The Turkish Grand Prix will return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2027 for the first time in six years. 

​

The event will run on the Istanbul Park circuit until at least 2031.  The track is where Lewis Hamilton clinched his record-equalling seventh world drivers' title in 2020.  Turkey held a grand prix from 2005 to 2011 before dropping off the schedule, alhough it returned for two years in 2020-21 when F1 needed venues to fill the calendar during the Covid-19 pandemic.

​

The addition of Turkey does not mean that the F1 calendar will expand beyond 24 races. The event will slot in as contracts for other races expire, or move to a rotational basis. The Belgian Grand Prix, for example, is starting a new contract where it hosts four races in six years between 2026-31. 

​

Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "Formula 1 ranks among the world's foremost sporting events, distinguished by its spectacle, its young fan base, and its leadership in automotive technologies. "In our country, too, Formula 1 enjoys a broad following across all age groups - especially among our youth - with a truly passionate fanbase.

Formula 1 has made a series of rule changes to address concerns about the new engine regulations that were introduced for this season.

​

The amount of energy management required with the new power-units, which have a near 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power, has led to complaints from the drivers that their skills were being diminished. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen has gone as far as to say that he is considering his future in F1 as a result of his dissatisfaction with the new cars.

​

The changes amout to a swathe of modifications to the way the engines operate aimed at allowing drivers to push to the limit in qualifying and reduce the risk of large speed differentials in races. These arise when one driver is deploying the full power of their engine and battery and another has no electrical charge - a difference of 470bhp.

​

They are split into a number of different areas, and most will be introduced at the next race, the Miami Grand Prix on 1-3 May.

Leading Red Bull engineer Gianpiero Lambiase has agreed to join McLaren from 2028. 

​

Briton Lambiase, who is most well known as being Max Verstappen's race engineer, will take on a role supporting McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. The exact details and title of the new position are not yet known outside McLaren.

​

The move is aimed at strengthening McLaren's race operations at a time when Formula 1 is becoming increasingly complex. Neither McLaren nor Red Bull were prepared to comment on the move. However, senior insiders at both teams have confirmed the information to BBC Sport, speaking on condition of anonymity. Lambiase, currently Red Bull's head of race engineering, will become the third senior Red Bull figure to join McLaren in recent years. Rob Marshall joined as chief designer at the start of 2024, and former Red Bull head of race strategy Will Courtenay became McLaren's sporting director in January this year. Red Bull have also lost chief technical officer Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley since the start of 2024. They both left before former team principal Christian Horner was fired in July 2025.

Kimi Antonelli took his second win in succession and the lead of the world championship after being helped to victory in the Japanese Grand Prix by a safety-car period.  The 19-year-old Italian had not yet made a pit stop, while his rivals for victory McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Mercedes team-mate George Russell had, when Oliver Bearman's Haas crashed heavily. That gave Antonelli a pit stop that cost him less time than the others and ensured he could retain the lead.

​

A frustrated Russell, who finished fourth behind Piastri and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, said over the radio "unbelievable" as he realised Antonelli would beat him for the second consecutive race. Antonelli becomes the youngest driver in history to head the championship and leads his team-mate by nine points. The incident that turned the race on its head occurred on lap 22. Bearman had a significant overspeed on Franco Colapinto's Alpine, with whom he was contesting 17th place, as they approached the Spoon Curve.  As the Briton closed rapidly, Colapinto drifted from the racing line on the outside towards the centre of the track. In taking avoiding action, Bearman got on to the grass on the inside and lost control spinning across the track and smashing into the barrier on the outside at the entry to the corner. Haas later said he was doing 191mph when he lost control

Kimi Antonelli took his second pole position in a row as he beat Mercedes team-mate George Russell in qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix

​

Antonelli was fastest throughout the session and beat Russell by 0.298 seconds, despite not improving on his final run at Suzuka. Russell also did not improve but still had enough to beat McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who will be joined on the second row by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

​

McLaren's Lando Norris was fifth after a troubled weekend so far, ahead of Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari, while Max Verstappen was knocked out in the second session and will start 11th.

