olympus Rally 2026

Publish Date April 14, 2026 DirtFish

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The competitive order under the new regulations is much less of a 'black box' now, with many of the burning pre-2026 questions answered - questions like whether Mercedes would again nail an engine regulations change (yes), whether Red Bull-Ford will struggle as a nascent power unit manufacturer (no) and whether Aston Martin-Honda would finally emerge as a true contender (oof).

But how will this influence the driver market? The Race F1 Podcast's panel of Edd Straw, Jon Noble and Scott Mitchell-Malm gathered in a special episode to outline and debate the scenarios doing the rounds in the paddock - and try their hand at mocking up a 2027 grid.

Red Bull

Red Bull is expected to be the biggest newsmaker when it comes to the possibility of changes at the front of the field.

Its talisman driver, four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen, is known to be seriously contemplating a break from F1, disillusioned with the current technical regulations.

Verstappen has a clause in his Red Bull contract that would enable him to go free at the end of the season, though a scenario in which he renegotiates with Red Bull to remain a representative of the brand while taking time away from racing feels a lot more logical.

"He's the lynchpin," says Jon of Verstappen's role in the driver market. "I was speaking to someone in the paddock in Shanghai, they reckoned that the explosion point would be what Max Verstappen does. That everything would be calm until Max makes a decision.

"I think I will commit to Max not being in F1 next year."

There is "a real chance" of that, Scott concurs, though Edd "would err" on the side of Verstappen remaining on the grid in 2027.

Given his relatively assured start to the season, Isack Hadjar is strong favourite to keep his seat regardless of what happens with Verstappen - so the biggest intrigue is, if Verstappen does step aside, how Red Bull would navigate the situation?

This would depend on whether it believes Verstappen would come back. If not, it would surely try for a big-name replacement - but if Red Bull can count on Verstappen for 2028 and beyond, an in-house option like Arvid Lindblad to hold the fort in the meantime feels like the path of least resistance.

Projected line-up: Isack Hadjar - Arvid Lindblad

Mercedes

Like the year before, Toto Wolff's long-standing interest in Verstappen is the only real x-factor that could sway Mercedes from the path of straightforward continuity.

But Verstappen's genuine brand loyalty to Red Bull, and the nature of his current grievances having more to do with F1 regs than Red Bull's disappointing 2027 chassis, are two big marks against such a scenario.

"I still think that if Verstappen steps away, it's with a kind of Red Bull return in mind," Scott reckons. And Jon concurs, admitting he "can't see a scenario where Max ends up at Mercedes next year".

A 2027 with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in the cars thus seems almost certain - though complications could still arise depending on how peacefully a 2026 title fight they currently look like monopolising plays out.

Projected line-up: George Russell - Kimi Antonelli

Ferrari

Predicting a Lewis Hamilton-for-Ollie Bearman swap at Ferrari in 2027 was the simplest thing at the end of last year, given the misery of Hamilton's late-season, but the seven-time champion looks "reset" and more competitive in these early days of the new regulations.

And while Scott is among those "not convinced" that Charles Leclerc will be a Ferrari 'lifer', he sees no alternative destinations that would be a clear upgrade or even a sideways move as early as 2027.

Projected line-up: Charles Leclerc - Lewis Hamilton

McLaren

The intra-McLaren title fight of 2025 wasn't always the smoothest (though also never anywhere near as messy as it could've been), and rumours do surface monthly that Oscar Piastri and his camp aren't necessarily the happiest with their standing - though Piastri himself has never done anything to give this public credence.

If Red Bull has to plan long-term for a post-Verstappen project, then Piastri "can be a great Red Bull target" says Scott, recalling that he had already been on the organisation's radar in the past, albeit under different leadership.

But in any case, 2027 might just be too early. Jon is among those who "can't see any change happening at McLaren" next year.

Projected line-up: Lando Norris - Oscar Piastri

Aston Martin

Aston Martin could've found itself at the centre of a real silly season frenzy if it had had a start to 2026 befitting of a Honda works partner taking an Adrian Newey-designed chassis into battle.

But this, very famously, has not happened.

"If Aston Martin had started super strong, I think the chances of Fernando [Alonso] holding on to his seat would be slim - because I think there would be a charge from a lot of others to get into that seat," reckons Jon.

As it stands though, given the size of its current deficit, Aston Martin just isn't "a super attractive option", and so the only real intrigue is whether Alonso (and team-mate Lance Stroll) will feel the motivation to continue into 2027. And right now there are no definitive signs to the contrary.

Projected line-up: Fernando Alonso - Lance Stroll

Alpine

Pierre Gasly is under contract for 2027 and has been delivering at a level corresponding to that of lead driver status - so there's little to interrogate here.

But Franco Colapinto's situation "has to be" a real question mark, with qualifying the biggest issue. Alpine feeling compelled to issue a statement debunking claims of "sabotage" recently is another less-than-promising side.

Colapinto has time - but maybe not as much time as he would in other places, with team chief Flavio Briatore having already shown he remains "absolutely brutal" in dealing with drivers.

Alpine has in-house alternative options in Paul Aron and Alex Dunne, but is likely to be enticed by more F1-proven options.

"I think one of those Williams drivers is prime for potentially moving on," says Jon of Alpine 2027 candidates, and there's a feeling Alex Albon is a likelier fit than Carlos Sainz.

Projected line-up: Pierre Gasly - Alex Albon

Williams

Both Williams drivers have been clearly unsettled by how difficult a start Williams has had to the new regulations.

Assuming one of the two drivers does end up going elsewhere, Jon sees reserve Luke Browning - currently in Japanese Super Formula and already possessing the requisite superlicence points and a bit of F1 practice experience - as a "logical step".

But 2027 might be too early for Browning, and Scott believes that there'll be interest - helped by team boss James Vowles being a familiar face to him from his Mercedes days - in Esteban Ocon.

Line-up: Carlos Sainz - Esteban Ocon

Haas

Edd believes there is "some kind of contract mechanism" that would ensure Bearman's Haas stay into 2027, assuming a Ferrari call-up isn't triggered. And this should suit the driver and the team well enough.

"Haas love him, Ferrari want to keep him close to them," says Jon of Bearman, while Scott reckons: "If Ayao Komatsu has his way, Bearman's never leaving that team."

But Ocon is a question mark after a shaky 2026, and Scott believes he'll be moving on - and that while reserve driver Jack Doohan will be considered, there is a likelier option on the market.

"I'm going to stick my neck out and say [Ocon will be replaced by] Yuki Tsunoda. 

"Komatsu was very interested in Tsunoda 12 months ago - it couldn't continue because Red Bull and Helmut Marko closed that door to keep maximum flexibility [for themselves]."

Tsunoda is a long-time Honda protege, but would make a lot of sense from a marketing/synergetic perspective for Haas's title partner Toyota to push for, given he is a much more viable F1 option than the Japanese drivers it had been arranging F1 tests for with Haas.

Projected line-up: Ollie Bearman - Yuki Tsunoda

Racing Bulls

As always, the second Red Bull team's line-up is inexorably linked with the first team.

But assuming there is a vacancy, you'd have to favour drivers already on the books at Red Bull, just in terms of past precedent - even if we don't yet know how substantially the current management's vision for the Bulls line-up differs from the Christian Horner/Helmut Marko days.

If Lindblad moves up, logic dictates Liam Lawson would stay put and be joined by a rookie if that rookie showed signs of F1-worthiness. Red Bull protege Nikola Tsolov is currently doing just that in Formula 2, though it's far too early to take any conclusions from that campaign.

Projected line-up: Liam Lawson - Nikola Tsolov

Audi

Despite even more leadership upheaval (the departure of Jonathan Wheatley), Audi must be a more attractive option than 12 months ago - given it's delivered a genuinely impressive chassis and an unspectacular-but-adequate first-try engine.

But it might just be too early for Audi to target a real driver market splash. Scott posits a "fresh move" for Sainz - who it had courted before - could be worthwhile, especially as Nico Hulkenberg will turn 39 later this season, but ultimately continuing with Hulkenberg is "unproblematic".

And Gabriel Bortoleto has lived up to the billing to the other car.

While Audi does have a genuine star prospect on the books in Freddie Slater, he is still a way away from F1 readiness.

Projected line-up: Nico Hulkenberg - Gabriel Bortoleto

Cadillac

Both Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas joined the project on multi-year deals, and it is way too early in Cadillac's F1 lifespan for it to aggressively try to maximise driver value on the market.

There will be pressure to make the Colton Herta move happen sooner than later if the past IndyCar frontrunner does the job in Formula 2 - but for now Bottas/Perez fits the bill.

Projected line-up: Valtteri Bottas - Sergio Perez

Our 2027 F1 grid prediction

Mercedes: Kimi Antonelli/George Russell
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc/Lewis Hamilton
McLaren: Lando Norris/Oscar Piastri
Haas: Ollie Bearman/Yuki Tsunoda
Alpine: Pierre Gasly/Alex Albon
Red Bull: Isack Hadjar/Arvid Lindblad
Racing Bulls: Liam Lawson/Nikola Tsolov
Audi: Gabriel Bortoleto/Nico Hulkenberg
Williams: Carlos Sainz/Esteban Ocon
Cadillac: Valtteri Bottas/Sergio Perez
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso/Lance Stroll

Those manufacturers had found a clever way to bypass mandated power reduction demands that need to be followed as cars burn through their battery energy on the straights.

Rather than running in a 'ramp down' rate on the charge to the timing line at the end of a qualifying lap - where power normally needs to be reduced by 50kW every second to avoid a sudden drop off - they were able to run at maximum deployment for as long as they could.

This could easily give them a 50kW-100kW advantage for a short period of time over others whose power was being reduced.

While such a gain may only have been worth a fraction of a second, in the hundredths rather than tenths at some tracks, it was still clearly worth chasing in the fight for grid positions.

But the FIA has now clamped down on that practice.

Avoiding ramp down

The Mercedes- and Red Bull-powered teams were able to employ this maximum deployment trick because there is scope in the F1 regulations to not be required to follow the ramp down requirement if the MGU-K is shut for technical reasons, such as in an emergency.

This software mode to disable the MGU-K had been put in the rules to avoid the risk of power unit components being damaged if trouble is detected by a team.

The difficulty then came in defining what is a legitimate reason to shut the engine down and what was being done for competitive advantage.

So when it became clear that this MGU-K shutdown route did open the door for teams to get around the ramp down rates by activating it, separate measures were put in to discourage teams from doing it.

The main one was a demand (officially known as a "continuous offset" mode) that, if the MGU-K is shut down by a driver, then it will be locked out from use for 60 seconds in total after that.

This deterrent ensured there would be no benefit to using this offset trick during a race or most of a qualifying lap - as the losses from not having the extra 350kW of power from the MGU-K for a whole minute would be too great.

But Mercedes and Red Bull realised that, because drivers do not need the MGU-K for a slow down lap after a qualifying effort, using the trick could bring gains in that final run to the timing line without any theoretical downside because speed was not important as the cars returned to the pits.

Big complications

Rivals first spotted Mercedes and Red Bull doing this in Australia but the matter came to a head at the Japanese Grand Prix at the end of March when some unintended consequences of the trick were blown into the open.

Drivers from both manufacturers found that, with the MGU-K unavailable following a qualifying (or qualifying simulation) effort, there were big risks of their cars grinding to a halt.

During practice in Japan, Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull's Max Verstappen both had moments where they were left limping through the Suzuka Esses because of a lack of power.

And Williams's Alex Albon was forced to stop on track in practice entirely because of complications caused by the issue.

There had been similar problems at the 2026 season opener in Melbourne when drivers slowed after practice lap simulations, but it had not been clear to everyone at the time that this was linked to the trick.

It is understood the trick was not used in China because the distance from the final corner to the line was so short.

As The Race revealed after the Japanese GP, the FIA had conversations with the manufacturers in Suzuka to make clear that, while the MGU-K trick was within the rules, teams needed to ensure there were not complications that left cars struggling to continue laps if it was used.

In qualifying especially this could have proved dangerous and left drivers in compromised positions if they suddenly found themselves hobbling around while others were on quick laps.

Ferrari's FIA talks

Rivals manufacturers who had first spotted the trick being used in Australia had been evaluating if they needed to follow suit and adopt it.

Ferrari duly opened dialogue with the FIA for clarification over the issue because, while accepting it was legal, it had reservations about the tactic being green lit because of the clear safety risks that came from employing it.

In Japan, after the problem that Antonelli faced in practice and its conversations with the FIA, Mercedes chose to turn its system off.

This was partly motivated also by the fact that the short run from the final chicane to the timing line at Suzuka meant the gains there were not as significant as they would be at other tracks where the distance is greater, so it was not worth the extra risks.

Sources have revealed that the FIA has now taken further action over what Mercedes and Red Bull were doing and, in response to concerns expressed by others, has effectively outlawed the trick.

In updated technical documents that have been sent to teams, the FIA has made clear that while the ability to shut down the MGU-K will remain open to teams, it will not tolerate this being used for anything other than legitimate problems.

It is understood that the FIA has made clear that the "continuous offset" function in the software should be used only for its original purpose - which was emergency situations - and not as a systematic means of increasing performance.

The lockout period will remain in force to serve as a deterrent for the shutdown trick not to be used during most track running.

And the FIA should easily be able to look at data from the end of qualifying laps to see if any team that does shut down its MGU-K has experienced a genuine emergency.

In fact, on the day of the takeover, continuing under the Williams brand and retaining its famous FW chassis moniker (in honour of founder Frank Williams) were singled out as two things that would never change.

The chassis tradition has continued to today, with this year's design raced by Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz being the FW48.

But as part of its celebrations next year for the 50th anniversary of Williams Grand Prix Engineering's debut race - which was the 1977 Spanish Grand Prix when the team ran a March chassis for Patrick Neve (pictured below, courtesy of Paul-Henri Cahier/F1-Photo) - it is understood Williams is going to skip the FW49 name and will instead jump to the FW50 for its next car.

The slight break of tradition in jumping a number for symmetry reasons is not the first time that Williams has done this.

Back in 2017, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the team, Williams elected to skip the FW39 and instead jumped straight to the FW40.

That move should have put it in perfect sync to not need to miss a chassis number again, but the impact of the COVID pandemic put paid to that.

For 2021, as part of the cost-cutting measures agreed with F1, teams were allowed to roll over their chassis – and that meant Williams entered that season with its updated FW43B rather than immediately moving to the FW44.

There have been many occasions throughout Williams's history that it has raced chassis into the following campaigns – with it famously dominating the 1992 championship with the FW14B (pictured above, courtesy of Paul-Henri Cahier/F1-Photo) that was a development of the car that had fought for the title the previous year.

The very first car that was produced by Williams Grand Prix Engineering under the technical leadership of Patrick Head was the FW06, which was raced in 1978 by Alan Jones (picture below courtesy of Paul-Henri Cahier/F1-Photo).

Those confines have come mostly via the team joining the grid mid-way through the Gen3 rules set - which it knew was far from ideal. But the goals that were set were pragmatic ones.

Lucas di Grassi’s second place at Homestead a year ago outstripped even the wildest of dream result predictions, both internally and externally for the rejuvenated Lola concern.

Maloney, meanwhile, ended his first season point-less. It was harsh considering several strong runs were compromised by an inevitable cocktail of technical and strategic slip-ups. He also took time to grasp the sometimes perplexing and muscular style of Formula E racing - but by the beginning of the present season he was fully attuned.

His first point came in Sao Paulo last December, with a strong run to 10th. Thus far, it's his only point. Yet the evidence is firmly indicating there is more to come.

The Barbadian would likely have scored points in Jeddah had his strong 10th-place start not have been wiped out by an errant Pepe Marti, and at Jarama last month another top-10 start was blown apart early by, of all things, a penalty for going over the allowance of energy from pit to dummy grid, something which Maloney was completely not at fault for.

Beyond those frustrations Maloney has looked a much more potent force this season. In both Jeddah and Jarama qualifying he missed out on getting into the duels by just 0.081s and 0.343s.

After just losing out 9-7 to team-mate di Grassi in the head-to-head last season, Maloney is level with the veteran Brazilian. But it’s the context of Maloney’s maturing into a Formula E driver who now better understands the quirky and highly technical discipline that has impressed senior members of the Lola Yamaha Abt team.

Maloney himself appraises it all by telling The Race that "on one-lap pace, last year we struggled a little bit, whereas this year we've made a big step forward".

"Also, I feel like I'm maximising the car more often than I was last year. So that along with how well the team is operating - and the progress we’ve all made is really strong. I really believe in this team and enjoy working with and for them.

“I also really feel like every time I go on the track in the car now I'm getting the most out of it and the team are also improving in every aspect. But of course, then we have the small reliability stuff and a bit less efficiency in the races; it means that you don't really see it on the timing sheet at the end of the race, unless you're really looking for it.”

Maloney is right. The Lola overall is the least efficient car on the grid - which means it's often hamstrung if the races run cleanly, which Sao Paulo apart they generally have done this season.

Maloney knows that should he outperform team-mate di Grassi, which pace-wise and results-wise he has started to, then that is all he, his team and external observers can really gauge him on and ask of him at present.

Deeper than that though, Maloney confides that he is now "at the stage where I know what I want, and I know what I need to get the most out of the car in terms of the systems".

"I'm more leading the team on what we need to do, rather than being told what someone else thinks. We can go into details now with the systems during a weekend, and we can either get rid of some systems, add some more in the different areas - and I know what I need, and I know the feeling I need to perform now."

But, and it’s a big but, off the track there is a concurrent Gen4 development programme - and some potential instability of Abt ceasing to be part of the team at season's end, with Lola soon to run the technical and operational sides fully.

It remains to be seen what impact that may have on Maloney in the second half of the season. A new deal for Gen4 this summer is sought - and at present the fact he is known to the team and is improving race by race are key assets in his mission to continue in a Gen4 car which he has already tested.

Maloney is fresher than most on the Formula E grid in terms of Formula 2 racing, which many in the paddock expect Gen4 to have certain similarities with. That also could count decisively in Maloney’s favour.

"I was used to a much quicker car," he says.

"And I think the way of driving the Gen4 car will be more towards an F2 car compared to what we have now. So, I think drivers who have recently been in the junior ladder will thrive in that aspect.

"When you're 35-40 years old and you've been through 20 years, you have more experience than someone like me, of course," he adds.

"But that gets negated when it's a new generation completely, because everyone's learning this at the same rate. I always think that I'm good at adapting to new cars, new tracks, new conditions. That's something in my career that I've always stood out in being able to do."

The team was planning to bring its first major upgrade of the season to round four in Bahrain in mid-April, then introduce its next package for round seven in Canada in late-May.

The loss of both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races means that 'Bahrain' package will debut in Miami instead but then the Canada package remains scheduled for introduction just one round later.

"We had a pretty decent upgrade planned for Bahrain which, of course, we will see in Miami," explained team principal Alan Permane.

"We had another upgrade planned for Montreal, so we will have a sort of quick double hit there.

"There's no way to bring them both [to Miami]. The Montreal one we can't bring earlier, so it's a slightly strange situation where we'll bring a quite a decent upgrade and new component, and then almost replace it straight away. That's just the way the calendar has fallen."

