F1 news: 2026 calendar set with beloved track axed as Verstappen retirement hint dropped

Racing Bull chief Peter Bayer joked that he will put his own driver, Isack Hadjar, in handcuffs to prevent a promotion to Red Bull.

Hadjar has been one of the most impressive drivers on the grid this season, prompting calls for him to replace Yuki Tsunoda.

Bayer has reacted: “For heaven’s sake, don’t take this talent away from us too soon.

“He should get to know the whole business by the end of 2026. Until then, we’ll just have to handcuff him!”

George Russell has warned Max Verstappen that his stock could fall, just as Lewis Hamilton's has after leaving Mercedes.

Hamilton has struggled throughout the campaign, as competing for titles remains only a memory, while Verstappen is also slipping out of contention.

Russell said: "At the end of 2021, Lewis was the hottest property on the grid. Nobody thought he could be beaten by a team-mate at Mercedes. I came in and performed from the first race.

"The reputation he had is the same one Max has now. Nobody thinks Max can be beaten. And that’s exactly what people used to think about Lewis back then.”

Max Verstappen admitted that he is "excited" about Aston Martin's future prospects with Adrian Newey at the helm.

The legendary designer left Red Bull for Aston Martin, though is not working on the current car, instead looking towards the future.

“I’m excited to see what they can do next year, when he’s finally fully involved," Verstappen said.

“It just reminds me of how he was with us when I see him in the garage. But there’s no point anymore to think about it. Adrian is not with us anymore.

“We have a lot of respect still for Adrian – or at least I have a lot of respect for Adrian. He’s a great person also, besides all the success that he has had with our team as well.”

The Imola circuit has spoken out on their axe from the new Formula One calendar, citing their disappointment at the decision.

They also suggested that talks would be held over a potential return to the schedule in the future.

A joint statement with Imola mayor Panieri and de Pascale said: "This is not the time for controversy, buck-passing and resignation. Now is the time for everyone to take responsibility and resume discussions for a return to the calendar.”

FIA steward Derek Warwick does not have an understanding of why Lewis Hamilton is struggling to achieve results as a Ferrari driver. The seven-time world champion has been comprehensively beaten by team-mate Charles Leclerc this season.

​​“I don’t know why Lewis Hamilton can’t get going in a Ferrari,” he told Plejmo. “I think that's an enigma really. I think we all saw him moving to Ferrari as a great opportunity to win his eighth world title.

“The car is not to his liking at the minute. Most critics will say he’s a seven-time world champion, 105 grand prix wins, surely you adapt to the car you've got, because Charles has.

“But for some reason, he can't get used to it. I think people underestimate, including Lewis, maybe how difficult it is to join a new team. How to get used to their systems, their debriefs, getting them to understand what you want and vice versa.”

Charles Leclerc has pledged to ‘give everything’ to the cause as Ferrari look to do the impossible and hunt down McLaren for World Championships in 2025.

"I don't want to be thinking so long term, just because I have no visibility," he said. "I know what is going to come for us in terms of small adjustments and improvements on the car, but I don't know what is coming for other teams, so it is very difficult to predict or expect anything.

"On paper, it is going to be a tough one to go and beat McLaren in a year like this, where they've been dominant for the first part of the season, it will be very tough, but I will give everything until the end.

"Hopefully, with new parts, as soon as possible, we can take the lead in terms of performance on track, and then we can hope for better, but we cannot afford to lose too many races."

The FIA has granted Arvid Lindblad a super license after Red Bull made a successful appeal to F1’s governing body.

“The FIA has received a request to grant a Super Licence to Arvid Lindblad prior to his 18th birthday,” the FIA stated on Tuesday. “After considering the information presented in support of this request, the World Council found that the driver has recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition and therefore approved the request.”

Sebastian Buemi, simulator driver for Red Bull, has questioned Lewis Hamilton’s defending against Nico Hulkenberg during the Spanish Grand Prix.

"Yeah, of course, everyone has a different view,” he said on the RacingNews365 podcast. “He was on the hard tyres, it was obviously very difficult.

"He had that moment coming out of the last corner. We all know Max, he fights, he's not just going to give up like that. On the other hand, I got a bit surprised when Lewis got overtaken by Hulkenberg.

"I thought, looking from the outside again, I would have thought he would close the door, but somehow he didn't. And, I mean, Max, when you watch, he's not going to give up, he's going to fight very hard. So, of course, where is the limit is always difficult, but within that he's not going to give up."

The mayor of Imola, Marco Panieri, has stated that the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix ‘is not over’ despite it dropping off the F1 calendar for the 2026 season.

In a statement released on Tuesday, he wrote: “The provisional calendar of Formula 1 Grand Prix for the 2026 season has been announced, from which Imola is excluded,” read a statement signed by Imola mayor Marco Panieri.