​

Antonelli's first lap in the final session was 0.298secs quicker than Russell's. He was on course to improve on his final run but locked up into the hairpin and lost time. The 19-year-old Italian said: "Super happy with the session. It was a good one, a clean one. And I felt very good in the car and every run I was just improving and improving.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri set the pace in second practice at the Japanese Grand Prix ahead of the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

​

Piastri ended the first day's running at the classic Suzuka track 0.092 seconds quicker than Antonelli, who took his maiden grand prix victory in China last time out. Russell, leading the championship after two races, was 0.205secs off the pace and 0.113secs slower than his team-mate.

​

McLaren's Lando Norris, who missed the first half of the session, was fourth fastest despite a couple of off-track moments, ahead of the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

​

Red Bull's Max Verstappen was struggling, complaining of understeer and way off the pace on both short and long runs. The four-time champion was 10th fastest and 1.376secs off the pace. Norris' early problem was a hydraulics failure, which McLaren fixed after half an hour. Fernando Alonso had his first taste of Suzuka this year in the second session, after American reserve driver Jak Crawford drove in the first.

George Russell led team-mate Kimi Antonelli to a Mercedes one-two ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris in first practice at the Japanese Grand Prix.  Russell pipped Antonelli, who took his maiden win at the last race in China, by just 0.026 seconds after the two drivers swapped fastest times in the middle of the session.

​

World champion Norris was 0.132secs behind Russell in his McLaren. Piastri was 0.199secs adrift, an encouraging start to the weekend for the Australian and McLaren, who have had a difficult first two grands prix. Apart from the Shanghai sprint, Piastri has not completed a racing lap in 2026, and in China both McLarens retired with separate battery issues before the start.

​

The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were fifth and sixth fastest. Red Bull's Max Verstappen, his car sporting an aerodynamic upgrade that featured new side pods, floor and engine cover, was seventh fastest, 0.791secs off the pace. Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad were eighth and 10th, sandwiching the Haas of Esteban Ocon.

Max Verstappen ejected a journalist from his news conference at the Japanese Grand Prix because of a row that dates back to last year's season finale in Abu Dhabi.

​

The Red Bull driver refused to start his session with the written media at Suzuka on Thursday after spotting the Guardian's Giles Richards among the journalists present. Verstappen said: "One second - I'm not speaking before he's leaving."Richards asked whether Verstappen was serious, and whether it was to do with a question he had asked in the news conference after the final race of last season. Verstappen responded to each of Richards' questions with a curt: "Yeah," before adding: "Get out."  When Richards left the room, Verstappen said: "Now we can start."

​

In a column in the Guardian, external, Richards said he was "deeply disappointed" by Verstappen's actions and that his "colleagues in the press pack were universally shocked and offered concern" for his wellbeing. Richards added: "I still admire Verstappen and I hope we can enjoy a better relationship in the future.

Fernando Alonso is to miss media day at the Japanese Grand Prix on Thursday because he is travelling to the race late following the birth of his first child. 

​

Aston Martin said on Wednesday that the two-time world champion was "arriving slightly later this weekend for personal family reasons".

​

The team declined to give any further details but BBC Sport has confirmed that it is because Alonso's partner Melissa Jimenez has had their first baby. 

Alonso, 44, prefers to keep his personal life private and no further information has been made public. The team added: "All is well and he will be at the track in time for Friday."

​

Alonso, who is in the final year of his contract with Aston Martin and has not said whether he wants to stay in F1 beyond 2026, is not due to take part in Friday's first practice session.

Audi have announced that Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley is leaving the organisation with immediate effect, just under a year after his arrival.

​

Former Red Bull stalwart Wheatley stepped up to F1 team boss duties last April with a switch to Kick Sauber – the team Audi took over for the 2026 season. Wheatley made a strong start to his tenure, overseeing plenty of points finishes – including a breakthrough maiden podium finish for Nico Hulkenberg at Silverstone – and a move off the foot of the Teams’ Championship standings. He then spearheaded Sauber’s transition to the works Audi effort over the winter, bringing the German manufacturer to the sport for the first time, and marking the moment with a debut points finish.

​

However, just two rounds into the campaign, and F1’s all-new era of regulations, it has been confirmed that Wheatley is stepping away from his role and departing Audi due to personal reasons. Head of Audi F1 project, Mattia Binotto, will take on Wheatley’s responsibilities, with more information on the team's future structure to follow in due course. "As it continues its journey towards the front of the grid, Audi Revolut F1 Team will implement significant changes to its senior management structure," read a team statement.