The calendar change at least means Racing Bulls will have a more plentiful supply of the parts for its initial upgrade in Miami then would have been the case in Bahrain.

Having the cars back at base through April has allowed Racing Bulls to do "some unplanned work on the chassis", Permane added, though the "actual cycle of upgrades is pretty well planned".

Racing Bulls has scored points in every race so far this season - headlined by Liam Lawson's seventh places in both the sprint and grand prix in China - and is seventh in the constructors' championship, just two points behind senior team Red Bull.

"What I know we've got in the pipeline will lift us certainly a little bit more into that midfield battle, whereas at the moment, we're more to the middle-to-the-back of it," Permane said.

He reckons the car "works well" and "doesn't seem to have any particularly nasty traits about it".

"We just need more load, which is what we're bringing," he added.

The 28-year-old has raced for Ferrari since 2019 and, while there have been plenty of highs, the dream of winning a title with the team he has followed since childhood has not materialised.

While Leclerc has enjoyed a strong start to 2026, finishing on the podium twice in the first three rounds and also taking second in the Shanghai Sprint, he knows he has a tough task on his hands given how much pace Mercedes have shown already this year.

However, Ferrari have a chance to work on their car during April, as do other teams on the grid, to see if they can bridge the gap to their rivals, with McLaren also joining the party at the front during the last race in Japan.

In Leclerc the Scuderia have a driver who is a proven performer both over one lap, and as a racer – and someone who remains as motivated as ever to chase down his dreams.

“Ferrari is family and a team that I've always loved and dreamed of driving for since I was a kid, and this hasn't changed one bit since I joined the team in 2019," Leclerc explained.

Leclerc has two podiums in 2026 from the first three races

"So, the passion is still there. Then of course the will to win, and we want to win eventually, and I want to win.

“It's been so many years obviously working with the team to try and come back to the top. It's been a good step forward this year, we are just not yet where we want to be, and we'll keep pushing towards that direction.”

Ferrari last won the Drivers’ Championship title in 2007 courtesy of Kimi Raikkonen, while the team won the Constructors’ in 2008. Since then, they have watched McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes all win multiple titles.

Leclerc’s best finish in the Drivers’ Championship is second in 2022, a year where he won three Grands Prix for the team. But 2024 remains one of his most memorable seasons, when the Monegasque driver won his home Grand Prix and Ferrari’s home race at Monza.

Leclerc and Hamilton have been involved in some fun battles this year

After partnering Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz, Leclerc now drives alongside Lewis Hamilton – and thus far the duo seem to be operating together well. They have also provided some of the best racing so far this season, especially in China.

But while Leclerc and Hamilton’s battles have been entertaining, they have been for the podium places rather than the win. The SF-26 has one of the best getaways on the grid, which has seen both Leclerc and Hamilton lead at points this season, but they then tend to fall back once Mercedes manage to get in clean air.

If they can find a way to exploit the pace in the car over a full race distance, Ferrari could be a force to be reckoned with this season.

“I hope our time will come soon because yes, it's been a long time since I started and obviously time has passed," Leclerc concluded. "I'm doing my best and I hope our time will come this year or as soon as possible."

Pierre Gasly

After a promising start to his F1 career at the then-named Toro Rosso outfit, Pierre Gasly was promoted to the main Red Bull squad in 2019. However, when he struggled to match the pace of new team mate Max Verstappen in the opening rounds, the squad opted to demote the Frenchman back to Toro Rosso, with Alex Albon stepping in to replace him at Red Bull.

While the move could have dented Gasly’s confidence, the young driver was quick to show what he was capable of by scoring several points finishes during the second half of the campaign. This included a memorable drive to P2 in Brazil to claim his first F1 podium finish.

Gasly continued to be on the ascent in 2020 and, at the Italian Grand Prix, clinched an emotional debut win. In the years after, he shone as a team leader at AlphaTauri before embarking on a new project with Alpine in 2023, where the now 30-year-old is also spearheading their charge.

Max Verstappen

While Red Bull as a team are struggling to make an impression under F1’s new era of regulations, it might be hard to recall a time when Verstappen faced questions about his personal form.

However, the Dutchman would probably prefer to forget the first half of his 2018 season, where a series of errors and collisions across the opening six races led to increased scrutiny over his performance.

Among these incidents was a spin in the season-opener in Australia, a collision with team mate Daniel Ricciardo that put them both out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and a crash into the barriers during third practice in Monaco.

After realising that he needed to make a change, Verstappen returned to form in some style later in the campaign, where he notched up several podium finishes including two race victories in Austria and Mexico. The Red Bull man ended the year fourth in the drivers’ standings and has gone from strength to strength in the time since.

Verstappen dramatically turned around his 2018 season after an error-strewn first half

Jenson Button

Jenson Button caught the eye during his rookie F1 season with Williams in 2000, meaning hopes were high when he joined Benetton for 2001. However, the combination of an uncompetitive car and being outperformed by team mate Giancarlo Fisichella put increased pressure on the Briton, who also faced public criticism from Team Principal Flavio Briatore.

Off the back of a challenging two-year stint with the team, Button signed with British American Racing (BAR) in 2003. Here his fortunes started to improve as he got the better of the team’s other driver, former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve.

Things continued to progress in 2004, a year in which Button looked to have an increased level of confidence. The British driver took his debut podium just two races in at the Malaysian Grand Prix, the first of an impressive 10 rostrums throughout the campaign.

Button ended the season in third place of the Drivers’ Championship, making him the best-placed non-Ferrari candidate. It also proved to be one of the strongest years of his career, bettered only by his fairy tale world title with Brawn GP in 2009 and a second place for McLaren in 2011.

Button claimed the first of his 50 podiums in F1 at the 2004 Malaysian Grand Prix

Valtteri Bottas

The 2018 campaign was not an easy one for Valtteri Bottas. After finishing third in his debut term for Mercedes the year prior – during which he had claimed his first F1 victory – the Finn slipped down to fifth in the season that followed, where he took no wins and had to watch on as team mate Lewis Hamilton stormed to another championship.

So challenging was the season that Bottas later revealed he had considered retiring from the sport at the end of it, having “lost the joy” of racing in F1. But, after taking some time to think about things during the 2019 pre-season, he opted to stay.

His decision quickly proved to be an inspired one. At the first race of the campaign in Australia, Bottas started behind Hamilton on the grid before getting past the Briton into the first corner. From there he surged to a dominant victory, taking the chequered flag by 20 seconds from Hamilton. ‘Bottas 2.0’ had arrived.

The win also gave the Finnish driver an early championship lead and, while he later lost out on the title to Hamilton, it was statistically his best season to date in the sport, with Bottas scoring four wins en route to second place in the standings.

Alex Albon

When he replaced the aforementioned Gasly at Red Bull midway through 2019, Albon made a positive start by scoring points with a P5 result at Spa-Francorchamps. He went on to finish no lower than sixth at every remaining race barring Brazil, where the Thai-British driver had looked to be on course for his first podium before contact with Hamilton dropped him down the field.

However, the pressure started to mount on Albon in 2020 and, after ending the season with less than half the number of points scored by team mate Verstappen, he was replaced at Red Bull for 2021 by Sergio Perez.

The squad opted to retain Albon in the role of test and reserve driver, meaning he spent a year on the sidelines. But, after admitting later on that he had felt mentally “destroyed” by the end of the 2020 campaign, the now 30-year-old used the time out to build himself back up.

This led to his return to the grid with Williams in 2022, where Albon outperformed team mate Nicholas Latifi and established himself as something of a team leader. He continued to impress in 2023 and, while his strong form saw him linked to other teams, the London-born driver signed a multi-year contract extension to remain with Williams for the foreseeable future.

Albon became a driver in demand after impressing upon his return to the grid with Williams in 2022

Damon Hill

Following in the footsteps of his late World Champion father Graham Hill by pursuing a career in motor racing, Damon Hill was perhaps already accustomed to dealing with the pressure that such a scenario can bring when he made his F1 debut in 1992 at the age of 31.

Success came late for Hill, who took his first victory in the sport with Williams in 1993 before losing out to Michael Schumacher in the title fight during the 1994 and 1995 seasons – albeit in controversial circumstances for the former year when the pair collided at the finale in Adelaide.

Despite being Schumacher’s closest rival, Hill faced criticism for not having managed to beat him in what many deemed to be better machinery than Schumacher’s Benetton. But, come 1996, the Briton brushed the pressure off to clinch the World Championship ahead of Williams team mate Jacques Villeneuve, taking eight victories along the way.

Unfortunately, this seemed to happen too late for the team, who dropped Hill for the 1997 campaign. He went on to slip down to 12th during a challenging year with Arrows, before moving to Jordan for 1998. Despite some ups and downs, Hill again showed his ability to bounce back by claiming what would prove to be his last F1 victory in treacherous conditions at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Liam Lawson

Lawson had the F1 world at his feet in 2025 when, after a run of substitute outings with Red Bull’s sister outfit, he achieved his long-standing career goal by stepping up to the senior team alongside Verstappen.

Lawson headed into the season with hopes of fighting for podiums and victories, but his dream promotion almost immediately turned into a nightmare – falling at the Q1 hurdle and crashing out in Australia, before qualifying last and again failing to score in China.

Red Bull took drastic action by sending Lawson back to Racing Bulls for Round 3 in Japan, and moving Yuki Tsunoda the other way, with many in the paddock doubting whether the New Zealander had what it took to reset, rebuild and ultimately recover.

“I needed time, and I wasn’t given it,” Lawson argued in the months after his demotion. He followed that up by talking on the track with several impressive points finishes, including runs to sixth in Austria and fifth on the streets of Azerbaijan.

Enjoying some stability for the first time in his career by remaining at Racing Bulls for 2026, Lawson has kicked on and scored points at two of the first three Grands Prix, as well as in the Shanghai Sprint race – the corner from that difficult experience seemingly being turned.

Lawson has steadily rebuilt his F1 reputation and career with Racing Bulls

A version of this feature first appeared in August 2024

Without any races this month, how have the drivers been spending their extra free time? Take a sneak peek into the life of the drivers off grid...

With three race weekends complete under the brand-new regulations, and no racing on the calendar until May, the drivers have had the rare opportunity to review the opening chapter of the 2026 season – and to prepare themselves for what promises to be a thrilling return in Miami in three weeks' time.

Despite the lack of on-track action, so far April has been anything but quiet for the drivers. From whizzing round local karting tracks, spending precious time at home with their loved ones, bumping into one another at sporting events, or even hopping behind the wheel to compete again – it’s not in the driver's nature to slow down!

Staying ready

Of course, the hard work never stops. Whilst racing has paused, the drivers are still clocking plenty of hours in the gym and the simulator as they concentrate on fine-tuning themselves ahead of May’s return to action in Miami. But for Franco Colapinto, April comes with an extra special item on the agenda.

The Alpine man took to social media to announce a roadshow exhibition – a one-of-a-kind event set to take place on the streets of Buenos Aires. At the end of April, Colapinto will get behind the wheel of a 2012 E20 Formula 1 Car, an old Lotus with an Alpine livery, in his home city, in front of his home crowd – it's set to be something special!

A reunion at the Monte-Carlo Masters

When you live in Monaco, the Monte-Carlo Masters tournament is your home event... and it seems the drivers couldn’t resist a day out at the tennis. Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Alex Albon, Gabriel Bortoleto, Ollie Bearman and Oscar Piastri all made their way to the clay courts – and what started as a few separate days out quickly turned into an impromptu paddock reunion.

Albon, Piastri, Bearman and Bortoleto were spotted sitting together in the stands, and with so many drivers in one place, there was no shortage of photo opportunities with the players and fellow VIPs all keen to get a snap with the F1 contingent.

Friend of F1 Jannik Sinner was in imperious form throughout the week, and on Sunday, the Italian overcame great rival Carlos Alcaraz in the final to claim his first clay-court Masters 1000 title – and with it, his return to the top spot in the ATP rankings. The F1 drivers in the crowd had plenty to admire, and perhaps a few lessons to take back to their own intra-team padel matches! Whether Sinner or Alcaraz provided them with any tips afterwards, we can only imagine...

More sports spectating

The drivers have also been watching plenty of other sports away from the track as well as the tennis. Lando Norris was spotted in the stands for the Sporting vs Arsenal football match, while Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were in the French capital for Paris Saint-Germain's clash against Liverpool.

Across the Atlantic, Albon shared a glimpse from the Dodger Stadium as he watched the defending MLB champions, the LA Dodgers, in action – plenty of sporting outings for the Thai driver.

French hang out

As well as the PSG game, it seems the French contingent have been spending some time together away from the track, as Gasly, Ocon and Isack Hadjar all appeared on French TV. The trio discussed the new season, some of their highlights over the years, and their future goals.

Fun in the desert

With a rare free month on their hands, some of the drivers have been seizing experiences that wouldn’t otherwise be possible in the middle of a normal racing calendar – and Lewis Hamilton has taken advantage of this.

After spending Easter with family and getting some tough training sessions in, the Ferrari driver let his hair down in the Californian desert at Coachella festival, where he was clearly in his element. Front row for a Justin Bieber return? That’s not a bad way to spend a Saturday night away from the circuit.

Extra engine time

When it comes to time behind the wheel, being away from the F1 track has not slowed the drivers down. Max Verstappen has been gearing up for a return to the Nürburgring Nordschleife as part of his ongoing GT racing programme, while Lance Stroll made his GT3 debut at Paul Ricard.

Elsewhere, Norris and Carlos Sainz went back to their roots, heading out karting together as they tested 100 years of go-karts. Over at Valentino Rossi’s famous ranch, Kimi Antonelli swapped four wheels for two, riding alongside MotoGP Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi.

Safe to say, wherever they are, the drivers are always finding a way to get laps in.

Home time

The end of the Suzuka race weekend marked a return home for many of the drivers – with a short break before racing gets back underway in early May. Russell has been enjoying some sea air at home, while Leclerc has reunited with his beloved dog Leo.

Piastri celebrated his birthday in typical nonchalant fashion, showcasing his personalised chocolate helmet in the design of his 2025 Las Vegas lid. Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas has been making the most of his time on the French Riviera, cycling through the streets of Monaco and marking Easter with a classic egg hunt.

Tokyo wrap-up

With the Suzuka race weekend bringing the paddock to Japan, the drivers made the most of everything the country has to offer, even after Sunday’s dramatic Grand Prix. From shopping sprees and sushi stops to scenic viewpoints and automotive culture, there was plenty to squeeze in away from the track.

Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad gave fans a glimpse into his 48 hours in Tokyo, documenting the trip with a packed vlog that included a visit to the iconic tuning house Liberty Walk. Meanwhile team mate Liam Lawson posted a photo in front of the famous Lawson Kawaguchiko Station.

When it came to time away from the racetrack, Hamilton was not slowing down. The seven-time World Champion posted a video of himself drifting a Ferrari F40 through the streets of Tokyo.

Four events down, four different winners.

Or so we thought.

I’ve chosen to keep my originally-planned intro to this piece to demonstrate just how unexpected that finish to Croatia Rally 2026 was.

Last weekend’s event delivered one of the craziest narratives we’ve ever seen in the WRC, but what a story it was.

Here’s what we learned from Croatia’s fifth chapter in the world championship.

Neuville hits a new low

The sad irony is that this was a far better weekend for Thierry Neuville.

His feeling was back. The confidence behind the wheel, his trust of the car, was returning. He was hounding Sami Pajari before the punctures for him and Katsuta that gave Neuville “a gift” he accepted “with open arms”.

But then he dropped it.

Blowing a one-minute lead on the final stage is disastrous for any driver. For a world champion, it's unfathomable

Neuville never arrived in the final media zone and we haven’t spoken to him, but he said this in Hyundai’s press release by way of an explanation:

“First of all, I would like to express my apologies to the whole team – everybody who works with me throughout the whole year. It’s a huge disappointment for Martijn and myself, we didn’t expect that but unfortunately the rally can strike even at the very last stage. We were driving according to plan, and our target was just to get through the stage, but unfortunately, we were surprised on that corner.

“I probably turned in a bit too early, and my first reaction was to open, and then the incident happened. It’s going to be a tough period for us but we have no choice but to come back stronger and keep fighting. We won’t give up and our time will come again.”

Neuville’s better than most at picking himself back up. But this was a painful blunder at a time when his team really, really needed a relief.

Pajari can fight anywhere

Shoulda, woulda, coulda – but for the majority of Croatia Rally, Sami Pajari looked like he’d be the winner.

Elfyn Evans’ peculiar off from a 15.8s lead on stage three presented Pajari an opportunity, but he’d fully earned it.

Sami Pajari didn't put a foot wrong all rally – validating his feelings of being 'robbed' of victory

A strong second before his team-mate went off – on a surface you wouldn’t have said was his strongest – Pajari managed proceedings perfectly through Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.

No panic, no drama, he just got on with it. Until he was one of many to exit SS14 with a sad story to tell – a puncture change robbing him of two minutes and a maiden WRC rally win.

A third podium in succession will offer the Finn little by way of consolation – particularly as a gentleman’s agreement between him and Katsuta not to fight each other on Sunday may have cost him the win for the second time! But what should encourage him is the sheer proof he can genuinely fight at the front anywhere.

His previous podiums had been claimed in Japan, Sweden and Safari – all very different rallies. Croatia was yet another marker that Pajari has what it takes to win a round of the WRC. The question is when?

Solberg’s inexperience showed

I had Oliver Solberg down to win this one, not to be the first driver to retire. His accident on the very first stage was clearly tough to take, as we could see from the tears he struggled to fight back at the scene of the incident.

But it was avoidable – and Solberg knew it. In what he called an “expensive mistake”, the Swede regretted fitting hard tires to his Yaris without a lot of prior experience on them before the rally.

That bit him.

The searing speed on Saturday (helped in part by running first on the road) and then a maximum points haul on Sunday means he actually reduced the points gap to team-mate Elfyn Evans from eight to six with a dominant drive across Saturday and Sunday.

Evans’ exit, however, spared Solberg who could easily have been heading to Canarias with a points deficit of over 20. How important could that be when we reach the business end of the season?

Katsuta’s a title contender

Last year, at Toyota’s 2026 lineup launch, Takamoto Katsuta told us he wanted to fight for the title in 2027.

Well, it appears he’s a year ahead of himself, as the now two-time WRC winner now leads the championship courtesy of a shock victory in Croatia.

Perhaps that championship lead owes a great deal to Evans and Solberg’s back-to-back disappointments, but it also highlights the strides Katsuta is making.

If visits to the podium remain the norm for Katsuta and Johnston, it will become hard to discount them as a factor in the title race

With a clear responsibility to get the car home after his team-mates’ troubles, Katsuta drove with a reserve in Croatia – especially on Sunday where he recorded zero bonus points. The victory was a total surprise he awkwardly accepted.

He has seven points in-hand heading to the Canarias and is in better form than any of his peers. Will it last?