“This is news we were aware of and which, understandably, generates questions, disappointment and bitterness, because in recent years our territory has demonstrated its ability to host an extraordinary event with record numbers.

“The grand prix in Imola was one of the most loved and appreciated by fans and drivers, as demonstrated in the days following the event. Its uniqueness was evident: combining the race on the track with the charm of the territory, starting from a historic center to be experienced. However, we want to be very clear: this news does not represent the end of the story.

“We have always been aware of the complexity of the dynamics linked to the calendar, which was complicated from the beginning. The contract signed in 2021, considered by many to be unfeasible at the time, envisaged the stable return of the grand prix to Imola until 2025.

"As the Emilia Romagna Region and the Municipality of Imola, among the promoters of the initiative, we have done everything possible. We have repeatedly underlined the importance and strategic nature of the issue to all the actors involved, with transparency, clarity and full availability for institutional collaboration.”

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has praised the approach of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri as the two team-mates fight for the 2025 Drivers’ Championship title.

"The briefings are not getting tough, and the conversations are the same that we have always had," Stella explained. "When the two drivers start next to each other, and there is a long run to Turn One, you might have to reiterate every detail of the way we go racing together, but so far, I can just be very grateful to Lando and to Oscar, who have appraoched this internal competition with a great sense of responsibility.

"They are pretty much sticking to the letter of what our racing principles and approach. We always tell our drivers: 'Don't leave anything in the back of your mind, anything, throw it out, and say what you think.'

"We don't want to surprise our drivers with situations which we didn't discuss before, so we have to do some more homework and be even more ready for the coming races, which surely will be interesting."

Carlos Sainz has offered some sympathy to Lewis Hamilton as the seven-time world champion’s struggles to adapt to life at Ferrari continue.

“I understand them, because I know how complicated it is,” Sainz said. “Pride? No. You understand why it’s so hard, because I’ve had to suffer through changing teams five times, and it’s something that was hardly talked about before, the adaptation process.

“Before, everybody expected you to be there by the third race. I remember with [Daniel] Ricciardo, when he changed to Renault, and also to McLaren, there was an adaptation process.

“And me too, in every team I’ve changed. And before it was like people didn’t buy it, or saw it as a bit of an excuse. Now that a seven-times champion is changing [teams] and it also costs him, it confirms a bit what I was telling you five or 10 years ago that maybe you didn’t buy it, but now you do buy it.”

Max Verstappen has admitted that he is ‘excited’ to see what Adrian Newey and Aston Martin can do in 2026 after the legendary aerodynamicist was present at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. 

“It just reminds me of how he was with us when I see him in the garage there,” he said. “But honestly, there’s no point anymore to think about it. Adrian is not with us anymore.

“We have a lot of respect still for Adrian – or at least I have a lot of respect for Adrian. He’s a great person also, besides all the success that he has had with our team as well.

“Now to see him in green, of course, is a little bit different, but I’m happy for him. I hope he’s happy. That’s the most important at the end of the day. And I’m sure that he will contribute to their success. I’m excited to see what they can do next year, when I think he’s finally fully involved.”

George Russell has suggested that his track record against Lewis Hamilton shows that he has what it takes to go head-to-head with Max Verstappen as a team-mate.

“I just ride, week in, week out,” Russell said. “I’ve always said that I’m not afraid to be anyone’s team-mate. At the end of 2021, Lewis was the hottest property in the field. Nobody would have thought that anyone at Mercedes could beat him as a team-mate. I came in and performed from the first race. I always believed in myself.

“The reputation he had is the same as Max has now. Nobody believes that Max is beatable. And people thought the same about Lewis back then. People forget that Lewis came into Formula One as a rookie and finished on the podium every time in his first [nine] races, with a two-time world champion as his team-mate. That says a lot.”

Calum Nicholas, a former engineer in Max Verstappen’s garage, believes that the four-time world champion could call time on his F1 career at the end of the 2025 season, provided he surpasses Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to win his fifth consecutive F1 title.

In an interview on Lucas Stewart’s YouTube channel, Nicholas was asked how many titles he thinks Verstappen will win in his F1 career.

“Five,” he replied. “I think Max is going to win the Drivers’ [Championship] this year, and then I think he’s going to call it a day.”

The 2026 F1 calendar has been released with a handful of notable changes.

Most critical is the end of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with Imola’s F1 event stepping off the calendar to make room for the new street race in Madrid.

The Madring’s inaugural event will take place on September 13th, sandwiched between the Italian Grand Prix and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Notably for motorsport fans, the Canadian Grand Prix moves to May 24th, setting up a direct clash with the Indianapolis 500. Traditionally, Monaco has been on this date instead, with the race being the first of a triple-header that is rounded out by NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600. Now, that is in jeopardy with the two open-wheel spectacles set for a direct clash.

Good morning, and welcome to the Express Sport live F1 blog. We'll keep you on top of the breaking stories and reports ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix as anticipation builds in the 2025 title fight.