Silverstone have confirmed the full music programme for the 2026 British Grand Prix, with Richard Ashcroft, Chase & Status and Rag’n’Bone Man joining David Guetta for four nights of live entertainment across the race weekend.

​

The main stage line-up will run from Thursday July 2 to Sunday July 5, with Anne-Marie also set to perform on the opening night alongside Guetta.  Richard Ashcroft will headline on Friday, with Alex James’ Britpop Classical in support, before Chase & Status top Saturday’s bill with Jazzy also confirmed. Rag’n’Bone Man will then close the weekend on Sunday, joined by a Vikkstar DJ set.

​

“The British Grand Prix is one of the most watched and most talked-about weekends in sport, and the atmosphere here is genuinely world-class,” said Silverstone's Chief Commercial Officer Nick Read. "That is why artists want to be part of it. “With David Guetta, Richard Ashcroft, Chase & Status and Rag’n’Bone Man confirmed, we have a line-up that reflects the global pull of this event and gives fans unforgettable nights alongside the on-track action.” The announcement adds to an entertainment programme that already includes T1 afterparty performances from John Newman & more.

Mercedes showed a first hint of 2026 vulnerability in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, but still ended up with a front-row lock-out to underline their superiority over the field at the start of this season. 

​

Both Kimi Antonelli, who broke the record for Formula 1's youngest pole-winner, and championship leader George Russell hit trouble. But they still had enough pace in hand to beat the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc on the two-by-two grid in Shanghai.

​

Mercedes' problems reduced Ferrari's gap to pole - Hamilton was just 0.351secs slower than Antonelli, more or less halving the deficit the next fastest car had to pole in both qualifying at the first race of the season in Australia and in the sprint qualifying on Friday in China. That might lead to a suggestion that Ferrari could take the race to Mercedes on Sunday, given Ferrari took themselves out of the lead battle in Melbourne with a strategy error, and that Leclerc and Hamilton had battled for the lead in the early stages in the China sprint on Saturday as well.

READ THE FULL REPORT ON QUALIFING

The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix that were scheduled for next month are set to be cancelled as a result of the war in the Middle East.

​

A formal decision to call off the races has not yet been made but is expected before the end of the weekend.  Freight would need to start being shipped to the Middle East in the coming days. With no sign of the conflict between the US/Israel and Iran coming to a conclusion, holding the races would put personnel at too great a risk. Neither event will be replaced, with the season being cut to 22 grands prix and F1 taking a commercial hit of more than £100m, given Bahrain and Saudi Arabia pay two of the highest hosting fees.

​

The race in Bahrain was scheduled to be on 12 April with Jeddah the following weekend. Consideration was given to holding events at Portimao in Portugal, Imola in Italy or Istanbul Park in Turkey.

But it was accepted that the time to organise a race at any of those locations was too short, and there was little chance of securing a hosting fee. The decision will mean there is a five-week break between the Japanese Grand Prix on 29 March and Miami on 3 May.

George Russell led team-mate Kimi Antonelli as Mercedes dominated qualifying for the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix.

​

Russell was 0.289 seconds clear of the Italian and a massive 0.621secs ahead of the first non-Mercedes, world champion Lando Norris in the McLaren.  Lewis Hamilton was fourth for Ferrari, just 0.02secs slower than Norris, while McLaren's Oscar Piastri took fifth ahead of the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. Red Bull's Max Verstappen could manage only eighth place, 1.734secs off the pace and behind the Alpine of Pierre Gasly. Haas' Oliver Bearman was ninth ahead of the second Red Bull of Isack Hadjar.

 

Russell's pole was his second in six days after he took pole and win in the season-opening race in Australia. And the qualifying session followed a very similar pattern to Melbourne - Russell about 0.3secs quicker than Antonelli and the quickest Ferrari a similar chunk further behind.

Verstappen, who crashed on his first lap in Australia after his rear brakes locked at the first corner, did at least complete a session and was nearly 0.5secs ahead of his team-mate.

George Russell led Kimi Antonelli to a Mercedes one-two in the only practice session at the Chinese Grand Prix before the sprint weekend starts to unfold.

​

Russell was more than 0.5 seconds clear of the first driver not in a Mercedes, McLaren's Lando Norris. Antonelli was 0.120secs behind Russell, while Norris' team-mate Oscar Piastri's margin in fourth was 0.736secs, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc close behind. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton was sixth fastest, 1.388secs off the pace, but his time was set earlier in the session on older tyres after an early spin wrecked his set of medium tyres.