Armstrong closing on a big result

You could take the negative view and point out that Jon Armstrong is behind three Rally2 drivers (who’ve each started no more half the rallies he has) in the championship, and that he’s made mistakes in all four events so far as a Rally1 driver.

The second of those points has more validity than the other, but neither outweigh the positives.

The Irish driver is showing genuine promise, comfortably taking the fight to the Hyundais and, in Croatia, setting nine top-three stage times. That’s 45% of the stages – and he missed four of those entirely due to his Friday retirement, so couldn’t set a time. He also fell just 0.1s short of a maiden WRC stage win.

Granted, Croatia was the one event we may have expected something special from Armstrong, as he won the rally last year in a Rally2 Fiesta when it was a round of the European championship.

But for a left-field Rally1 promotion, this one continues to work out handsomely for M-Sport and the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy.

A big result to match his impressive performances can only be around the corner.

Lancia’s maiden WRC2 win is just the start

There were scenes of elation at the finish of Croatia in the WRC2 class.

After a disappointing Monte Carlo, Yohan Rossel recovered by giving Lancia its first ever victory in WRC2, and first ever overall top-four finish since Alex Fiorio at the 1994 Acropolis.

But he also led home a Stellantis Motorsport 1-2-3 ahead of brother Léo (Citroën C3) and Nikolay Gryazin, generating two very important family photos.

Rossel's raw speed on the Monte was clear, even if he missed out on a big result. The remaining question mark is gravel pace

Rossel, and Lancia’s, speed on gravel is the next point of interest, but so is Rossel’s next step as a driver. He very clearly had to motivate himself to remain a WRC2 driver, watching his old rivals race away in Rally1.

But the Lancia carriage is no bad one to be bolted too with an eye on 2027 and the regulatory reset.

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Croatia Rally, Croatia Rally 2026, Hyundai, Jon Armstrong, Lancia, Sami Pajari, Takamoto Katsuta, Thierry Neuville, Toyota, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 13, 2026 DirtFish

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There was something rather fitting about the result of last weekend’s Croatia Rally: an Irishman’s name at the top of it.

Croatia has remained a difficult place for World Rally Championship personnel to revisit since the tragedy where Craig Breen lost his life in a testing accident, three years ago today.

Every year since, the Hyundai team he was driving for has sported a special tribute livery for him in Croatia, while it permanently carries the words ‘For Craig’ on the rear of the car.

Hyundai, unfortunately, has never won in Croatia, but Aaron Johnston’s victory co-driving for Takamoto Katsuta was symbolic as it gave the Irish community something to smile about in a place that’s hurt it so much.

“Yeah, it’s a country that is very close to everyone in the Irish rallying community with Craig’s passing here and the anniversary tomorrow,” Johnston told DirtFish on Sunday.

“So, OK, big respect for Hyundai running a special livery for Craig this weekend. And of course, he is always in our memory. But to have an Irishman again win in Croatia, I think it’s something special.

“And at least for me, every time you’re in the car, you’re thinking about Craig. It’s just that stronger feeling this weekend in Croatia.”

Johnston’s win was something of a surprise – he and Katsuta approached the final stop control thinking they’d finished second, unaware of Thierry Neuville’s incident on the stage.

“I think of course it has been a challenging rally, there has been a lot of drama but we were in the fight for victory up until our puncture yesterday,” Johnston explained. “So once we got that and dropped a minute and 20 or whatever it was it put us out [of contention], but anything can happen in rally as we’ve seen today and we’ve been in that situation before and it’s went in our favor this time.

“Of course it’s not the way you want to do it and I do feel sympathetic for Thierry, Martijn [Wydaeghe] and of course Hyundai so yeah it’s just one of those things, that’s rally, but we didn’t even know.

“When we went on the radio to tell Kaj [Lindström, Toyota sporting director] that we were clear of the stage that Thierry had an issue, so it was all a bit of a shock at the stop control.

“It’s pretty surreal, to be honest,” he added. “You know Kenya is always one of our strong events and so was Sweden and we were fighting obviously for the win on both of them and clinched it for the first time in Kenya.

“But coming here, like every rally we go to, the target is clear: it’s to be at least in the fight for the podium. But to win this weekend I think is more than we could have expected, and to do two events on the bounce, two victories, I think it’s incredible what Taka and myself have achieved now on these two rallies.

“And we’re looking forward again to Canaries and Portugal and then of course the big one in Japan. So the next three events should suit us also, so let’s see what we can do.”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Croatia Rally, Croatia Rally 2026, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 13, 2026 DirtFish

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WRC

Up Next

What we learned from Croatia Rally 2026

A first meeting between senior technical figures took place last Thursday and discussions will continue between various F1 stakeholders over the rest of the month as options to improve the most compromised parts of 2026 are weighed up.

By the time the season resumes in Miami in May, F1 2026 is likely to have a different set of rules governing at least one key competitive part of the race weekend: qualifying. And as Ferrari boss Fred Vassar said, whatever is changed will have an impact in some way on the pecking order. 

A set of rules that took so long to come to life being changed so soon reflects the fact this is not a formula that anyone is particularly happy with. However, the heart of the problem – the switch to a near 50/50 split between the internal combustion engine and electric power – is not changing any time soon. 

The rise of the '50/50' engine

This 50/50 slogan that has become a millstone around F1’s neck, and cannot be removed completely by crunch April meetings, can be traced all the way back to the start of the decade. 

It first started to be openly referenced by competitors in F1 in 2020, namely Mercedes, but also the FIA, who felt it was a realistic goal to set in terms of power output. 

“Working on the electric part will be an important aspect of the 2026 powertrain,” then FIA technical director Gilles Simon told The Race in 2020.

“Today, it’s a very important topic everywhere. Everybody is speaking about electrification.”

This was tied intrinsically to a desire to bring new manufacturers on board. There were private internal meetings by the end of 2020, and then in 2021, conversations at CEO level with various engine manufacturers: those already in F1, but also representatives from the Volkswagen Group, including Audi and Porsche, and also Ford. Honda, despite intending to formally withdraw at the end of 2021, was also represented. 

These various discussions outlined several elements that needed to underpin any future F1 engine formula, with some familiar pillars: cost control, sustainability, and electrification.

Critical to the plan was removing the MGU-H. This was an incredible technological novelty of the previous hybrid engine formula that recovered wasted heat energy and worked to spin the turbocharger directly to eliminate lag. But it was very expensive to produce, very complex, and had minimal road relevance. 

Audi made it very clear that it would not proceed with its F1 plans without the MGU-H being dropped, as it felt that the established manufacturers' mastery of that component was too great a headstart for it to overcome. 

The likes of Mercedes were willing to make this compromise, in return for ensuring that new manufacturers didn’t get too much assistance with extra dyno time or a bigger cost cap allowance. 

But to facilitate the loss of the MGU-H and have a bigger electric component overall, the MGU-K needed to be uprated pretty much threefold to 350 kilowatts of peak power output. In addition, the internal combustion engine power output was brought down to somewhere around 400 kilowatts. Thus, the ‘sort-of 50/50’ engine was conceived.

This equal split is not actually an equal split. And it is also misleading in another important sense as the MGU-K can only be used at its full 350kW for a very short period of time across a lap. There are many moments where it is working in reverse, and the total power output of the engine is massively reduced. So in reality, the 50/50 is a peak headline ratio that bears only a partial relationship to what actually happens across a racing lap.

In principle, the 50/50 split is not a bad idea. And it could be made to work. But there are too many technological and/or regulatory constraints that undermine the concept. The battery does not have the capacity to power the MGU-K sufficiently across a lap, yet the charging capacity rules encourage lifting and coasting, and super clipping by harvesting energy while still at full throttle at the end of a straight. The latter causes strange Vmax situations where peak speed is achieved very early on the straight and then there is a gradual ramp-down.

Audi’s desire for harvesting energy from the front axle to increase recharging capacity simply under braking was a non-starter as competitors felt it would give Audi an advantage as it knew this technology from sportscar racing, and there were also concerns this would lead to far too complex driving aids as well. 

So the rules eventually settled on meant F1 was left committed to an engine with an increased electric power demand from one component, but ultimately the same battery capacity and reduced flexibility on how it could be charged. 

Manufacturer influence

The first goal for the 2026 regulations was ultimately to attract more manufacturers, and by any measure, that has been a success. 

Audi, unlike Porsche, which ultimately walked away despite prolonged discussions, went through with its desire to enter F1 and made it clear the 2026 rules were critical to that. 

“Now is the right time for us to get involved,” then-Audi chairman Markus Duesmann said. “After all, Formula 1 and Audi both pursue clear sustainability goals.”

Others were tempted by the marketing line of F1's new reality. Ford came to the table in collaboration with Red Bull Powertrains and CEO Jim Farley said when that partnership was announced in 2023: “We’ve got to generate a lot of interest [in our new electric cars]. We want to use Formula 1, and its growth in the US, with a new younger audience, to promote our EVs.”

Meanwhile, Honda committed to a U-turn on its plan to withdraw from F1 completely as it decided to build a new engine for 2026 after all. And General Motors was also enticed to start an engine programme that will be ready by 2029, something that has been key to Cadillac being allowed to join the grid this year. 

That means three brand new automotive manufacturers getting involved in some way this decade that would not be there without the rules as they are, plus Honda recommitting. 

It’s important to understand the context for why it mattered. 

In F1 specifically, Mercedes and Ferrari were definitely continuing into any new engine formula, but Honda was withdrawing, while Renault was considering its own future and did eventually discontinue its engine programme despite initially signing up for 2026.

There was a real risk that F1 could have had only two proper manufacturers signed up, with Red Bull forced to create its own engine division. This was a key factor in why F1 wanted new manufacturers – along with the financial benefits they bring, through marketing spend, partner attraction and audience appeal. 

And while F1's popularity was growing significantly at the start of the 2020s, it still needed the manufacturers more than the manufacturers needed F1. So it had to sell the idea to them.

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the automotive world was under great financial pressure, and there was also a massive push for electrification alongside the phasing out of combustion engine cars in various cities and countries around the world.

If negotiations started with manufacturers in 2026 versus 2020, for example, the parameters and the negotiating leverage would be different. But the outcome may well be the same because F1 and the FIA know there are huge risks associated with moving away from a model that is ultimately dependent on manufacturer participation. 

Of course, there were also political and personal agendas involved here. The prospect of bringing in manufacturers was clearly something F1 and the FIA wanted to count as a massive victory for themselves. 

Is Audi to blame?

Of all the manufacturers at the table, Audi clearly had a big hand in these rules being conceived the way they have been.

But Mattia Binotto, who is now the head of the Audi F1 project, is adamant that Audi never made it a requirement that there had to be a 50/50 split. 

“Audi has not been part of the 50/50 decision,” Binotto told The Race. “That was before certainly, when Audi decided to join.

“[Audi wanted] high efficiency engines, sustainable fuel, a significant part of electrification and then the removal of the MGU-H, because Audi believed that the knowledge would have been a competitive advantage to the previous manufacturers.

“But Audi has not been part of the 50/50 discussion."

The absence of the MGU-H, ironically, is now partly responsible for a major weakness in Audi’s package. 

Its starts are particularly terrible, presumably because it has the largest turbocharger size of any engine: and without the MGU-H, turbo lag on these 2026 engines is really bad, hence so many teams struggling with consistent launches. And Audi's are the worst on the grid.

Somewhat supporting the idea that Audi was not specifically part of the ‘50/50’ demand is that Binotto suggests it would not stand in the way of an adjustment to this ratio. So, clearly, it’s not a non-negotiable from Audi’s perspective. 

However, it should also be said that Audi’s management has changed completely since it green-lit this F1 programme and was part of those initial talks half a decade ago. 

The VW and Audi top management is entirely different and Binotto’s essentially the third different F1 boss the project’s already had. 

So who knows what Audi really demanded or not – maybe what it needs has just changed along with the industry, or the people in charge.

Only treating the symptoms

Regardless of who was responsible for this ruleset taking this form, there have been chances to correct it. 

The concerns about what the 50/50 split would actually produce on track began to surface from inside the process, not long after the core framework was agreed. 

Christian Horner, then Red Bull team principal, was the most prominent and persistent voice of concern. In 2023 he warned that the regulations risked producing bizarre charging techniques and what he described as Frankenstein cars forced to paper over the cracks.

He argued adjusting the ratio between combustion and electrical power – not abandoning the formula, just tuning it even to 65/35 or 60/40 – would remove the need for much of the complexity that followed. But that ship had sailed. 

Among the clearer signs that these problems were understood, and considered controllable, was the reduction of the charging limit across a lap from 9MJ to 8.5MJ. 

This reflected the fact it was already known that the more the cars could harvest, the more extreme the tactics would be. And the FIA knew right from 2022 that the 50/50 engine split had challenges, and was adamant the worst problems had been mitigated. 

To go through the process, insisting that the problems would be or had been sufficiently addressed, opting not to react to how the cars then ran on track in reality in testing, but at the same time reviewing everything after just three races and committing to making at least some changes anyway is hard to reconcile. 

With what was known, surely the worst of the problems could have been headed off sooner. Perhaps this was genuinely believed to have been achieved – in that case, the rulemakers either underestimated the challenge or overestimated the work that had been done, be that due to naivety, hubris or something else.

The worst-case scenarios that were predicted may have been mostly avoided, but there are still problems starting these engines, charging these engines, and racing these engines. 

Fiddling around the edges now by adjusting super clipping thresholds, tweaking deployment parameters, and softening harvesting rules should address the worst of the problems in qualifying, but how much it helps is subject to what gets agreed in the ongoing meetings. 

And it will not get to the core of the issue. Some are absolutely adamant that the type of racing triggered by the 2026 rules is definitely a good thing - judged by simple metrics like total number of overtakes - so there will be a limit to how much they are willing to change.

However, the greatest constraints are intrinsically tied to the 50/50 architecture itself and the way the formula was conceived. 

Until that changes, F1 can only treat the symptoms instead of the cause.

The 2026 grid features plenty of familiar faces, with just the one rookie joining the gang this year - Arvid Lindblad at Racing Bulls.

But just because the likes of Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg have been around for many years, not to mention the return of veterans Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, that does not mean we all know everything about every driver.

From taxes to regulation changes, character flaws to facing the media, not much is off the table as the 2026 crop of drivers get grilled on a variety of subjects.

Discover who is shy and who is not as serious as he seems, who is taller than expected and who is shorter than people assume. Not to mention who is terrible at football.

Hit play on the video above to learn more about the F1 drivers.

Paul di Resta and Williams

Paul di Resta arrived in F1 as the DTM champion in 2011, spending three seasons racing with Force India and recording a best finish of fourth place on two occasions – after which he headed back to the German touring car series and appeared to have left single-seaters behind him.

A reserve deal with Williams for 2016 brought him back to the F1 fold and, when regular driver Felipe Massa felt unwell ahead of Qualifying at the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix, the Scot was drafted in to replace him. “It was like being thrown off a cliff,” he said, having lined up for the race in 19th and completed 60 out of 70 laps before technical issues struck.

Di Resta had not driven an F1 car for three-and-a-half years when he stepped in at Williams

Esteban Ocon and Manor Racing

Esteban Ocon contested his first full F1 season with Force India in 2017, staying there for a couple of seasons before taking an enforced break – when Lance Stroll arrived at the renamed Racing Point – and later embarking on stints with Renault/Alpine and Haas.

However, the Frenchman actually started out with Manor Racing midway through the 2016 season, when he replaced Indonesian Ryo Haryanto (who had run out of funds) at the backmarker team – coming agonisingly close to earning them a point in Brazil.

Ocon ahead of his F1 debut at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix

Andre Lotterer and Caterham

Andre Lotterer has a host of motorsport accolades to his name, including the Japanese Formula Nippon (now Super Formula) and Super GT titles, the World Endurance Championship crown, and multiple victories at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In 2014, the German – who was a Jaguar test driver in the early-noughties – realised his long-held dream of starting an F1 race by appearing at the Belgian Grand Prix with backmarkers Caterham. He qualified ahead of team mate Marcus Ericsson, but unfortunately completed just one lap on race day amid technical problems.

Lotterer made his F1 debut with Caterham in 2014 – albeit a very short one

Daniel Ricciardo and Hispania Racing/HRT

Daniel Ricciardo climbed the single-seater ranks with Red Bull support and was knocking on the door of a seat at their F1 junior team, then-named Toro Rosso, via several Free Practice outings over the first half of the 2011 season.

But before joining Toro Rosso in 2012, the Australian was given a chance to gain valuable experience at the back of the grid with Hispania Racing (later called HRT) – replacing Narain Karthikeyan from the 2011 British Grand Prix onwards.

Red Bull put Ricciardo in a backmarker team to gain some early F1 experience

Sebastian Vettel and BMW-Sauber

Another Red Bull-backed driver to start their F1 career with a non-Red Bull team was Sebastian Vettel, who completed several practice outings for BMW-Sauber over the second half of 2006 and across the early rounds of the 2007 campaign.

With Robert Kubica sidelined by a violent crash in Canada, Vettel was called upon as a teenage substitute at the United States Grand Prix – impressively bagging a point. Just a few races later, Toro Rosso slotted him into their line-up, and the rest is history.

Jacques Villeneuve and Renault

After five years at BAR/BAR-Honda, former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve was left without a seat for the 2004 season – the team opting to part ways with the Canadian and bring in Takuma Sato alongside Jenson Button.

Villeneuve would still be seen that year, though, when Renault – who had dropped Jarno Trulli ahead of the Italian’s move to Toyota – signed him for the final three rounds in China, Japan and Brazil.

Villeneuve had a three-race run with Renault towards the end of the 2004 season

Fernando Alonso and Minardi

Villeneuve partnered Fernando Alonso for that late-season stint – the Spaniard a key player in Renault’s push to transition from podium finishers to race winners and ultimately champions, as they achieved under their previous Benetton guise.

Before all of that, Alonso began his F1 journey as a fresh-faced teenager at Minardi in 2001, making a name for himself with some gutsy displays in backmarker machinery, particularly at the season-ending Japanese Grand Prix.

Nigel Mansell and McLaren

After a season out, 1992 World Champion Nigel Mansell returned to F1 with Williams part-way through 1994 following Ayrton Senna’s death, making a handful of appearances and doing the pole position/victory double at the Adelaide finale.

With David Coulthard given the nod to partner Damon Hill in 1995, Mansell headed to McLaren, but he could not fit into the narrow MP4/10B and had to be replaced at the first two rounds. After making it out on track at Imola and Barcelona, he retired from F1 for good.

Mansell struggled to fit into McLaren’s 1995 car and soon left the team – and F1

Mario Andretti and Williams

A driver who has won pretty much everything there is to win in motorsport, Mario Andretti claimed his F1 crown with Lotus in 1978, around stints at other big-name manufacturers Ferrari and Alfa Romeo.

However, the American’s penultimate F1 appearance came for Williams at the 1982 United States Grand Prix West – where he qualified 14th and failed to finish via contact with the wall – after Carlos Reutemann suddenly left the sport.

Andretti made an outing for Williams late in his F1 career

Gilles Villeneuve and McLaren

Gilles Villeneuve, father of Jacques, is synonymous with Ferrari red, having spent the majority of his F1 career racing for the famous Italian marque – winning half a dozen races and capturing the hearts of fans before that fateful day at Zolder in 1982.

