F1 news: Red Bull car catches fire as Charles Leclerc blows away competition

Former Ferrari driver Ivan Capelli fears the fact Lewis Hamilton has yet to appoint race engineer for the season will cause problems for the Brit.

Capelli told Gazzetta: "In 1992, I had a similar situation: I met my track engineer on the plane on the way to our first race.

"This doesn't help: rapport with your engineer has to be built up over time, and only then can you count on automatic responses and mutual trust in the stressful moments of competition.

"I am surprised that in recent months they have not yet managed to find someone suitable to fill this role in time for Hamilton."

Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson has admitted his surprise that the 2026 cars are not easy to drive, at least physically.

Despite smaller cars, slower speeds and a reduced G-force, Lawson said that he was taken aback by just how much is needed to position the car around a track.

"To be fair, even though you're slower through the corners, you spend more time in the corners," Lawson said.

"It is still hard on the neck, so I was expecting it to be a lot easier, but it is actually not that different.

"These cars are unlike anything I've ever driven; they're a very, very new style of driving, and it doesn't relate to much else."

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali hinted at a possible new way for cars to be launched, perhaps as early as 2027, after success in London.

Last year, to mark 75 years of F1, a launch event was held in The O2 where every team showed off their new livery on the same night.

It was deemed a one-off, with teams unveiling their cars on their own terms this year, but Domenicali may return to the fanfare of 2025.

“We are thinking about, as we did two years ago, a potential global launch with all the teams together," he said.

"It was a big effect, a sort of 25th race, in terms of the communication around the world, but it’s still a work in progress on that.”

Lando Norris has received a blow in his bid to retain the title he won last season, this time sent by his own boss.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has admitted that two teams are currently ahead of the Papaya in terms of development for the coming year.

"I would say that this test has confirmed that Ferrari and Mercedes look like the teams to beat," Stella said. "I think McLaren is not far [away]. I think it’s good to see that we are part of the top four group. But I think these two teams, they seem to have shown a little bit of an advantage.

"There is a race simulation, it was I think yesterday [Thursday], Oscar [Piastri] and [Max] Verstappen. It happened at the similar time of the day, and it was a similar pace. Often the race simulation is actually where you can more accurately see what the genuine performance of cars is."

Formula One icon Jenson Button has gained 11kg since retiring from racing with the 46-year-old throwing himself into the world of Hyrox. The 2009 F1 world champion completed his first solo Hyrox event in Phoenix, Arizona at the start of February after undergoing a stunning body transformation that now has him looking closer to a WWE star than F1 driver.

Button has swapped the adrenaline of the race track for a running circuit thanks to the popular sport, which sees competitors race 8km on an indoor track with eight workouts split equally throughout. The activity has gained a legion of fans in recent times, with Button first completing a Pro Doubles event in California late last year. Despite the work needed to pack on the pounds, he says he has enjoyed pushing his body to the limit.

You can read more here.

Honda have released a statement after Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso suffered problems in the final pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit

A Honda statement read: "Our last run with Fernando Alonso yesterday showed a battery-related issue that impacted our test plan with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team.

"Since then, we have been carrying out simulations on the test bench in HRC [Honda Racing Corporation] Sakura. Due to this and the shortage of power unit parts, we have adapted today’s run plan to be very limited and consist only of short stints."

"We need to unlock more performance," two-time world champion Fernando Alonso said. "Missing [most of] Barcelona was not ideal. This is the very first test for us, so we’re still going step-by-step into the car. We are a little bit on the back foot, we have to admit that, but hopefully there is time to improve.

"On the chassis there is no doubt, we have the best with us. After 30-plus years of Adrian Newey dominating the sport, I think no one will doubt that we will find a way to have the best car eventually.

"On the power unit, we need to wait and see when we unlock all the performance, where we are and what is missing, and then work hard."

Formula 1 chief Stefano Domenicali says he is confident that Max Verstappen will not walk away from F1 despite blastin the new cars for being like 'Formula E on steroids.'