​

Ferrari were using the innovative rear wing with a flap that opens for the straight-line mode by revolving on its axis by more than 180 degrees, rather than a gap opening by the front of the flat being lifted. Red Bull's Max Verstappen was down in eighth place, a massive 1.8secs off the Mercedes pace, and behind the Haas of Briton Oliver Bearman.

British rookie Arvid Lindblad managed only six laps before his Racing Bulls car stopped after a reliability problem on the long back straight, smoke pouring out of the engine airbox before he pulled off at the hairpin.

Mercedes driver George Russell has accused Ferrari of being "selfish" and "silly" in blocking change to the rules to improve safety at starts.  Last week's opening race in Australia saw a large deviation in start performance across the grid. The worst incident involved a near-miss when Alpine driver Franco Colapinto narrowly avoided smashing at high speed into the back of the slow-moving Racing Bull of Liam Lawson.

​

Russell said governing body the FIA had looked to modify the rule that led to those problems but said Ferrari were blocking it, without naming them. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc leapt into the lead at the start in Melbourne from fourth on the grid, emphasising the impression that the Italian team have the best starts this year. Russell said the problems were caused by a "very quirky rule" that limits the amount of energy a car can harvest on the formation lap. He said that the drivers in the front part of the grid were already considered by the systems to be on the lap so their practice start away from the dummy grid counted in the harvest limit, and they then struggled to recharged the battery. Russell said: "The FIA was looking to potentially adjust that but as you can imagine some teams who were making good starts didn't want it, which I think is just a little bit silly. "The FIA did just want to make our life easier and just remove this harvest limit, but people have selfish views and they want to do what's best for themselves."

Laurent Mekies was full of praise for Isack Hadjar after he qualified in the top three on his Red Bull debut, providing a high point on a tricky first weekend of the season for the team. 

​

Although there was a sizable gap of 0.785s to polesitter George Russell, Hadjar impressed in his first Qualifying hour for the Milton Keynes-based squad, especially as his team mate Max Verstappen was knocked out in Q1 after crashing when his rear axle locked up. Starting third behind the two Mercedes cars, Hadjar lost a couple of positions in the first stint of the race – with Mekies later confirming that the Frenchman had a battery issue – before he was forced to retire on Lap 11 as smoke billowed from his RB22.

​

With Verstappen securing P6 after charging from 20th on the grid, the 58-lap race at Albert Park gave Red Bull plenty to digest in the few days before the Chinese Grand Prix as they accept that they are at a disadvantage compared to Mercedes and Ferrari. Meanwhile Verstappen insisted after the race that he does not feel “concerned” about the deficit to Mercedes despite crossing the line 54.617s behind winner George Russell.

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen will tick off one of his "bucket list" events to compete in the Nurburgring 24-Hours endurance race.

​

The 28-year-old Red Bull F1 driver will get behind the wheel of a Mercedes AMG GT car at the event in May, when showroom-style cars take on the famous 15.8-mile circuit in the Eifel mountains in Germany.

​

The Dutchman, who finished sixth in Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix, said: "The Nurburgring Nordschleife is a special place. There's no other track like it. The 24-hours of Nurburgring is a race that's been on my bucket list for a long time, so I'm really thrilled we can make it happen now." It is very rare for an F1 driver, especially of Verstappen's calibre, to take part in a lower-level motorsport event but he has long-enjoyed driving on motorsport simulator games and has a particular affinity with sportscar racing. Verstappen is contracted with Red Bull until 2028, but had previously been linked with the Mercedes F1 programme.  The Nurburgring 24 Hours takes place on 16-17 May, between the Miami and Canadian Grands Prix. It is widely considered Verstappen could one day compete at the Le Mans 24-Hours,

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has revealed his discontent at a lack of engine "information" being provided by Mercedes after a huge gap between supplier and customer became apparent during Formula 1's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.  Reigning constructors' champions McLaren were well off the pace of Mercedes, who claimed a one-two as George Russell led Kimi Antonelli home for the Silver Arrows in Melbourne.