The only note on his CV that Villeneuve did not mark as a Ferrari driver was his Grand Prix debut, with that coming in a McLaren during the 1977 season – at Silverstone – alongside reigning World Champion James Hunt.

Villeneuve completed his first F1 race with McLaren before heading to Ferrari

McLaren had a challenging start to the 2026 season, with Oscar Piastri failing to start in Melbourne after crashing on his way to the grid in dry conditions, while neither car started the Chinese Grand Prix thanks to electrical issues.

But the Australian did see the lights in Japan, leading in the opening stages and ultimately finishing second behind Kimi Antonelli for McLaren’s best result of the season.

However, the reigning World Champions will hope to challenge Mercedes for wins going forward and are looking to use the April pause productively, having been fighting right up to the final race of 2025 as Lando Norris eventually claimed the Drivers' Championship title.

“Effectively, because of having been such a programme, such an intense programme, quite pushed from a timeline point of view, actually this pause is welcomed,” explained Stella.

“I think, for McLaren as a team, it gives us the possibility to make the parts that we want to take trackside to evolve our car, make it faster, especially when it comes to aerodynamic performance. I think it gives us some more time to work with HPP (Mercedes High Performance Powertrains), for instance, finalising all the tools that are required to exploit the power unit.

Piastri led the race in Japan for McLaren before finishing P2

“Importantly, it also gives the staff the time to take a little bit of a breath because it’s been one of the most intense winters that I can remember in my career in Formula 1. Definitely once we started to go trackside, and winter testing itself has been very intense, very busy.

“So I think it’s good that in what is going to be another long season, we have the time to take a breath and we have the time to catch up from an operational and technical point of view so that we can be, as a team, specifically talking about McLaren, in condition to fight for more important positions once we race back, starting from Miami.”

With McLaren running the Mercedes power unit, the papaya squad still need to work out the best way to utilise an engine that appears to be the class of the field so far in 2026. But Stella also admitted the chassis needs work too, if McLaren want to fight for victories from here on.

“Coming back on the chassis side, we understand exactly what to do in terms of putting in place the actions to improve the chassis furthermore," he said. "In fact, it’s just about bringing upgrades that will increase the aerodynamic efficiency.

“These will happen in the next couple of events, so I think from there we should see a positive trajectory and we are confident that McLaren will be in condition to compete for podiums and victories on merit within this season.”

McLaren are looking to improve for the next race in Miami

McLaren may have started 2026 with a dip in form compared to their last two championship-winning campaigns, but the squad have shown previously that their in-season developments can deliver strong performance.

“If anything, McLaren, at least since when I’m Team Principal right now, is in its strongest version as a team," Stella added. "We have never had this level of capabilities and infrastructure, we have never had before, even when we were winning championships, this level of expertise and talent in the team.

“I’ve never seen, like I said before, Lando and Oscar working so well together, and I can see that the pattern that led us in the last three years to just instigate such an upward trajectory, I can see that this pattern is forming up.

“So, I think there’s all the reasons to be very encouraged looking at the future and, like I said before, hopefully we will start to see some improvements already in the next events.”

The F1 Nation team discuss the news that Gianpiero Lambiase will move from Red Bull to McLaren in 2028, while McLaren’s Technical Director of Performance, Mark Temple, reflects on whether the papaya squad can beat Mercedes this season.

It was recently confirmed that Max Verstappen’s long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will leave Red Bull in 2028 and join McLaren as the papaya team’s Chief Racing Officer.

Following the news, F1 Nation host Tom Clarkson is joined by former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer and IndyCar race winner James Hinchcliffe as they share their reactions to the move.

What does Lambiase’s departure mean for Red Bull? How will it affect Verstappen’s future at the team? And what will GP bring to McLaren?

Plus, the guys are joined by McLaren’s Technical Director of Performance, Mark Temple, who says Mercedes are 'beatable' in 2026 and explains the upgrade work being done at the factory before the Miami Grand Prix.

To hear the latest F1 Nation episode, hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen on your preferred podcasting platform.

Fancy getting your question answered by the F1 Nation team on a future episode? Simply record it as a voice note and email it to F1Nation@F1.com.

Next Up

• Hamilton back on track for Ferrari at FioranoGallery
• Miami and Montreal to host Formula 2 Rounds in 2026
• Williams sign engineer from Mercedes for key technical role
• BettingLeclerc’s drifting Championship odds explained
• What we know about Lambiase's move from Red Bull to McLaren
• The most iconic F1 driver-race engineer partnerships

On Thursday, the first of three meetings will take place aimed at deciding potential tweaks to the sport's controversial new regulations.

The new cars, a product of the biggest rule change in F1 history, have been the subject of much debate.

At the heart of the controversy is the 50-50 split in the sport's new hybrid engines between combustion and electrical power, which has seen a heavy reliance on battery harvesting and deployment.

F1's new cars have created a much more back and forth style of racing in terms of overtakes, but the new style required to drive the cars -- and the lifting and coasting required in certain areas to harvest battery power -- has been an area of criticism.

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen has likened the cars to all-electrical series Formula E "on steroids" and Mario Kart, and said anyone enjoying the new style of overtaking doesn't understand what real racing is about.

Reigning world champion Lando Norris has said F1 went from the best cars ever to the worst with one regulation change, while two-time champion Fernando Alonso has labelled the new Formula 1 the "battery world championship."

Max Verstappen had suggested he would walk away from the sport due to the rule change in F1. Photo by Simon Galloway/LAT Images

Key F1 and FIA figures insist the change has been positive for the sport and point to what they say has been overwhelmingly positive fan feedback about the changes.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, the sport's most accomplished driver statistically, has disagreed with the criticism, saying the new cars are "the best form of racing" the sport has had during his long career.

The 50-50 split will be at the heart of Thursday's preliminary discussion between technical figures in the sport, but it will not lead to any immediate decisions.

- The good, the bad and the ugly of F1's new 2026 regulations
- Why new rules have Verstappen on the brink of walking away from F1

A second meeting will follow later this month, before a key third meeting on April 20 between team chiefs and F1 boss Stefano Domenicali which will decide on which changes should be made pre-Miami.

The cancellation of two races in the Middle East, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, this month has allowed F1 and the governing FIA to discuss realistic solutions.

ESPN understands no major changes to the formula itself are likely ahead of the next race, with the tweaks likely to centre around improving the qualifying spectacle, to reduce the phenomenon known as "super-clipping," and safety adjustments to address the alarming difference in speeds drivers caused by drivers harvesting and deploying energy in very different ways at different moments.

That new feature of the cars led to a scary near-miss between Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Bearman narrowly missed Colapinto's Alpine as it slowed dramatically while losing speed on the approach to the Spoon corner.

Different engine manufacturers have different processes and software dictating when and where they harvest and deploy energy, which has seen some major discrepancies at speed around the lap of all three races so far.

At Suzuka, having avoided Colapinto, Bearman spun out and hit the wall, suffering a minor knee injury in the process.

Carlos Sainz, director of the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA), criticised F1 and the FIA after that race for not listening to driver concerns about that exact scenario happening, saying the sport was reluctant to make changes due to the "racing being entertaining."

As for qualifying, teams and drivers appear to be in agreement that something has to change, with the effect of lifting and coasting through corners lessening the spectacle of an all-or-nothing flying lap.

After the Japanese Grand Prix, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said: "If it were up to me -- and we definitely need to look at this -- how can we get that one fast, brutal qualifying lap again? And how can we reduce the lift and coast? That's definitely something we need to do."

That will likely be achieved through changes to the amount of harvesting and deployment cars are required to do around a lap.

F1 will also look to tackle "super-clipping," the moment drivers have found their top speed drop off while at full throttle as the energy is diverted from the engine to the battery.

One way to do this might be to allow a faster recovery in that state, effectively meaning cars can recharge sooner and spent less time in the "super-clipping" phase.

More general tweaks might also be considered around the software which now governs the complicated new engines.

F1 has been keen to stress that these meetings are not about radically changing the whole format -- or even anything close to a consideration of binning it completely.

More major discussions are likely to follow in 2026 about more radical changes for 2027, but the sport's key figures have all warned against making massive knee-jerk reactions so early into the season.

The Miami Grand Prix takes place on May 3 at a circuit which snakes around the exterior of the Hard Rock Stadium.

Context:

F1 is considering mid-season rule changes to address controversial 2026 regulations splitting engine power 50-50.

Context:

Driver safety concerns and unpredictable speed differences during energy harvesting create dangerous racing conditions.

Context:

Top drivers like Verstappen and Norris heavily criticize the new cars, comparing them to Formula E and video games.

F2 has scheduled two extra rounds of its championship alongside F1's Miami Grand Prix and Canadian Grand Prix, both next month. The race in Montreal clashes with the Indianapolis 500 on May 24.

They replace rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, which were called off along with the F1 races there because of the war in Iran. The original schedule didn't have any F2 races in May, and the added races will mark the series' first events in North America.

Herta had been in contention for a fourth car at the Indianapolis 500 from Andretti Global, which shares an ownership group with the Cadillac F1 team in Dan Towriss and the TWG Motorsports conglomeration.

Now that Herta is not available, Andretti Global said Thursday it will focus on its current three-driver lineup for the Indy 500 and not enter a fourth car. The team fields cars for previous Indy 500 winners Will Power and Marcus Ericsson as well as Kyle Kirkwood.

Herta, who became IndyCar's youngest race winner at the age of 18 in 2019, made the move to F2 this season with an eye on the super license points needed to race in F1 with Cadillac as its first American driver.

The 26-year-old Herta is 10th in the F2 standings following the opening round in Australia last month.

"I think it's great if it gets me to Formula 1, and I would be incredibly grateful I took the leap," Herta told The Associated Press in January of his F2 move. "I think a lot of people feel it would be embarrassing if I fail, but I don't care what everybody thinks or if it's going to tarnish my career."

Context:

Herta's F1 pursuit forces him to miss Indy 500 due to F2 schedule conflict with Canadian GP.

Context:

This blocks a promising American driver's path to both iconic racing milestones in 2026.

Context:

F2's North American expansion stems from Middle East cancellations due to Iran war.

The reigning constructors' champions confirmed the switch, which they said would take place "no later than 2028", on Thursday.

Lambiase has worked with the four-time world champion ever since his debut for Red Bull at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, which he famously won, making him the youngest race winner in the sport's history at 18.

The news will only heighten the speculation about Verstappen's immediate F1 future, with the four-time world champion strongly hinting he might quit F1 at the end of 2026.

Lambiase's job has been the subject of speculation before -- sources have told ESPN he rejected an approach from Aston Martin late last year -- but he has been lured over to McLaren.

Sources have told ESPN that Lambiase will join McLaren at the conclusion of his existing Red Bull contract at the end of 2027, and will take on duties currently managed by team principal Andrea Stella.

"McLaren Racing is pleased to announce that Gianpiero Lambiase will join the McLaren Formula 1 Team as chief racing officer, reporting into team principal, Andrea Stella," McLaren said in a statement.

"The role of the Chief Racing Officer already exists within the team's structure with overall leadership of the race team. These duties are currently managed by Andrea Stella in addition to his role as Team Principal.

"Lambiase is the latest hire designed to strengthen and support the talent pool that exists at McLaren, while also reaffirming the team's long-term commitment to confirming its position as a Championship-winning team."

As ever with F1 contracts, discussions seem likely to place between the teams to secure an earlier switch date, meaning he could start earlier than that.

Gianpiero Lambiase's Red Bull exit will only add to the speculation surrounding Max Verstappen's future in F1. Mark Thompson/Getty Images

The bombshell news comes amid growing speculation about Verstappen's future beyond this year.

The four-time world champion has grown increasingly disillusioned with F1's controversial new cars, which he has labelled "anti-racing", likened to Formula E "on steroids" and Mario Kart.

After the Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen told the BBC he was seriously thinking about walking away at the end of the year and many sources within the paddock close to him have told ESPN it feels more likely than not at the moment.

Compounding his current negative feeling has been Red Bull's uncompetitive start to life as a fully-fledged engine manufacturer -- the team has embarked on its own engine project for the first time ever in 2026 but has found itself a long way off the pace of usual 'Big Four' rivals Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren.

Verstappen's contract runs until 2028 but sources have told ESPN he has clauses in his deal which would be able to help him quit before then.

The Dutchman will be racing at the Nurburgring 24 Hours later this year and has frequently talked about his desire to race in other series beyond F1.

As well as heightening speculation about Verstappen, Lambiase's move will represent represent another major blow to the Red Bull team which dominated the start of the current decade.

The majority of the key figures behind that run of championships -- four drivers' and three constructors' titles -- have left.

Team boss Christian Horner was sacked last July, a year after design legend Adrian Newey and long-time sporting director Jonathan Wheatley had left for Aston Martin and Audi respectively.

Long-serving racing adviser Helmut Marko, famous as the godfather of the team's driving academy, also left the team at the end of 2025.

Lambiase's new team, McLaren, has poached several other key figures over the past year.

Former Red Bull designer Rob Marshall has been a key pillar of McLaren's recent success, with his cars winning back-to-back constructors' championships in 2024 and 2025 -- the latter also saw Lando Norris win McLaren's first drivers' title since 2008.

Red Bull's former head of strategy Will Courtenay started working for McLaren this year as sporting director after a long stand-off between the two teams over contracts.

Context:

Verstappen's longtime race engineer Lambiase will join McLaren as chief racing officer by 2028.

Context:

This move intensifies speculation about Verstappen potentially quitting F1 at the end of 2026.

Context:

Red Bull has lost most key figures from their championship-winning team including Horner, Newey, and Wheatley.

On Thursday, it was confirmed that Lambiase -- better known as "GP" to fans familiar with F1 broadcasts, the voice on the other end of Verstappen's occasionally fraught radio messages -- will join McLaren as chief racing officer no later than 2028, with his Red Bull contract set to end at the conclusion of the previous season.

It was a bombshell bit of news and something which might have serious ramifications down the line.

The confirmation of Lambiase's move could not come at a more ill-timed moment in terms of Red Bull's hopes of convincing its superstar driver to keep racing beyond 2026. Verstappen made it clear after the Japanese Grand Prix that he is seriously contemplating walking away from F1 at the end of the year, something he had previously hinted at. The likelihood of the Dutchman not staying on in 2027 -- or, at the very least, racing somewhere other than Red Bull -- seems more tangible than ever now.

His primary motivation for doing that would appear to be his well-stated hatred of F1's new cars -- which feature hybrid engines with an unprecedented emphasis on battery harvesting and power deployment -- but the situation at the Red Bull team he's raced at since 2016 is not insignificant either.

It would be easy to say that Verstappen's desire to leave is just that he has found himself with an uncompetitive car this year. That is true about the team's current state of affairs, but perhaps oversimplifies what has happened at Red Bull Racing in conjunction with the beginning of an F1 era of cars which might go down as the most controversial and debated of all time. Lambiase's imminent departure follows a trend which has been developing behind the scenes for a little while.

Red Bull has seen several key members of staff leave in recent years, with Gienpiero Lambiase to be next to follow. Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Red Bull's title dynasty has collapsed

The all-conquering Red Bull team that Verstappen won four straight world titles with between 2021 and 2024 has crumbled in alarming time.

The headline item of that was the shock sacking of team boss Christian Horner last July, and it would be easy to fixate just on that one departure. But there have been plenty of others which have been significant.

Horner's departure came shortly after the exits of design legend Adrian Newey and longtime sporting director Jonathan Wheatley to Aston Martin and Audi, respectively. Former Red Bull designer Rob Marshall had already left for McLaren a few years earlier -- his cars won the constructors' championship in 2024 and 2025, the latter also coming with Lando Norris' drivers' title. In joining McLaren, Lambiase will reunite with Marshall and with former Red Bull head of strategy Will Courtenay, who started as McLaren's sporting director this year after a prolonged contractual dispute between the two teams.

And then let's not forget one of the most significant, from the Verstappen perspective -- Helmut Marko, Red Bull's racing adviser. Verstappen's ties with Marko were so strong that at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Verstappen told the media he would not continue at Red Bull if the Austrian had been fired around that time. Marko left the team quietly at the end of last year.

Even more recently, and away from the public eye, there have been some key departures in terms of Verstappen's circle. The Dutchman's chief mechanic, Matt Caller, left for Audi over the winter, while long-serving and hugely respected front-end mechanic Ole Schack is set to leave as well.

Several other key members of his team, including engineers Michael Manning, David Mart and Tom Hart, are also set to leave -- sources told ESPN that replacing these roles has been an issue. Another departure which went under the radar was that of chief designer Craig Skinner, someone massively rated by Verstappen, which was announced this February. It can be easy to overlook people in teams who are not so prominently in the public eye, but all three of those men were seen as fundamentally important parts of the day-to-day workings of Red Bull's current F1 outfit.

This was not supposed to be how things went for Red Bull this year. Horner's sudden departure last year was seen by many internally and externally as a chance to end the toxic culture some felt existed under Red Bull's longtime team boss. It also represented a clear sign that the reins of the team had been taken over by the wider Red Bull company, based in Austria and fronted by executive Oliver Mintzlaff, who was a key figure in Horner's firing.

Helmut Marko was another key member of Verstappen's inner circle to leave Red Bull. Charles Coates/Getty Images

Horner's replacement, Laurent Mekies, oversaw Verstappen's dramatic title fightback last year, largely credited with a car upgrade at the Italian Grand Prix, which had been in the pipeline long before that change was made, but that competitive season has bled into a year which looks likely to be frustrating at best. Mintzlaff's bold gambit in removing Horner so decisively -- and, it must be said, without a well-thought-out succession plan -- appears to have been unsuccessful in stopping the rot at Red Bull. Outwardly, the former world champion outfit looks more like a sinking ship -- following confirmation of Lambiase's departure, Verstappen must feel more aware than ever before that he now remains one of the few to have donned a buoyancy jacket and headed for the nearest lifeboat.

The contrast between Red Bull and Lambiase's new team, McLaren, the reigning world champions, could not be more stark here either. On Thursday, hours after many media outlets, including ESPN, had reported Lambiase's move, McLaren and Red Bull put out statements confirming the news. McLaren took on an almost boastful tone, pointing to the trifecta it has nabbed from Red Bull's once-great team. McLaren's said: "The team's ability to attract and secure top talent, like Lambiase, and previously Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay, alongside the retention and promotion of highly-talented people already within the team, is a testament to the strategic vision and culture that are integrally embodied in the McLaren Mastercard F1 Team under the leadership of Zak Brown and Andrea Stella, who are also both on long-term contracts."

The final line was aimed at quietening rumors which also surfaced on Thursday that Stella might have signed a deal to join Ferrari, rumors that McLaren has strongly refuted. In luring Lambiase away, CEO Zak Brown and Stella appear to have put an ace up their sleeve in terms of driver market negotiations down the line. No-one in F1 is certain what Verstappen's next step will be, and whether any decision to not race in 2027 would be a sabbatical or something more long-term, but signing the Dutchman's most trusted confidant in the paddock suddenly makes McLaren a team we must consider as a contender for his services down the line should he recommit to a Formula 1 career beyond his time with Red Bull.

Max Verstappen and his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase have always had a close-knit bond. Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Lambiase's departure a big blow

It would be easy to simply dismiss Lambiase as being "just" Verstappen's race engineer -- a role he has held since Verstappen's victorious debut for the team at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. However, the reality is that he has been one of the most important parts of the team for a long while. Lambiase's influence behind the scenes is significant.

He was made head of race engineering in 2022 and then Head of Racing at Red Bull in 2024, roles he dovetailed with the role of race engineer for Verstappen. In hindsight, doubling up with his current job now seems like a major oversight by Red Bull -- sources have told ESPN the team seriously considered giving Verstappen a different race engineer in 2025 to alleviate some of the pressure on Lambiase, which both parties were open to as well. That change did not happen. It was a massive undertaking on top of Lambiase's other responsibilities within the race team.

You only need to listen to their radio interactions to understand the strength of Verstappen's relationship with Lambiase. It is frank and sometimes brutally honest, but has underpinned one of the most successful careers Formula 1 has ever seen. Through good times and bad during his Red Bull tenure, Lambiase has always been by Verstappen's side. As a result, their relationship is close -- Verstappen once told Dutch media he knew he could call Lambiase 24/7, about anything in the world, something that he said went both ways. The pair shared an emotional moment after Verstappen missed out on the 2025 championship by just two points. The fact that he is now leaving will only add to any feelings of doubt Verstappen has about the current direction Red Bull is moving in.

Verstappen and Lambiase celebrate after the Dutchman claimed his second world title. Peter Fox/Getty Images

Lambiase's next move is also noteworthy. It is always telling when someone leaves one team for another in a sideways trajectory, and this appears to be what Lambiase has done by moving over to Brown's McLaren team. Sources told ESPN that Lambiase had been approached by Aston Martin at least once in the last 12 months over becoming team principal, but those approaches were rebuffed. Yet he has taken a role with McLaren, which is similar -- in terms of where his name will sit in an org chart relevant to the most senior figures in the team -- to his current position at Red Bull.

Multiple sources have told ESPN that the atmosphere within the current Red Bull team has been poor -- a feeling only exacerbated by the team's slow and frustrating start to the new F1 rules cycle. Seeing a senior team member -- and perhaps the closest ally of its superstar driver -- happy to walk sideways to another team will only underline the suggestions that something is fundamentally wrong at the heart of Red Bull's race operation.

No one knows for sure what Verstappen's next move will be, but after speaking to multiple sources around the F1 paddock on Thursday, the general feeling -- inside and outside of Red Bull -- was clear. Lambiase's move, even if it is a little way down the line, could be the final nail in the coffin in terms of Red Bull's chances of convincing Verstappen to ride out his current bad feeling about Formula 1 and keep racing beyond 2026.

He has months until he needs to make that decision -- he can trigger release clauses in August if he is not second or higher, but does not actually need to inform the team of his decision either way until October -- but after the latest developments, the writing already appears to be firmly on the wall.

Context:

Verstappen's key allies are leaving Red Bull, making his own departure increasingly likely.

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This exodus could end Red Bull's dominance and reshape F1's competitive landscape entirely.

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McLaren is strategically poaching Red Bull talent, reuniting former colleagues to build a superteam.

A meeting between the sport's governing body and technical experts from teams and power unit manufacturers was held on Thursday, with a series of further meetings lined up to nail down any potential changes before the next race in Miami on May 3.

The focus of the meetings is on the excessive energy management required under the new regulations, especially in regard to qualifying and the potential for safety issues created by extreme speed differentials between cars.

The latest generation of power units can deploy three times as much electrical energy as their predecessors, but that has left them starved of energy at most circuits as they struggle to recover the necessary electrical power under braking to feed the power demand on the straights.

The unbalanced equation has resulted in a new style of driving in which harvesting of electrical energy is often prioritized over pushing to the limit, even during qualifying laps.

Reactions from drivers on the new rules and regulations have been mixed. Getty

Four-time champion Max Verstappen has referred to the new generation of cars as "Formula E on steroids," while other drivers have called for changes to put the emphasis back on the driver over the power unit.

The rules have also created a new style of racing this year, which often results in multiple battery power-assisted overtakes per lap and has been criticized by some of the drivers.

But following the opening three grands prix, sources have told ESPN that F1 bosses were pleased with the new style of racing, which they claim has been welcomed by the fans they have surveyed.

Details of what was discussed at Thursday's meeting were not announced, but an FIA statement confirmed the focus was on "energy management" after general agreement among teams that the events to date "have provided exciting racing."

-Why new rules have Verstappen on the brink of walking away from F1
-McLaren's Andrea Stella calls on F1 to prioritise safety concerns
-When's the next F1 race, and why is there such a long break?

F1 has stressed that the series of meetings before Miami are not aimed at radically changing the formula, but instead agreeing on tweaks to smooth off some of the rough edges.

The next meeting will take place on April 15 to explore potential changes that will need to be made to the sporting regulations (a separate FIA rulebook to the technical regulations) before a follow-up meeting is held between technical heads on April 16 to further explore the necessary technical changes.

A "high-level meeting" will then take place on April 20 between the FIA, team principals and the F1's bosses at which "preferred options jointly proposed by the technical teams will be considered and a consensus sought on the way forward."

Any tweaks to the rules will need to be approved by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council, although that stage of the process usually represents a rubber stamping of changes that have already been agreed.

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F1 officials are working to fix energy management issues in the new 2026 regulations before the Miami race.

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The changes could determine whether top drivers like Verstappen stay in the sport amid safety and racing concerns.

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The new power units deploy three times more electrical energy than previous generations but struggle with recovery.

The news of Lambiase's departure, which is currently scheduled for the end of 2027, has fueled the belief that Verstappen could quit F1 at the end of this season.

Following an eighth-place finish at last month's Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen said he was considering walking away from F1 before the end of his Red Bull contract, which is due to expire at the end of 2028.

Quotes from 2021, in which Verstappen said he would not work with any other engineer other than Lambiase, have resurfaced in the past 24 hours, leading many to speculate that the four-time world champion is planning his own exit.

But speaking at a rally event this week, Jos Verstappen said his son's future is not directly linked to Lambiase's.

"I think things have changed [since 2021]," he told Racexpress. "Especially after four championships, you have achieved a lot together.

"The last one is up to Max, but I just think he will continue."

Gianpiero Lambiase (right) has been Max Verstappen's race engineer since he joined Red Bull in 2016. Getty

Jos Verstappen, who has been central to the management of Max's career since he first started in go-karts, confirmed that Lambiase's news had not come as a shock.

"We've known it for a while and we also knew when it was going to happen," he added. "So we have another year and a half, let's say two years, to work with him.

"It is a huge opportunity for him and we understand it. We also said, you have to do it, you have to seize it with both hands. And the rest is up to Red Bull to replace him.

"So we'll see."

Verstappen has made no secret of his frustration with F1's new regulations, which have put greater emphasis on power unit performance and diminished driver involvement.

After the last grand prix in Japan, the four-time champion said he was considering leaving F1 at the end of the year due to his dislike of the new generation of cars.

"Of course I try to adapt to it, but it's not nice the way you have to race," the Red Bull driver said. "It's really anti-driving. Then at one point, yeah, it's just not what I want to do."

-FIA and F1 bosses targeting tweaks to 2026 regulations, with focus on 'energy management'
-Max Verstappen's inner circle is unravelling -- and so are Red Bull's hopes of keeping him
-Max Verstappen vs. F1's new rules: Every complaint this season -- and our verdict

But Jos Verstappen believes proposed changes to the rules aimed at reducing the emphasis on managing battery power could be enough to keep his son in F1.

"I think so," he said. "It looks like Formula 1 and the FIA are going to adjust the regulations after all. Look what they can do this year; that will help.

"But I think everyone, the fans, but also the drivers, are complaining bitterly. I think it is good for Formula 1 to get that done too. But I think they know very well what they need to do.

"As a driver, I find it less enjoyable too. Every now and then I'm watching and I turn off the television, because it interests me less. It is not the Formula 1 that Formula 1 stands for.

"Where so much is demanded of the driver, now it is more of an engineering competition where the driver has to lift off a lot. Where they can no longer make the difference as a driver.

"I think that is a shame about Formula 1."

Context:

Jos Verstappen believes Max will stay in F1 despite his race engineer leaving for McLaren in 2027.

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Driver-engineer partnerships are crucial in F1, and changes can significantly impact performance and morale.

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Verstappen has won four championships with Lambiase as his race engineer since joining Red Bull in 2016.

World Rally Championship drivers felt Saturday’s leg of Croatia Rally was too extreme, with conditions unfair and potentially unsafe without more anti-cut devices present.

Returning to the world championship calendar in 2026 after a one-year hiatus in the European Rally Championship, Croatia Rally moved its base from capital city Zagreb to the coastal city of Rijeka.

While three of the event’s 10 stages remain, the other seven are all brand-new to the WRC – and some completely new to rallying altogether.

SS11/14 Generalski Stol – Zdihovo was one of those stages and proved decisive in the event’s narrative, as six of the Rally1 cars punctured on the second pass – including rally leader Sami Pajari and his then third-placed team-mate Takamoto Katsuta.

Elfyn Evans was one of the few drivers to avoid drama, but said at the end of the stage he preferred the “old style” Croatia stages.

The WRC leader told DirtFish: “It’s tough. Obviously, the conditions are something we’re used to, but the problem is when the level of gravel is that much, you have to put your wheels in places that they shouldn’t be and it’s so different to the [pace] notes.

Evans prefers the old Croatia stages, like SS10/15 Ravna Gora - Skrad (pictured)

“OK, we have a gravel crew. But they’ve been under pressure for time as well today; there’s a few delays and they can’t change everything in the end. So I think that the repeat of SS11 was probably one of the more extreme stages we’ve seen on Tarmac for a long time. It’s ruined the rally of many of the guys that were still fighting for good positions.

“So I think it’s not great when it’s like that.”

Asked his preference on the previous Croatia stages, Evans added: “They were also very polluted, but the edges of the road were very different somehow, more soil. So you’ve got pollution, yes, but you didn’t end up with all these rocks and having to cut a crazy amount to try to avoid the gravel.

“I think in the instance of that stage, as much as we don’t really like anti-cuts, it would have been sensible [to have them].”

Oliver Solberg was fastest on both passes of the stage, but felt conditions on the second pass were borderline unsafe.

“It’s a bit too much cutting, too much gravel, and not for the puncture’s sake, but just also a bit for the safety’s sake,” he said. “We’re coming 200 kilometers an hour, full covered gravel and all it takes is one mistake in the gravel through notes or smoke or a little bit through little cuts or something for punctures.

“You don’t want to take all the cuts. So it’s been a tricky day.”

Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville gained the most out of the second running of the stage as the two Toyotas he was fighting with picked up punctures.

“I enjoy the stages but it’s true that some sections are very extreme,” said Neuville. “I think a bit more anti-cutting system would help for that and also be more equal for everybody. It’s easy to put in place and in those places where they are, it works.

“Other than that, I liked the mix of stages from yesterday and today, it’s a very challenging event and I’m enjoying it.”

Team-mate Hayden Paddon felt punctures for two-thirds of the field, including himself, was “probably inevitable” as “all the rocks were in the line, so you had to drive them”.

He added: “I think it’s also that it’s unfair on Hankook because I’ve driven other brands of tires and they would have punctured as well, it would have made no difference. It was the fact the road conditions were not suitable. It needed anti-cuts or something.

“All in all, the rest of the stages were very nice, they’ve got their challenges, I think that one is just a little bit too far.”

No Tarmac tire would've coped with the gravel on the road, said Paddon

Erstwhile leader Pajari, who’s now third and 1m46.4s off the lead, was also asked by DirtFish if SS11/14 should have featured more anti-cuts.

“Maybe on this one particular special stage, I would say it was not fun anymore, it was a bit too much maybe,” the Finn mused. “Especially this first half of the stage. We should have some difficult conditions, it doesn’t need to be too straightforward.”

Reflecting on the emotions of losing sight of a maiden WRC win, Pajari said he felt “not so great” but was “happy to finish the loop because we were in a situation where basically I didn’t have any spare tires left, so I was just really safe on the last two stages.

“But anyway, it’s a really big disappointment and I’m quite gutted for that. It’s also part of the game.”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Croatia Rally, Croatia Rally 2026, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 11, 2026 DirtFish

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WRC drivers criticized Croatia Rally's Saturday stages as too extreme, with excessive gravel causing multiple punctures.

Context:

Poor stage conditions affected two-thirds of the field and potentially compromised safety at high speeds.

Context:

Croatia Rally returns to WRC in 2026 after moving from Zagreb to Rijeka with seven completely new stages.

Takamoto Katsuta has taken his second successive World Rally Championship win – and with it the lead of the drivers’ championship standings – after Thierry Neuville crashed out of the powerstage and lost a near-certain win.

Neuville had inherited the lead from Toyota’s Sami Pajari on Saturday afternoon when the 24-year-old suffered a puncture – along with five other drivers – on stage 14 and had planned to cruise through Sunday to collect the win, with a lead of over a minute over Katsuta in hand heading into the last four stages.

But on the very last stage of the rally Neuville slid wide on loose gravel at a fork in the road and, uncertain whether to stay on the road or take the escape route, made a last-minute reaction to go down the latter.

But doing so led to him clipping a concrete block at the split between the two roads, destroying the front-right suspension on his Hyundai i20 N Rally1.

Neuville attempted to press on but by the second split had already lost enough time to concede the victory. He then parked up near the finish, having been radioed by Hyundai team manager Pablo Marcos to stop, worked on his car for nearly 20 minutes and then crawled to the finish line in 20th place. But with extensive front-right damage, he retired after the finish line.

What was expected to be a victory that lightened the mood at Hyundai turned dark on the rally's final stage

“I can only say sorry to everyone involved,” said Neuville. “Working hard, that’s the only thing I can say. All the rest we will see later. I’ve no explanation at the moment, so, sorry. This cannot happen but we will see exactly what went wrong.”

A confused Katsuta was told in real time at his finish interview that Neuville had crashed, learning he’d won his second rally in a row in the most astounding circumstances.

“I’m sorry for Thierry,” said Katsuta.

Pajari finished second, 20.7s behind Katsuta, with Hayden Paddon taking his first WRC podium since Rally Australia in 2018 in the lead Hyundai.

Such was the level of attrition during the rally that WRC2 winner Yohan Rossel was fourth overall, securing Lancia’s first ever victory in the Rally2 class on its second outing with the new-for-2026 Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale.

Yohan Rossel turned in a dominant performance to clinch Lancia's first WRC2 victory

Rossel’s lead never looked in doubt as he edged ahead of the field throughout the rally, leading home younger brother Léo Rossel in a Citroën C3 Rally2 for fifth overall.

Roope Korhonen had started the day in the final WRC2 podium place but his relative lack of experience on the faster, wider and racetrack-like roads used on Sunday’s pair of stages were his downfall.

The writing was on the wall after the first stage of the day, with plenty of Finnish expletives deployed as he crossed the finish line.

“I don’t know why this kind of road is really f***ing difficult for us, I don’t know,” said a frustrated Korhonen. “We have to go home and learn.”

Nikolay Gryazin, who’d lost a minute aboard the second Lancia on Saturday after his car’s turbo pipe came loose, passed Korhonen for what would later become sixth overall on SS18, then Alejandro Cachón nicked seventh away on the penultimate stage.

“Honestly after yesterday, at the moment feeling is quite bad,” said Korhonen. “But OK, some points for the championship and yesterday the pace was really good in some stages, so of course that’s a positive. Now we know better what kind of things we have to improve. I guess in the next one we are stronger.”

Oliver Solberg crashing out three miles into the rally’s opening stage – understeering into a bank while pushing on hard tires he was unfamiliar with – and then Elfyn Evans suffering a pacenote mixup and going off the road on stage three meant the pair had the ideal road position for the final day’s action.

Solberg bounced back from his stage one shunt to take maximum Sunday points

Six stage wins from eight on Saturday was a precursor to Solberg pulling off a clean sweep on Sunday, taking the maximum 10 points from the Sunday classification and the powerstage. Evans was second-best on both.

“It’s very bittersweet, I have to say,” said Solberg. “My mistake clearly on Friday, I was just too optimistic on that hard tire so for sure that’s not the most clever thing I’ve done. After that I came back to the feeling that I had from shakedown. The pace has been fantastic and the feeling absolutely brilliant.”

Katsuta now leads Evans by seven points in the title race, with Solberg a further six behind. Pajari’s second place has vaulted him to fourth in points, 29 behind Katsuta.

Though he finished outside the top 30 overall Jon Armstrong’s performance suggested he was capable of fighting near the front, coming close to stage wins during the rally. He scored six points on the final day, going third-fastest across all of Sunday’s stages and the powerstage itself.

Adrien Fourmaux’s rally was marred by a string of problems: he was one of the first to suffer a puncture in the Rally1 field and lost a minute and a half on Friday, then retired on Saturday when he clattered into a telegraph pole and ripped the left-rear wheel off his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 on SS12.

Hyundai had the consolation of Hayden Paddon bringing home a podium finish – but its other crews suffered bitter blows

Sunday was no better for Fourmaux, with co-driver Alex Coria’s pacenote book going missing and resorting initially to reading notes off a phone and subsequently using copies of notes provided by their route note crew. He then suffered a puncture on the powerstage, though he still picked up two points for being the fourth-fastest car on Sunday regardless.

“It happened like in SS2 at the beginning of the rally,” said Fourmaux of his powerstage puncture, “We had a puncture somewhere in the line, I did not feel anything. Once again it was on a left hand corner with a wheel on the outside.

“Anyway, a rally to forget for us.”

Fourmaux remains the best-placed Hyundai in the drivers’ championship, 32 points off the pace.

Josh McErlean was another Rally1 driver with no points on the board from Croatia and also suffered throughout: on Saturday he had a starter motor failure, a cockpit fire midway through SS10 and two punctures, but completed every stage regardless.

Words:Alasdair Lindsay

Tags: Croatia Rally, Croatia Rally 2026, Hyundai, Takamoto Katsuta, Thierry Neuville, Toyota, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 12, 2026 DirtFish

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Context:

Neuville's final-stage crash gifted Katsuta his second straight WRC win and championship lead.

Context:

The dramatic reversal shows how quickly fortunes change in motorsport's most unpredictable series.

Context:

Lancia secured their first-ever WRC2 victory with Yohan Rossel's dominant Croatia Rally performance.

Takamoto Katsuta waited 94 events for his first World Rally Championship victory. He waited just one for his second.

After a heartfelt debut win at last month’s Safari Rally Kenya, the emotions couldn’t have been more different in Croatia.

Katsuta couldn’t celebrate – he didn’t want to. What he felt, above all else, was sorrow for the driver who everybody expected to arrive to the stop-line the victor.