​

Reigning world champion Lando Norris finished 51 seconds behind Russell in fifth, while his team-mate Oscar Piastri was unable to start the race after a bizarre crash on his way to the grid. Mercedes were expected to have an advantage as a works team manufacturing their own engine, but St"You can never deploy things to make everybody happy. But I think most important is we're trying to provide a good service."ella admitted McLaren are surprised by the extent of the advantage their supplier appears to have in terms of energy deployment with F1's all new cars for 2026 following a major regulation change.  Mercedes chief Toto Wolff warned that an engine supplier cannot "make everybody happy" when he was asked potential concern from his team's customers. "It's clear when you roll out new regulations, there's so much to learn," Wolff said.  "Whether you have a customer that's on your gearbox or suspension, and in the same way on the power units, the development slope is very steep.

George Russell took a comfortable victory in the Australian Grand Prix at the start of a new era of Formula 1 after a brief early scrap with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.  Russell and Leclerc staged a close fight for the first 10 laps with frequent lead changes before Ferrari's decision to stay out during a virtual safety car period took them out of contention for the win. 

 

The Briton led home team-mate Kimi Antonelli while Leclerc had to be satisfied with the final podium position ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton. McLaren's world champion Lando Norris finished fifth, fending off a challenge in the closing laps from Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who recovered from 20th on the grid to finish sixth.

​

Norris' team-mate Oscar Piastri crashed on his way to the grid of his home race, losing control over a kerb and spinning into the wall. Arvid Lindblad, 18, became the youngest Briton to race in F1 and impressed on his debut to take eighth behind countryman Oliver Bearman in the Haas.

READ FULL REPORT HERE

George Russell snatches back the top spot from Kimi Antonelli by 0.293 seconds to take pole position for the Australian Grand Prix.  Mercedes have secured a one-two for Sunday's race.  

​

Isack Hadjar is third, Charles Leclerc is fourth and Oscar Piastri will start fifth. World Champion Norris ends his session in sixth and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton is seventh. Max Verstappen crashes in Q1 and will start at back

​

The full grid positions are as follows  1. George Russell (Mercedes), 2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 3. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), 4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 6. Lando Norris (McLaren) , 7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 8. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), 9. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), 10. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi),  Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), 12. Oliver Bearman (Haas), 13. Esteban Ocon (Haas), 14. Pierre Gasly (Alpine), 15. Alex Albon (Williams), 16. Franco Colapinto (Alpine), 17. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), 18. Sergio Perez (Cadillac), 19. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac), 20. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 21. Carlos Sainz (Williams),  22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin). Sunday's race starts at 04:00 GMT.

The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix are under threat as a consequence of the US-Israel war with Iran.  The two countries are among the Gulf states targeted by retaliatory missiles launched by Iran in response to US-Israeli air strikes.

​

Bahrain is set to host the fourth race of the season from 10-12 April, with Saudi Arabia's event in Jeddah a week later. Missiles have hit hotels and civilian and energy infrastructure, as well as targeting American bases in the countries. The US naval base in the Bahraini capital Manama has already been hit by Iranian missiles. It is situated in the Juffair area, one of the parts of the city where F1 personnel stay.

​

The Saudi Arabian race is near an oil refinery which four years ago was the target of a missile attack by Houthi rebels in Yemen. A statement from F1 said: "Our next three races are in Australia, China and Japan not in the Middle East - those races are not for a number of weeks. Although the Bahrain Grand Prix is five weeks away, F1 has no more than two weeks before it has to make a decision as to whether the two races can go ahead because of the need to transport equipment by sea to the two countries.

Australian Grand Prix organisers say they are "really confident" the travel chaos caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East will not impact the opening race of the Formula 1 season this weekend.

​

Close to 1,000 members of staff have been forced to rearrange flights, with an estimated 500 of them reportedly set to be flown from Europe on charter planes. It comes after the US and Israel launched an attack against Iran on Saturday, sparking retaliatory strikes across the region. F1 also said it was "closely monitoring" the situation, with upcoming races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia scheduled in April.

​

Many drivers and other key personnel based in Europe have had travel plans affected by the major disruption to global air transport, with key routes through Qatar and the United Arab Emirates impacted. "The last 48 hours have required some reshuffling of flights," Auld said. "My understanding is that's all now been locked in, everyone will be here ready for the race and fans won't notice any difference." Auld told Australian broadcaster Channel Nine that three charter planes would fly an estimated 500 of the near-1,000 affected F1 staff from Europe.