Thierry Neuville’s mistake on the powerstage enabled Katsuta to take his second WRC win and move into the lead of the world championship, which is not the way the Japanese driver wished to win.

He told DirtFish: “It’s really crazy to be honest. I did not know anything about that [Neuville’s off] until the finish and I was being interviewed by Molly [Pettit]. Then Molly just suddenly said that he had an issue and then someone told me I won the rally.

It took Katsuta a few moments to make sense of what had happened to Neuville on the powerstage

“Honestly, I don’t know… maybe you could see also that I was not really happy. Even [though] I heard I won the rally, I didn’t feel that I should celebrate or anything because I was so sad for Thierry and Martijn [Wydaeghe], and the Hyundai guys.

“I know how much hard work [is being put in] behind [the scenes] for all of them that’s why maybe… and also I have been many times in the low side as well so I really feel the pain. This is why I was not really feeling so well after the stage.”

Katsuta has made WRC history however, becoming the first Japanese driver to win back-to-back WRC events and to lead the championship.

“Yeah, that’s nice,” he confessed. “Let’s say that’s for the team, so I’m happy if the team is happy.

Katsuta leads the drivers' standings by seven points over Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans

“Of course, my own emotion, my own feeling is a bit mixed, like I said. But still, I must be happy for the team. So yeah, a crazy week and a crazy end.

“In terms of our own season, so far it’s going well, so we just need to keep focus and doing what we can and improve where I can. That’s the most important for now.”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Croatia Rally, Croatia Rally 2026, Takamoto Katsuta, Theirry Neuville, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 12, 2026 DirtFish

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Katsuta won his second WRC victory after Neuville's powerstage crash, but felt too sad to celebrate properly.

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This shows the sportsmanship that defines rally racing, where drivers deeply respect each other's efforts and struggles.

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Katsuta became the first Japanese driver to win consecutive WRC events and lead the championship standings.

Brandon Semenuk will contest next week’s Olympus Rally presented by DirtFish at the wheel of a Ford Fiesta Rally2.

The four-time American champion finally confirmed his participation in the third round of this year’s ARA National Championship late on Saturday night. He will test the car on Tuesday ahead of the start of what many are predicting to be the biggest event in American rally history since the World Rally Championship departed the US in 1988.

“Olympus is the best rally in America, hands down,” Semenuk told DirtFish. “Back in January, I was thinking about renting a car for a rally in America and it was always going to be Olympus – it’s such a big deal with the 40th anniversary of the 1986 event. I thought the moment had passed and really didn’t expect a deal to come together so late.”

Semenuk will drive a Fiesta supplied by American driver Steven Redd and run by Dan Antcil’s Proworx operation.

“I’ve got to say a very big thanks to Steven and to Dan,” Semenuk continued. “Steven’s meticulous about the car and, obviously, Dan knows all about running cars in ARA. I worked with him for a long time at Subaru and he’s been the guy pushing to make this happen for a while.”

Confirming his plans less than a week before the start leaves Semenuk short on seat time in the car ahead of an event where he will be competing against Toyota star Jari-Matti Latvala.

The Canadian, who has won Olympus with Subaru for the last four years, added: “I haven’t raced in eight months and coming into this event on the back of so little preparation… I’m going to drive this one for myself. It’s great to be around an event where Jari-Matti [Latvala] is competing, but this is a new car I’m not familiar with on [Pirelli] tires I haven’t run before, working with a new engineer – it’s kind of a stressful situation.

“So I’m going to enjoy this one. I’ve been working flat-out on bike stuff and I’ve really missed driving a rally car. It’s awesome to be back and to be back with Keaton [Williams, co-driver] and I’m super-grateful to him too – he was working Olympus in his team manager role with Standard Motorsport until a couple of days ago.

“Keaton and I have been talking about this for a few days, he’s been sending me some stuff and between him, Dan and Steven, I said: ‘OK, it looks like we’re doing this thing.’”

Since landing his fourth straight title with Subaru last season, Semenuk has been clear that he wants to pursue a European-based program in an effort to build on the second place he scored on his maiden Finnish Rally Championship outing, driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 in Kouvola last year.

“That’s still the priority,” he said. “When I left Subaru, I didn’t want to just be sitting around – I want to be out in a Rally2 car in Europe. That’s another big appeal of doing Olympus: it’s the chance of 200 miles of competition on great roads and that’s a lot of seat time in one of these cars.

“Like I said, I don’t really know where I’m going to be. This is Olympus, on these roads you have to be on the ragged edge, committed everywhere and really pushing to make the times. I’m just happy to be back in the car.”

Olympus Rally presented by DirtFish starts from Olympia on Friday afternoon. The sell-out entry will tackle 18 stages and 200 miles across the next two and a half days.

Words:David Evans

Tags: ARA, ARA 2026, Brandon Semenuk, Olympus Rally, Olympus Rally 2026

Publish Date April 12, 2026 DirtFish

https://dirtfish-editorial.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/2026/04/MdVcrU87-TrevorLyden-Olympus2025-36642-780x520.jpg April 12, 2026

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Katsuta “so sad” for Neuville after powerstage shunt

Context:

Four-time American champion Brandon Semenuk makes surprise late entry for Olympus Rally in Ford Fiesta Rally2.

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This marks the biggest American rally event since WRC left the US in 1988, featuring Toyota's Jari-Matti Latvala.

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Semenuk previously won Olympus four straight years with Subaru before pursuing European Rally2 opportunities.

Hyundai couldn’t believe it. Nobody could.

Thierry Neuville had over one minute in hand starting the powerstage, but a mistake early on the stage – getting caught out on gravel and then attempting to run down an escape road, only to clip some concrete and wreck his front-right suspension – handed victory to Toyota and Takamoto Katsuta.

Neuville made it to the end of the stage but retired the car.

“I can only say sorry to everyone involved,” said Neuville. “Working hard, that’s the only thing I can say. All the rest we will see later. I’ve no explanation at the moment, so, sorry. This cannot happen but we will see exactly what went wrong.”

Neuville limped to the end after some roadside repairs but retired after the powerstage finish control

Hyundai sporting director Andrew Wheatley talked DirtFish through things from the team’s perspective.

“I remember being with Jari-Matti [Latvala] when he crashed in Poland [2009] on the finish and, honestly, this one’s harder,” Wheatley said, “because at that point it was another win that we lost. This one was needed. We needed this one.

“We came to this rally knowing that our pace wasn’t where we need to be. And honestly, it’s not where we can be. We know that there’s more to come but, I don’t know how, we found a way to keep pushing step, step, step, step, step until we got to a place where yesterday afternoon we sat back and thought this could be fantastic – and for a day and a half it pretty much was.

“And if we’re in a position and you say which driver in the top 10 is going to make a mistake on the last stage, it’s not Thierry. It’s not Thierry. And it’s definitely not Thierry with a minute in his pocket. We just genuinely couldn’t believe it.

Hyundai mission control in the service park could only look on in desperation as defeat was grasped from the jaws of victory

“But there’s two things that we need to be very clear on. First of all, we have to celebrate the small success and we have Hayden [Paddon] and John [Kennard] on the podium, which is a fantastic story. So this is, for me, important because we should be positively engaged with that.

“And the second thing is that we’re disappointed today, we’ll be disappointed tonight, but tomorrow morning we have to start again because we’re four rounds into a 14 round championship. We know we have the performance in the second half of the year to make a difference.

“We know we have to get to the second half of the year and we need to really redouble our efforts and make sure we come with the best opportunity we can.”

When it was pointed out to him that Neuville should’ve slowed down more on the loose gravel, Wheatley rebuffed: “He did slow down. The thing is we have no comprehension of the pressure that goes on inside that car. We have no comprehension.

“They are human beings at the end of the day,” he added. “And yes, it’s incredibly… it’s just not something that we would expect from Thierry. But mistakes happen. What’s most important is how we react and what we do in the next 24 hours will make a difference in the next six months.”

The resilience of Hyundai's personnel has been tested yet again by this latest setback

Neuville’s struggled for form and feeling behind the wheel since last season, but commented throughout the Croatia Rally weekend that his feeling had improved.

The last thing he needed was a hammerblow like this.

“I’ve only been in this team for six months and what I’ve seen is remarkable, remarkable resilience from people in the team. They’ve been kicked quite hard and they keep bouncing back,” Wheatley continued.

“And I’ll be honest with you, I think Thierry will take this hard. He’ll take it personally. He knows. Nobody can put more pressure on Thierry than Thierry can put on himself. It’s impossible. But I also know he has the heart of a lion and he will be the first to be at the debrief tonight to work out what we do to come back tomorrow so that when we come to Canaries with the best chance that we can.

“We know Canary Islands is going to be tough it’s going to be really difficult – it’s exactly where we don’t want to be for the next rally. But we also know that Portugal’s coming and we can be competitive in Portugal.”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Andrew Wheatley, Croatia Rally 2026, Hyundai, Thierry Neuville, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 12, 2026 DirtFish

https://dirtfish-editorial.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/2026/04/IL20260412163946-2026croatia_hem_296-scaled-780x520.jpg April 12, 2026

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Context:

Neuville crashed with a minute lead on the final stage, handing victory to Toyota's Katsuta.

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This costly error highlights the immense pressure drivers face even with commanding leads.

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Hyundai is only four rounds into a 14-round championship with performance potential ahead.

Lambiase, who is best known for being Max Verstappen’s long-serving F1 race engineer, has elected to switch to McLaren when his current contract with Red Bull ends.

That currently will be, as Red Bull made clear in a statement it issued on Thursday, April 9, after the 2027 season concludes.

However, in situations where senior staff are switching camps, it is common for deals to be done for early transitions – which can either be fast-tracked with financial sweeteners or as a trade for other personnel movements that may be taking place.

This is why McLaren has been much less definitive about the timing of Lambiase’s arrival – as its ‘no later’ reference suggested that there were clearly some grounds for it to hope it can get hold of him earlier.

Lambiase's new role

In its first official confirmation of the capture of Lambiase, McLaren announced that the British-Italian will be taking the role of chief racing officer – a title that team boss Andrea Stella has held himself since he took over.

However, with it clear that the job of team principal has become increasingly complex as demands on time increase, Stella and CEO Zak Brown have been pondering how to strengthen the organisation to help free Stella up.

Lambiase was singled out as an obvious target, and a push by Brown in particular to head off interest from rival squad Aston Martin over the winter succeeded - with a deal agreed many weeks ago.

The idea is not, as some have suggested, that Lambiase is being signed as a direct replacement for Stella – with speculation going as far as suggesting he could be heading to pastures new with Ferrari.

Instead, it is very much about Lambiase coming in to help support Stella on race weekend operations and work with him – with the pair having clear divisions of responsibility.

As McLaren outlined on Thursday, Lambiase will report directly into Stella.

Speculation that Stella is poised to leave the squad and depart for Ferrari has been dismissed by McLaren insiders – who are clear that the Italian is super happy not only with what the team is achieving on track but also how well the structure has come together inside the team to help it evolve and grow.

McLaren was clear that both Brown and Stella are “both on long-term contracts”, which heads off talk of any imminent departure from either of them.

Adding strength

Lambiase is one of a series of high-profile signings that McLaren has made – which includes former Red Bull staff members Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay – to help bolster leading talent that it has also successfully kept hold of.

The top-level recruitment in recent years has certainly taken advantage of Red Bull’s problems – and has been very targeted in helping address areas where McLaren itself feels it has fallen short of what is needed to be fighting for regular championships.

With Marshall and Courtenay, for example, McLaren's technical struggles until a Stella-led reshuffle, and repeated mis-steps on race execution even as it won races and titles, made it obvious that there were gains to be had by recruiting from outside.

Lambiase will now help bolster the trackside leadership, adding depth and experience, as well as free up Stella for areas of his role where his time can be better spent.

Since Stella became team principal his intensity has been apparent across all aspects of the job. For example he approaches post-race media sessions with the same kind of energy and focus as when he is in technical briefings, and keeping this up for 24 races per year is not easy.

Inevitably, there has been early speculation that Lambiase is going to McLaren as a short-term or eventual successor as team principal – the latter of which could well turn out to be true over the long haul, even though it is not part of the plan right now.

But there has been no indication that McLaren is unhappy with Stella, nor that Stella would want to leave. 

Stella has been a fantastic leader for the organisation since his slightly surprising promotion at the end of 2022 following Andreas Seidl’s sudden departure.

He is incredibly well respected, and was quick to demonstrate that he was far more than a convenient caretaker option.

The Italian commands authority within the team and across the paddock, and has clearly left his fingerprints on the organisation through technical restructures, subsequent organisational changes, and the installation of a clear culture and driver management philosophy.

However controversial that proved in 2025, it ultimately resulted in McLaren winning both championships last year, keeping both its drivers on-side in the process.

Where McLaren could get a huge win here is if Stella remains free and energised to focus on big-picture team leadership while effectively delegating significant trackside responsibilities to someone he can trust and who the team will react well to. 

Lambiase, as an engineering mind with considerable experience and respect, arrives in a similar mould to Stella.

He comes from outside the organisation, though, which does matter. 

Stella earned his standing by knowing McLaren intimately and being known and respected through many years of gradually assuming more responsibility after joining from Ferrari in 2015.

Lambiase will command respect by virtue of who he is and what he has achieved, but he will still need to learn the organisation, understand how to get the best out of it, and build effective working relationships throughout.

Context:

Lambiase joins McLaren as chief racing officer to support Stella, not replace him, arriving by 2028.

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This strengthens McLaren's leadership depth as F1 team principal roles become increasingly demanding.

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Lambiase joins other ex-Red Bull stars Marshall and Courtenay in McLaren's targeted recruitment drive.

Bulega's two years of WorldSBK title contention under the Ducati banner in 2024 and 2025 had resurrected a MotoGP dream he'd had to abandon after struggling in Moto2. Though he'd lost out in both title races to Toprak Razgatlioglu (now a Pramac Yamaha MotoGP rider), Bulega cemented himself as a major Ducati asset - and successfully negotiated a Ducati renewal that also granted him a MotoGP test role, with a view of a potential category switch for 2027.

He would be 27 at that moment, but MotoGP's impending change from Michelin to Pirelli (the current tyre supplier in WorldSBK) was positioned as both a convenient reset for any rookie and a potential advantage for the likes of Bulega and Razgatlioglu specifically.

None of that has really changed, and Bulega has been holding up his end of the bargain. He impressed standing in for Marc Marquez in two MotoGP rounds and the MotoGP post-season test last year, and - as the overwhelming title favourite - has gone six wins out of six in the 2026 WorldSBK season so far.

1 Nicolo Bulega 124 points
2 Iker Lecuona 68 points
3 Axel Bassani 60 points

Those six wins have come by an average margin of 4.206s, with Bulega leading 101 of the 104 race laps. He was in a different zipcode to the rest of the field in the Phillip Island opener, though faced a somewhat sterner challenge from particularly new team-mate Iker Lecuona last time out at Portimao.

However, that kind of form is exactly what was expected going into the season - and Bulega's camp is suggesting that it is not currently proving sufficient to enable a glide path to MotoGP.

Manager Alberto Martinelli told Italian publication GPone that "the situation is complicated" and that there is no offer on the table right now to take Bulega to MotoGP.

He also acknowledged: "Nicolo isn't the first choice - otherwise, it'd be done already. We have to be ready if a spot opens up.

"At Ducati, it seems like almost all the bikes are assigned already. Maybe one left - but it depends on a lot of factors."

Ducati is expected to retain a six-bike presence on the 2027 grid, with VR46 and Gresini backing up the factory team, despite Gresini's reported recent discontent and apparent conversations with Honda.

Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta are due to form the factory line-up, and Fermin Aldeguer will have extended his Ducati contract to compete for VR46 - rather than current team Gresini - next year.

The change of teams for Aldeguer is putting Gresini in a tough spot, but the team is thought to be keen on a line-up of Moto2 star Dani Holgado and past Gresini favourite Enea Bastianini - with Holgado reportedly already signed.

So the one seat "maybe left" is either the one tipped for Bastianini or Gresini, or the one at VR46 alongside Aldeguer. The latter, however, has an incumbent in Fabio Di Giannantonio, who has started 2026 in career-best form.

VR46 chief Uccio Salucci told Sky Italy at the most recent MotoGP round that a formal offer to continue will soon be made to Di Giannantonio.

To accommodate Bulega, either Di Giannantonio would have to be poached by Yamaha (they're known to have talked) or another manufacturer - or Ducati would have to make it worth either VR46's or Gresini's while to go against their own line-up preferences.

In Gresini's case, that would look particularly complicated - as the team would surely resist a full pivot to an all-rookie line-up, given it currently enjoys a pairing of proven MotoGP winners in Aldeguer and the KTM-bound Alex Marquez.

Unlike Bastianini (who has produced a timely light-at-the-end-of-tunnel performance at COTA) and Di Giannantonio (who has been electric), Bulega can't do much at all to raise his MotoGP stock at the moment - he cannot surprise by winning in WorldSBK, only by losing.

His management has hinted at exploring options outside of Ducati, but MotoGP-wise, that seems a reach - given it's Ducati, he will be doing new 850cc bike testing for rather than any of its rivals.

It now seems a lot more plausible that Bulega will have to be content with further building up his WorldSBK legacy instead - which could be good or bad for him, but is certainly very bad for other WorldSBK riders with short- or medium-term title aspirations.

Context:

Bulega's perfect WorldSBK start isn't enough to secure a MotoGP seat due to limited available spots.

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This shows how competitive MotoGP has become, where even dominant champions struggle to find rides.

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At 27 in 2027, Bulega would be older than most MotoGP rookies when he potentially makes the switch.

Test rider Taka Nakagami took to the track on a development tyre from the Pirelli in a video posted to social media by the team.

Honda ran a front tyre on its new 850cc bike (presumably set to be called the RC214V) with grooves cut into one side of it to help the tyre reach its operating temperature more quickly, and The Race's sources in the paddock have confirmed that this marks the start of more extensive testing with Pirelli ahead of its replacement of Michelin as exclusive premier class tyre supplier next season.

It’s believed that Nakagami concentrated mainly on the Pirelli tyres during the test at the Malaysian Grand Prix circuit, as Pirelli increases its development pace ahead of the full MotoGP grid getting its first outing on the tyres at the post-race test at Brno in mid-June.

Honda already acknowledged the first proper test outing of the new 850cc machine earlier this month, also at Sepang, with former MotoGP racer Nakagami taking on the brunt of the bike's development work while fellow retired racer Aleix Espargaro has been concentrating on continuing the impressive progress of the current 1000cc machine.

However, that plan is likely to change considerably in the coming months following a major crash for Espargaro at the test, which is likely to rule him out of test rider action for some months.

The one-time MotoGP title contender crashed heavily on Tuesday, suffering four broken vertebrae.

Having escaped without spinal-cord damage, he has been medically repatriated back to Spain to understand whether he will need surgery to fully repair the fractures.

Context:

Honda's test reveals Pirelli's grooved development tyres ahead of replacing Michelin in 2027 MotoGP season.

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This marks the crucial transition from Michelin to Pirelli as MotoGP's exclusive tyre supplier next year.

Context:

Espargaro's crash with four broken vertebrae may significantly alter Honda's testing plans going forward.

The FIA has just published a landmark research document that, for the first time, delves into the scale and importance of its volunteers that help in the running of F1 weekends.

Analysing the involvement of unpaid officials - from flag marshals and observers to extrication teams and medical personnel - the work conducted by the FIA University has shone a light on the scale of structure in place.

It has found that it takes an average of 838 volunteers to help organise and run each round of the F1 world championship, which means more 20,000 individuals need to be called upon over the course of a season.

The costs for FIA member clubs associated with recruiting, training and delivering this army of assistance is $12.9m.

But more interestingly, the research has shown that, if an industry standard replacement labour cost was calculated to hire people professionally rather than use volunteers, it would cost at least an extra $15.5m over the course of a year.

The size of the logistical operations, and the increased workload being placed on individuals who often have to take unpaid annual leave to help work on race weekends, has prompted the FIA to be more mindful about future-proofing its operations.

The report said: "These findings make clear that the continued excellence of the F1 world championship depends on moving from an ad-hoc reliance on volunteer goodwill toward a more systematic and professional model of volunteer management."

The report lays out some key recommendations to be acted upon, which include the need to centralise training, research and evaluation as well as have an expanded race operations centre.

It added that: “The FIA would benefit from a dedicated officials department with a series of full-time roles to support the work of the unit.”

The FIA is already investing around $400,000 per year in its high performance programme to help train up future officials, and funding is set to increase in the future.

Furthermore, it has been suggested that the governing body continues to advance plans for a dedicated officials training centre, to be called the centre of excellence.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said the report simply confirmed how valuable the contribution from volunteers was to the running of F1.

"The FIA Formula 1 world championship relies on volunteers," he said. "They are the backbone of our sport - without them we simply could not go racing.

"They ensure our competitions are safe and fair. They act with professionalism and pride, and they support drivers, teams and fans.

"The FIA deeply values their contribution and this landmark report not only delivers vital insights into their role but recognises our significant investment and helps the FIA continue to provide support in the most effective ways."

Context:

F1 relies on 838 volunteers per race weekend, saving the sport $15.5 million annually in labor costs.

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This massive volunteer dependency highlights F1's need for better workforce sustainability as the sport grows.

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The FIA spends $400,000 yearly training officials and plans a dedicated "center of excellence" facility.

Some of the new regulations have worked well and some need addressing, which is why a series of meetings have been planned for the weeks before the Miami Grand Prix to try to revamp things.

Three races in, it is fair to say that drivers and teams have been on an incredible journey of discovery as they have unlocked their fair share of quirks with the new cars.

Here we look at 10 bizarre elements that have caught our attention so far this year, ranging from amusing glitches to dangerous flaws that need urgent action.

Accidental overtakes

Love it or hate it, a lot has been said about F1's new yo-yo style of racing.

But one of the strangest aspects of this fresh way of battling is that sometimes drivers have made passes by accident.

The most recent example was Lando Norris in the Japanese GP, when he found himself accidentally overtaking Lewis Hamilton.

Norris had fallen foul of an algorithm that drivers first became aware of in qualifying (more below) where, in backing off to avoid running into the back of Hamilton's Ferrari, he had automatically triggered a different engine configuration.

No longer in a power-limited mode, when he got back on the throttle his battery deployed a lot more than he wanted.

That was enough to carry him past Hamilton, but left him with an empty battery for the following straight - so he was quickly overtaken again.

It's why Norris has pointed to the racing, while exciting on TV, not being as "authentic" as it appears.

What's wrecking qualifying laps

One of the strangest behaviours of the new cars this year has been how power units are automatically getting switched into different engine modes just because of a brief lift of the throttle.

There are rules that dictate a minimum amount of power must be deployed if a driver gets above 98% of throttle.

So if a driver lifts off for a moment - to correct a slide, for example, or because they have hit a bump and their foot has moved, as happened to Kimi Antonelli in Australia - when they get back on the accelerator they are powerless to stop extra battery power being burned through.

This is what derailed that Australia effort from Antonelli, thwarted a sprint qualifying lap from Charles Leclerc in China, and triggered Norris's accidental overtake of Hamilton in Japan.

Burning through extra energy means there is an immediate speed boost, but then a lack of deployment several corners later.

Speaking after what happened to him in China, Leclerc said: "It's a little bit silly to lose half a second just because of a very small lift at some point."

Turn it on and off again

With complicated rules and brand new technology, it was inevitable that there were going to be some computer glitches.

But teams still appear to be discovering more - and some software bugs are proving extremely costly when they put drivers into the wrong engine modes or even stop the cars totally.

For example, in the Japanese GP, George Russell lost a position to Charles Leclerc (and with it a shot at the podium) when his car suddenly switched into super clipping mode - when a car is at reduced speed because it is harvesting power at full throttle.

The cause of this was revealed later to have been an anomaly.

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin explained that there had been a bug in the software, triggered by a button press and a gear shift happening at the same time.

There have been times when teams have been so baffled by what is happening to their cars that their only course of action has been to do what we do to our computers at home: switch them off and switch them back on again.

The algorithm is king

Energy management algorithms are proving to be king with the F1 2026 cars, as computer code cleverly dictates how best to spend the sparse battery power over a lap.

There is also a bit of self-learning here, too, because the systems refine the deployment patterns lap to lap based on what a driver is doing - adjusting where and how power is deployed for maximum performance.

But while this is all well and good if drivers follow exactly what the computer plans for, it leaves little room for freedom.

If a driver lifts off in the wrong place, or takes a corner slightly faster and therefore does not recover as much energy, then their whole lap may be ruined because of it.

That is because the computer will already have burned up energy that it otherwise thought would not be needed later on in the lap.

Drivers can no longer properly think on their feet because computers are deciding more than before.

Keeping up the revs for starts

F1's race starts have a very different build-up this year, with high-revving cars sat stationary for much longer than had been normal in the past.

This is down to the new power units that no longer feature the MGU-H, the energy recovery system that made use of hot exhaust gases.

The MGU-H was previously called upon at race starts to help spool up the turbo and ensure cars could get away at their optimum performance.

With the MGU-H gone, things are now much more difficult and drivers have to rev their cars for around 10 seconds to get their turbos into the right window.

Getting that done consistently proved so hard in pre-season testing that the FIA reacted to fears of accidents and changed the procedure before the lights come on.

There is now an extra five-second pre-start window for drivers to rev their cars, but we're still seeing major differences in the quality of the launches.

Formation lap burnout headaches

As part of F1's rules package, drivers are restricted in terms of how much energy they are allowed to harvest on each lap.

This limit is also in place for the formation lap before the start, which has triggered its fair share of headaches.

With batteries getting rapidly charged under braking, and drained when accelerating, the normal stop-and-go formation lap antics to warm the brakes and heat the rear tyres are leaving drivers exposed to quickly burning through their recharge limit.

Antonelli and Russell found in Australia that they had hit the harvesting ceiling before the end of the formation lap. There, neither could charge their batteries anymore nor do any burnouts, meaning they had cold tyres and, subsequently, poor starts.

The recharge limit has also proved difficult for drivers to adjust to for safety car restarts as well, because too much braking and accelerating induces the risk of getting close to the ceiling.

This is exactly what caught out Russell in Japan, as he was left without enough battery power to defend from Hamilton at the restart following the safety car for Ollie Bearman's big crash.

Shutting cars down to boost quali laps

A truly bizarre trick has been used by some teams this season to boost qualifying laps, using an emergency procedure to shut some of the power unit down.

F1 cars are supposed to follow a steady ramp down reduction in battery deployment levels down the straights - typically dropping away from the maximum 350kW in 50kW steps every one second - to help avoid the risks of a sudden, cliff-edge drop-off from full to zero power in an instant.

But Mercedes and Red Bull have found a way to keep running flat-out for longer, and avoid this ramp-down, in the final dash to the line on a qualifying lap. This means more power for longer to help shave off a bit more laptime.

They do this by activating an emergency measure that allows them to instantly switch off the MGU-K and go from the full 350kW down to zero. The consequence of this is that the MGU-K must then go into shutdown mode for 60 seconds.

That is rarely a problem for cooldown laps but, as has been seen several times now, including for Alex Albon in practice in Japan, it can cause cars to stop on track if the drivers are not ultra-careful in how they use their throttle.

The vanishing 50km/h on the straights

The dramatic speed drop-off that the F1 2026 cars suffer on long straights has been labelled as soul-destroying by Norris.

Whereas it was not uncommon for the previous generation of cars to hit top speed towards the end of a straight before they ran out of battery and slowed slightly before the corners, things are much more extreme now.

The Australian and Japanese GPs showed the worst of this as the cars dropped up to 50km/h from their peak speed halfway down the straights when they approached quick corners, where a change of active aero mode added to the woes.

The way that this speed drop-off looks and sounds from onboard cameras has become one of the aspects of the new rules that fans are particularly unhappy about.

It is no wonder that addressing this issue - to try to find ways for cars to reach top speed much nearer the end of straights - is one of the key targets of the meetings set before the Miami GP.

Terrifying closing speeds

The speed drop-offs at the end of straights, triggered either by cars running out of battery power or the need to harvest energy, has been one of the biggest safety concerns.

It is leading to situations where there are huge closing speeds, with the car in front slowing dramatically while the one behind potentially uses a bit more boost. There can be differences of around 50km/h in these moments.

It was this exact circumstance of cars on different energy deployment patterns that contributed to Bearman's huge Japanese GP crash.

The Haas driver had been caught out by the speed at which he caught the slower Alpine of Franco Colapinto ahead of him and took avoiding action. That put him on the grass, where he lost control and then spun off into the barriers at 308km/h.

That incident has highlighted that some of the quirks of these cars can have very dangerous consequences, which is why some fixes are needed urgently.

Slower is faster

The new generation of F1 cars have triggered a big rethink compared to previous eras, because there are times when it is actually quicker to go slower, even in qualifying.

The gains that can be had by harvesting a bit more energy on the way into a corner, and delaying getting on the throttle out of it, can be quite substantial when it comes to giving a driver a power boost on the straight afterwards.

Minimum speeds still count for a lot, but drivers are having to think a lot more about which corners are worth attacking on, and where it is better to take it easy.

Until the rules change, it means flat-out attacking qualifying laps are a thing of the past.

Context:

F1's 2026 cars feature energy algorithms that can accidentally trigger overtakes and ruin qualifying laps.

Context:

These quirks highlight how computer control is reshaping racing authenticity and driver skill requirements.

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Teams are literally turning cars off and on again to fix software bugs during races.

Not unnaturally, it is being generally perceived through the lens of the already-disgruntled Max Verstappen losing his race engineer and what the implications of that may be upon the driver’s future. In the kaleidoscope of factors Verstappen will be considering in deciding that future, the loss of such a key ally would surely be in there.

But Lambiase isn’t moving immediately. He’s not – so far – even scheduled to be on gardening leave and is still set to be working at Red Bull for the next two seasons. Verstappen is talking of not continuing beyond this season, so whether his race engineer will still be there two years down the line would not, on the surface of things, seem to be relevant. As things stand, Verstappen is contracted to the end of 2028, with Lambiase scheduled to be there until part-way through ’28. 

However, the reality of Lambiase’s situation may be somewhat different. With McLaren and Red Bull clearly co-ordinating the wording of their announcements about Lambiase, it would not be at all surprising if McLaren’s initial, “[We] look forward to welcoming Gianpiero Lambiase when his existing contract ends, no later than 2028,” is just the opening negotiating position for the terms of his earlier release into his new role of McLaren’s chief racing officer. 

If, for example, the two teams reached an agreement for him to begin his new role from the start of next season, the difference in timing from the original announcement would not be unprecedented. In that event, we might expect him to begin serving his gardening leave as soon as that negotiation between the teams was completed. Verstappen will be fully apprised of all this. 

Verstappen’s decision about whether or not he continues in F1 next season will not be dictated by the identity of his race engineer alone, but obviously, their connection has become a close one, and it will be just one more tick in Max’s minus column.

Similarly, although Lambiase has made his name in guiding Verstappen to four world titles and dozens of grand prix victories, he is ambitious in his own right and not just as an extension of Verstappen. The departure of Jonathan Wheatley from the team as sporting director at the end of 2024 created the room to give Lambiase the more senior role (head of race engineering) he had been pushing for (while overlapping his race engineer role with Verstappen). Had Wheatley not left, Lambiase may well have departed before now to seek a more senior role elsewhere. His reputation has been built to the extent that he has been pursued by several other teams for such roles. 

At 46 years old, it’s prime time for him to forge onwards with his career. The role of chief racing officer at McLaren effectively makes him deputy team principal there, the next in line for the team boss role should Andrea Stella ever decide to move on. It’s a brilliant opportunity for Lambiase and de-couples him from forever being seen as an adjunct to Verstappen. 

The impetus of this move has come from Lambiase. It would be wrong to assume it to be about Verstappen’s future plans. 

Context:

Lambiase's McLaren move is career-driven ambition, not tied to Verstappen's F1 future decisions.

Context:

This signals top talent mobility in F1 and potential leadership changes at major teams.

Context:

Lambiase helped guide Verstappen to four world titles and dozens of grand prix victories at Red Bull.

From DS and Maserati, Stellantis has chosen to introduce Citroen this season, and Opel next, in a quest to reinvigorate its title-winning glory from the Gen2 era.

Why Stellantis is consolidating

Stellantis, through its Citroen and now Opel brands, has renewed, and, in many people’s eyes, has enhanced its commitment to Formula E. 

To some, that is a surprise considering that the automotive behemoth announced €22.2 billion of charges in February as it pulls back its electric-vehicle forecasts. The move was seen as the company managing investment between EVs and petrol products while facing prolific and cheaper Chinese rivals in addition to volatile trade obstacles.

Yet, the ownership of the licence that Citroen races under is still in a state of considerable flux. The Race understands that an intricate and potentially contentious solution is presently in the pipeline and awaiting for final legal detail approval before being officially actioned. Should that come off, which many expect it to in the coming weeks, then Citroen should be in a much more solid position heading into Gen4.

That’s not to say it isn’t already, because compared to the messy spectacle of Maserati in 2025 it is in a decent place. It’s just more that the foundations needed to be solidified so the entrant will enhance its standing for the next four years and give it added political and commercial standing. 

The exit of the largely successful DS Automobiles brand was mostly no surprise after a decade of competition but its legacy expertise will be important for Stellantis as Gen4 ramps up to a likely December start.

“I think generally there's a continuity in the approach on the knowledge of what we've been gathering with DS for all those years,” new Stellantis Motorsport CEO, Olivier Jansonnie told The Race. 

“Now we're looking at how to transfer that at best with the new brands. There's actually new commerce from the brands, marketing perspective, marketing strategy, and commercial strategy.

“We have this consistency of what we learned and the knowledge and experience of Formula E. And then there are different setups which we're trying to always refine and optimise to enter Gen4 in the best possible way for competitiveness.”

Jansonnie (above), a highly talented engineer, also knows how to dig in and fight. He was a key figure in the Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar programme from 2023-25, a programme that had more than its fair share of challenges. But the project survived and word within that brand which Jansonnie helped to protect the Peugeot project for its continuation beyond 2024.

Technically adept and knowing the value and importance of aligning brands with sporting programmes, Jansonnie already feels like a details guy in the often intricate and increasingly politically charged backstreets of Formula  E. 

Is Stellantis already ahead? 

The Stellantis development testing of the Gen4 is, like its competitors, at a very early stage but the indications from each of the two group tests so far, held at Monteblanco and Almeira, are that it hit the ground running with its new package. 

Nick Cassidy, Andre Lotterer and Theo Pourchaire have done the bulk of the testing so far and the initial indications are that Stellantis and Porsche are leading the way in both reliability, pace and understanding of the new Gen4 challenge. 

What is not known for sure is how much of its actual Gen4 powertrain has been used in the back of the spec Gen4 hardware. But if it has a hybrid set-up it is not alone as all bar Jaguar are believed to have at least a mixture of Gen3 and Gen4 components in its powertrain cluster.

One other advantage that Stellantis should be able to exploit is its experience with cars that have used active differential set-ups before in conjunction with multiple control systems management and all-wheel drive. That was part and parcel of where Citroen in WRC and Opel in the ADAC Electric Rally Cup have been technically so strong in the recent past, and these are traits and capabilities it will be keen to exploit, and quickly.

We may already be seeing Stellantis showing it has a head start in this area, where it has in-house knowledge and expertise, whereas as some other manufacturers have to outsource more readily.

Driver juggling skills 

Stellantis has an impressive and large pool of drivers that it will strategise in the Gen4 era.

Its most recent star signing Nick Cassidy has already delivered a first pole and win for Citroen and long ago justified his acquisition from Jaguar. His former Big Cat team-mate Mitch Evans is likely to follow as Opel’s own big name signing soon. That is more than just a potent pair of Kiwis, it’s a brace of formidable and driven winners very capable of fighting for their own personal first title successes.

Beyond that, Jean-Eric Vergne brings experience and guile, even if he is suffering a fallow period results wise. Theo Pourchaire is clearly the bright young thing that Stellantis believe in, and one that will undoubtedly have a Formula E racing career at some stage, potentially as Evans’ partner next season. 

Stellantis tried out former Red Bull junior single-seater racer Tim Tramnitz at the start of 2026 but his signing to BMW as a factory driver means he is highly unlikely to factor now in Formula E with Opel. 

Yet there could be more drivers in the pipeline too. Jansonnie says that the selection and management of that part of the business is a very collaborative affair.

“We do it completely combined (between Stellantis and its brands) but there's a lot of different constraints to this,” he tells The Race. 

“Some are brand decisions, sporting, and obviously capacity in general but everything we're doing is combined. You see our brands are very much involved in what we're doing and It's very much a brand project and has to be a brand project overall.” 

Stellantis Motorsport is also acutely aware that any calendar clashes between Formula E and in particular the 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship could potentially also impact its drivers and teams.

“Calendar-wise, you clearly can't tell and this year, there's no clash, so it should be pretty smooth,” Jansonnie added. 

“It's a super busy calendar, so you've got to have somebody who's completely committed to it.  That's the cons but there are some pros. They are that you drive quite a lot, you experience different things, and that can also be good for some drivers. So, it's a very personal thing. 

“I don't see any negatives. There's always a choice to be made with the driver that's very specific. We try to build stronger models, basically and we try to adapt to different models, but still, we keep the continuity of what we try to learn.”

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Stellantis doubles down on Formula E with Citroen and Opel despite €22.2 billion EV industry charges.

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Formula E commitment shows automaker's long-term electric racing strategy amid Chinese competition pressures.

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Early Gen4 testing indicates Stellantis and Porsche are leading in reliability and pace development.

But privately, things have clearly continued to move - and one of the wildest silly seasons in recent history has served up another shock, with Motorsport.com reporter Uri Puigdemont revealing that Yamaha has reached a deal with Trackhouse Aprilia rider Ai Ogura.

The Japanese had already surprised MotoGP once when he spurned his long-time benefactor Honda in favour of the Trackhouse ride. He appears to have done it again - as Yamaha was previously thought to be prioritising the likes of Luca Marini and Fabio Di Giannantonio.

Here are the five main takeaways from Ogura's reported move.

Yamaha still has a serious pull

Yamaha is off to an inauspicious start in 2026, with an all-new V4 bike by and large unable to battle with the other four factories right now - and Fabio Quartararo barely concealing his disinterest in Yamaha's fortunes now that he's committed to a Honda switch.

But the growing pains of Yamaha's V4 journey have not prevented it from securing an extremely potent 2027 line-up, with both Ogura and Jorge Martin in very healthy form to start this season.

Yes, it was rebuffed by Pecco Bagnaia, but Martin-Ogura is very close to a best-case scenario line-up for Yamaha in the aftermath of Quartararo's decision and in the context of the factory's recent track record.

Ogura is still not the most complete MotoGP rider, and his debut in Thailand last year still probably stands as his most cohesive weekend in the category, but he has high potential and is already a canny operator in race trim.

The nationality factor will sweeten the deal here for Yamaha in terms of management and PR, but Ogura's looked promising enough for it to be just a bonus rather than an essential part of his appeal.

Razgatlioglu stays at Pramac

The recruitment of Ogura will mean no promotion to the factory team for Toprak Razgatlioglu just yet - an idea that had popped up here and there amid his very assured start to life in MotoGP.

Razgatlioglu is contracted with Yamaha through to the end of 2027, and manager Kenan Sofuoglu had already indicated publicly that he expected Razgatlioglu to remain at Pramac next year.

But Martin/Ogura feels like a medium-term line-up at least - both are younger than Razgatlioglu - and the Turk's route to a factory seat feels more complicated than it had been before this particular move.

A factory promotion for Razgatioglu would've also been a positive outcome for Jack Miller, who is now very much in the firing line if Yamaha wants to roll the dice on a rookie in 2027 - a rookie like its Moto2 rider Izan Guevara, who is being increasingly touted for a promotion.

KTM is the odd one out

With the caveat that rumours are still circulating as to whether Marc Marquez has definitively committed to Ducati or not, four of the five MotoGP factories appear to have settled on their 2027 line-ups.

KTM stands as the exception. It is widely believed to have secured the services of Alex Marquez, but the plan to partner him with Maverick Vinales is reportedly on hold due to Vinales's fitness struggles.

In theory, KTM should now have less urgency to move - but if Vinales doesn't recover enough to its liking, it could have limited room to manoeuvre. Especially if the reports that satellite team Tech3 is planning to run Honda bikes next year are true.

Marini and Di Giannantonio would be sensible candidates, but can it persuade the former not to remain Honda-contracted and the latter to leave the Ducati set-up, where he suddenly looks a lot more valuable after three rounds this year?

Standout Moto2 options David Alonso and Dani Holgado are off the table, too - so could it be incumbent Brad Binder by default? Would that be enough for KTM to compete against the truly stacked line-ups of its rivals?

Fernandez should be safe

Trackhouse owner Justin Marks told The Race in Austin that his priority was for the team to continue with the same rider line-up - which came against the backdrop of rumours that the team may be looking to move on from Raul Fernandez.

If it loses Ogura, however, Fernandez is surely safe.

Joan Mir, who won the 2020 MotoGP title at Suzuki under the patronage of now-Trackhouse boss Davide Brivio, has been repeatedly touted as a Trackhouse target, but it is not known whether Mir is keen on being a satellite rider at this stage of the career (especially as Trackhouse riders are contracted to the team, not Aprilia) after eight seasons in factory status.

Rins has officially run out of time at Yamaha

There's always a chance that someone could bet on coaxing out Alex Rins's obvious talent in different surroundings, but right now, 2026 looks like it might be his final season in grand prix racing.

Ogura's signing isn't necessarily the death knell for Rins's time at Yamaha, because that was already over. In all the rumours and reporting, there has been no suggestion that Rins might get a new deal here - and when he spoke to the media in Austin, he made it clear that his options for the future are limited and not being helped by the early struggles of Yamaha's new bike.

Prospective MotoGP employers are unlikely to trust that the Suzuki-era Rins is still out there, as - whether it's total causation or at least partly coincidence, he has been one of the grid's least productive riders since his Mugello leg injuries as an LCR Honda rider.

He can still execute a race reasonably enough, but looks too limited in qualifying - a pattern that persisted through his time on the inline-four Yamaha and looks unchanged with the V4 bike.

Rumoured 2027 MotoGP grid so far

Ducati: Marc Marquez - Pedro Acosta
Gresini Ducati: Dani Holgado - Enea Bastianini
VR46 Ducati: Fermin Aldeguer - TBC
Aprilia: Marco Bezzecchi - Pecco Bagnaia
Trackhouse Aprilia: TBC - TBC
KTM: Alex Marquez - TBC
Honda: Fabio Quartararo - David Alonso
LCR Honda: Johann Zarco - Diogo Moreira
Tech3 Honda: TBC - TBC
Yamaha: Jorge Martin - Ai Ogura
Pramac Yamaha: Toprak Razgatlioglu - TBC

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Yamaha secures promising Japanese rider Ogura despite struggling with their new V4 bike in 2026.

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This move shows top talent still believes in Yamaha's potential amid their current competitive struggles.

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Ogura previously shocked MotoGP by leaving Honda for Aprilia, now makes another surprising manufacturer switch.

In fact, so repeatedly poor are its getaways that Gabriel Bortoleto labelled them "terrible" after he and team-mate Nico Hulkenberg lost a combined 10 places from their grid positions on the opening lap in Japan.

With all three grand prix weekends showing Audi's starts to have been poor, it has become clear that its launch problems are not just a case of dialling out early teething troubles with the new cars. Amid no sign of obvious improvement, something more fundamental is clearly in play.

As Hulkenberg said after the Japanese Grand Prix about a trend setting in: "It's obviously a thing."

This is why Bortoleto admitted following the Suzuka race that this would not just be a case of Audi needing more practice. Instead, this is a long-term project.

"We can improve a bit, but not in the short term to get to the Ferraris," he said. "It's very difficult also for Mercedes, so I think we are going to struggle a bit."

So what is triggering Audi's poor starts and why is it going to take so long to resolve?

The extent of the problem

Analysis of the starts of both Audi drivers so far this year highlights that they lose an average of four places over the opening lap.

Of the six times that Audi has actually been there when the lights have gone out (Bortoleto and Hulkenberg have both failed to start one race respectively), only once did either driver end the first lap further up than where they started.

That was Bortoleto in the China sprint, when it must be noted he was helped out by Isack Hadjar's spin that forced Ollie Bearman to take avoiding action.

That same race also included Audi's worst start, as Hulkenberg lost nine places, to prove that the problem is very much car-related rather than limited to an individual driver not getting on top of things.

To illustrate how things have gone, here is a run through of how Audi's opening laps have gone so far to highlight its start weakness.

While Audi is not alone in having start problems this year - Mercedes has not yet converted any of its front-row lockouts into leading at the first corner - what is notable is that it appears to have made no progress.

Allied to Bortoleto's comment about there being no hope of a swift turnaround, it looks like the trend will continue for a while yet.

The engine concept influence

Start problems are not something unique to Audi as almost every team (and engine manufacturer) has faced some degree of difficulty.

The main challenge has been in getting the turbo spooled up to the right speed for the perfect boost pressure for a brilliant getaway.

The removal of the MGU-H for this season - which converted heat energy from exhaust gases into electricity - and rules that ban the use of the MGU-K to 'fill in' missing power until the car has hit 50km/h have led to some unintended consequences for race starts.

Drivers have found that the only way to get their turbo into the right operating window for a good getaway is to rev their power units up for around 10 seconds.

And that also needs to be done at the same time as ensuring the battery is as close to its peak - without hitting the limit - so it can then deliver as much power as possible for the second phase of the launch when the MGU-K does come into play.

The challenge of hitting the sweet spot with turbo speed is not equal across the grid, which is one of the reasons why there is such variability between teams.

It is widely understood that Ferrari's advantage at the start is down to some fundamental concept decisions it took with its power unit; in particular a choice it made in going for a smaller turbo.

The smaller turbo means there is less mass and lower inertia needed to spool it up, and therefore it is much easier to get it into the right rpm window.

It is the choice of turbo size that appears to be the key influencing factor in what is happening at Audi too, because it is understood to have gone in the opposite direction to Ferrari.

In fact, it has not only gone bigger - there are suggestions that it has opted for the biggest turbo on the grid.

That choice may bring its benefits - in terms of overall power on tap when up and running - but it comes with a big downside off the line in terms of making life difficult for Hulkenberg and Bortoleto to find the consistency needed with their turbo speed when the lights go off.

Asked by The Race about the starts being a consequence of design choices such as turbo size rather than procedures, Bortoleto all but confirmed this was the main factor - and that Audi perhaps never anticipated the consequences would be this dramatic.

"The procedure, I think, is very similar to everyone," he said. "I just think this is exactly what you said: I think there's teams that have developed the car in a bit of a different way to have better starts.

"I don't think any of the teams thought it was going to be that difficult to start. We ended up that it's terrible so far. We know it's very difficult for us, and we need to improve on that."

While more experience and more practice should help Bortoleto and Hulkenberg find some improvements to minimise the losses, if a full solution requires a turbo rethink, that's a much longer project.

Audi's F1 project leader Mattia Binotto said that the Japanese GP experience had shifted the start issue to the top of the team's to fix list, even if a solution may take a while.

"It's certainly not our strength at the moment," he explained. "The reason it has not been addressed so far is because there is not an obvious thing to be fixed.

"But on the other side, we know it's top priority for us, because we have good qualifying [pace] and it's not worthwhile starting there if you are losing all the positions at the start.

"So now it's good for us I would say, in a way, that two races have been cancelled. As a team we will have some more time now to reflect on the start of the season."

Context:

Audi drivers lose an average of four grid positions on opening laps, with no signs of improvement after three races.

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Poor starts could cost Audi crucial championship points and undermine driver confidence throughout the 2024 season.

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Ferrari's smaller turbo design gives them the best starts, while larger turbos struggle without the banned MGU-H system.

At 44 years old, and with well over 400 F1 grand prix starts under his belt, Alonso is one of a kind in F1 folklore.

Never has there been an F1 driver who hasn't won for 13 years yet can still consistently stand out among the top performers on any given weekend.

But exactly what makes Alonso so special - and has kept him at the top of his game for so long - remains something of an enigma.

Two people well-placed to dissect Alonso's unique driving style are Mark Hughes and Edd Straw, who, between them, have followed Alonso's F1 career from his very first race with Minardi 25 years ago.

They were both present for his most recent victory, at the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, and have witnessed his dogged mastery in the litany of midfield or even backmarker cars he's had to drive since, save for his 2023 season aboard a podium-worthy Aston Martin.

Alonso is the subject of the first episode of season three of Driving Style Secrets with Mark Hughes and Edd Straw.

That series will look at some of the key champions of the 21st century, from Sebastian Vettel to Kimi Raikkonen, to Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg.

You can watch episode one, on Alonso, for free on our YouTube channel, but to get access to the rest of the series (including episodes from seasons one and two, looking at the likes of Max Verstappen and Michael Schumacher) make sure you sign up to The Race Members' Club now.

To get more of a flavour, here's how they describe Alonso's driving style.

A 'ludicrous' driving style

"Watching trackside, somewhere like the Esses at the Circuit of The Americas, he's got the most amazing coordination between steering and throttle. He is sort of dancing between the two," Hughes explains.

"You see it at Monaco at Tabac, I've seen him do it there, where the car just didn't want to turn in, he was using the brakes in an extreme way. He can be quite brutal with the car, but only when it's needed.

"He'll get the nose down on this car that just didn't want to turn in, would be very, very reluctant to surrender any momentum and then we just sort of chuck it in and then just dance it through.

"It's the same lap after lap, and he is better at this improvisation, more than anyone I've ever seen. Just absolutely amazing on it."

Straw adds: "His driving style generally is ludicrous, really. It is so difficult to live on that edge the way he does. Just the fact that you can do that so consistently.

"You can see a driver who does that, but often falls off, and is a bit of a crasher. We've seen cases of that, but Alonso isn't that.

"The feel it requires, he feels very much through the front tyres and the steering. That's absolutely key to him, he said; if he hasn't got that feel, then he's basically dead, is what he says, that's sort of the one non-negotiable he's got in a car.

"It is a reactive style, but he's so quick in terms of interpreting that feedback that he actually becomes as proactive because he's responding to it the moment the start of that signal is there and normally, reactive drivers are a bad thing.

"But for him, he's closed that gap. So much, the sensitivity. If you could measure all the physiological things that go into that must be extraordinary."

'He can always find a way'

Alonso showed his star quality quickly in F1, spearheading Renault to back-to-back drivers' championships in the mid-2000s, but his adaptability only became apparent later.

"He's got so used to driving like that, it's incredibly attuned to those little cues that let them know that he's about to get this happening. And although he says he needs a front end when he doesn't have it, he still can find a way of getting the feel from it," Hughes says.

"With those rearward-bias Renaults that really had fantastic traction coming out of the turn, but generally had understeer, he would just lean into the understeer to a ludicrous extent and just whack the steering on so that he could get that data point immediately to get it over as quickly as possible, and then just lean into that understeer.

"Because they were his first years in Formula 1, people thought this was some unique driving style and that was how he drove the car.

"As soon as he got into other cars you thought, 'Oh no, it's not, he can drive all sort of different ways'. That was just the best way to drive that particular car. I recall Giancarlo Fisichella, his team-mate [at Renault in 2005-06], just being absolutely stunned by how he could drive it like that, he said, 'This car doesn't have a front end'.

"He can always find a way, that's the thing with Alonso."

Watch episode 1 in full below.

And make sure you're able to watch future episodes on Raikkonen, Button, Rosberg and Vettel, by signing up to The Race Members' Club now.

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Alonso's "ludicrous" driving style relies on extraordinary sensitivity to front tire feedback and instant reactions.

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His adaptability lets him excel in any car, from championship winners to backmarkers, for over two decades.

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At 44, Alonso hasn't won in 13 years yet remains one of F1's most consistently impressive performers.

Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) is enjoying his best start to any season in the premier class following his latest podium at the USA GP. The #37 remains the top KTM rider in the MotoGP World Championship as he enters his third season in the top flight. 'The Shark' has truly arrived, and with momentum building, we look at the key facts and figures of Acosta’s campaign so far!

Acosta entered the MotoGP class in 2024, beginning what would be an unforgettable rookie season. The talented Murcian made headlines, clinching his maiden podium in Portugal before backing up his pace in Austin. Leaving COTA, rookie Acosta sat P4 in the standings, scoring an impressive 54 points from the first three rounds – sitting 26 points adrift from the Championship leader.

Expectation grew in 2025 after his heroic showing the previous year. Acosta was unable to replicate his success in the opening three rounds, picking up just 16 points, 38 points less than in his debut year. Eventually, Acosta finished the season P4 in the Championship with some costly errors, including a crash from the top five in Germany.

A disappointing ending to the weekend for @37_pedroacosta ?#GermanGP ?? pic.twitter.com/3Ohsy8C8mh

However, the tide has truly turned this year, with Acosta kicking off 2026 in style following a dramatic Saturday Sprint win and a solid second-place finish on Sunday in Thailand. It proved to be a historic result as he became the first KTM rider ever to lead the MotoGP World Championship!

After an incredible ride in Thailand, Acosta discussed his new mentality and approach to racing in the premier class: "I’m making fewer mistakes than two years ago, and even last year. At the beginning of the year, when the situation wasn’t completely in control, I was always making mistakes, crashing, running wide or whatever.

"It wasn’t maybe the correct way to build confidence, as now I feel like I'm in a chill mode, because even when bad moments happen, I use my brain more. So this could be the biggest difference."

KEY STORY: Acosta powers KTM to first-ever Championship lead!

There was an orange revolution in Thailand, with the #37 taking a maiden Tissot Sprint victory and P2 on Sunday during a brilliant opening weekend

The KTM star took a further 10 points in Brazil before a groundbreaking turnaround at the USA GP, where Acosta transformed his P8 finish in the Sprint to a Grand Prix podium on Sunday.

Expanding further at the pre-event Press Conference in Brazil, Acosta gave further credit to his new mentality and the hard-working members at KTM: "Last year, in the first part of the season, I was hungry and quite negative, let’s say. It’s clear we are able to keep life in the tyre during the race, which is the first step to becoming competitive.

"The bike is becoming easier; the team are working faster, and from Mattighofen, they have pushed and worked flat out all winter. The general situation of the brand is better, so I think it’s a combination of things."

Another exciting chapter awaits Acosta and KTM as MotoGP returns to Europe for Round 4 of the season at the Spanish GP. Of course, it’s time to head to Jerez, a venue which holds fond memories for Acosta – thanks to a Sprint podium in 2024. Momentum is building, and signs are pointing in the right direction… Join us in Jerez, where Acosta continues his search for Sunday glory!

--> The Madness Starts Now

Follow the 2026 season LIVE and OnDemand with MotoGP™ VideoPass

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Acosta leads MotoGP standings after becoming first KTM rider to top the championship with improved racecraft.

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His mental shift from aggressive rookie mistakes to calculated racing could reshape KTM's title aspirations.

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Acosta scored 54 points in his first three 2024 races but managed only 16 points in the same 2025 stretch.

During his time at the F1 operation, where he progressed from simulation and design roles into senior leadership, Milner played his part in multiple World Championship triumphs – including eight consecutive Constructors’ titles.

After several years heading up powertrain integration and transmission design, Milner most recently served as Chief Engineer for R&D (Research & Development).

Outside F1, he has held senior design roles in the America’s Cup sailing competition with Ineos Britannia, and has also worked in the defence sector.

Williams explained that Milner “will be accountable for Vehicle Technology, driving on- and off-car performance through complex, integrated technology programmes”.

He will also “champion first-principles engineering, accelerate development across hardware, simulation, test and quality, and embed strong links with car programmes to ensure rapid conversion of ideas into race performance”.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Atlassian Williams F1 Team as Chief Engineer across Vehicle Technology,” said Milner. “After 20 years of association with Brackley, it’s the right moment to take on a new challenge.

“Williams has a clear, ambitious plan to move forward, and I’m looking forward to bringing my experience and knowledge to help accelerate that journey. I can’t wait to meet the team, learn the organisation and get to work converting ideas into performance on track.”

Matt Harman, Williams’ Technical Director, added: “Dan brings broad experience and clear leadership. He has led major programmes across R&D and powertrains, turning ideas into performance, and he knows how to bring teams together to deliver.

“Dan will be central to our vehicle technology plan and to converting innovation into consistent performance gains on track, so we’re thrilled to have him on board as we continue our plans of bringing Atlassian Williams F1 Team back to the front of the grid.”

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Williams hires Mercedes veteran Dan Milner as Chief Engineer after his 20-year stint with eight championship wins.

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This signals Williams' serious commitment to climbing from the back of the grid with proven championship expertise.

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Milner also brings unique experience from America's Cup sailing and defense sector engineering projects.