Domenicali said: "I met with Max yesterday. We know Max will be part of the future of Formula One. It is very important we listen to him, as we do with all of the top drivers.

"He has a way of saying something that can be interpreted in a certain way. But I can guarantee to you that Max wants and does care about Formula One more than anyone else.

"I had a very constructive meeting with him, and we will have a very constructive meeting with the FIA and with the teams to highlight the point of view as to what he believes needs to be done, which is to keep the driving style at the centre without changing the approach.

"The evolution behind the technology of the car requires a different way of driving the cars. That has happened in the past, and it will happen in the future, too. I am pretty sure when we sit down in the middle of the year, or the end of the year, you will see different comments. This is normal in Formula One."

When asked how he can be certain Verstappen will not retire, Domenicali added: "Because I have a very good relationship with Max. I know him very, very well.

"I spend a lot of time with him. That is the reason, full stop. And he loves Formula One, there’s no doubt about it."

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has made his feelings clear regarding the F1 Drivers Championship amid ongoing criticism from the current pool of drivers.

Speaking to GPBlog, he said: "I think what we have seen here in Bahrain definitely confirms that it's the ultimate challenge. Probably this is because Bahrain is an harvest-rich circuit, so you drive in a very normal way.

"And if anything, I have to say, with these regulations, the cars slide quite a lot more and the role of the driver, if anything, is even more involved in extracting the most out of the car.

"Barcelona was a slightly different situation because in Barcelona, being a relatively harvest poor circuit, there were some special manoeuvres that needed to be made, like not being flat out in high speed, in order to balance the level of harvesting and produce the fastest lap time.

"I think these two circuits don’t necessarily give the full picture. Definitely, there could still be cases in which the driver needs to approach driving in what is not the common way of driving a car...but like I say, we will have to monitor the situation a bit.

"For us what was important is that the safety concerns were addressed immediately. I think when it comes to improving the balance between the regulations in a way, in the current format, and some other driving challenges, there is time to fix this."

The top five:

1) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 1:32.992

2) Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.879

3) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +1.117

4) George Russell (Mercedes) +1.205

5) Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.429

Laps completed in the session:

Lando Norris (McLaren) - 47

George Russell (Mercedes) - 82

Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 65

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 132

Carlos Sainz (Williams) - 141

Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) - 165 (record for most laps completed)

Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) - 6

Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 118

Oliver Bearman (Haas) - 88

Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) - 71

Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) - 38

Formula 1 heavyweights like Ferrari, McLaren and Williams had all won titles in the early 1980s. Little did they know that they would all be beaten to glory by a clothing brand just a few years later.

You can read the exclusive from Daniel Moxon HERE.

Red Bull reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda was forced to make a quick escape after an F1 car caught fire during a demo show run in San Francisco.

After losing his seat as Red Bull's second driver to Isaak Hadjar at the end of last season, Tsunoda is acting as the team's third-choice in F1 2026. The Japanese star struggled alongside Max Verstappen following his promotion to a Red Bull seat after two races of the 2025 campaign, scoring just 33 points in his 22 appearances on the grid.

But on Saturday, Tsunoda, who attended last week's pre-season testing in Bahrain with Red Bull, returned to the cockpit of a F1 car for the first time since the final race of last season in Abu Dhabi. Indeed, the 25-year-old took part in a demonstration run in San Francisco.

However, Tsunoda needed to jump out of his car in rapid fashion after his car - the RB7 driven by Sebastian Vettel during his second F1 title success in 2011 - caught fire.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the F1 as the coundown continues ahead of the first race of the season. 

Drivers took part in a three-day pre-season testing programme in Bahrain last week, with Charles Leclerc of Ferrari fastest on Friday. 

Stay tuned with updates throughout the day... 

Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes' trackside engineering director, is confident with where the Silver Arrows are at after a week of testing.

Mercedes completed more laps than any other team in Bahrain just weeks before the 2026 season gets underway.

Shovlin said: "Unfortunately, our final day of pre-season testing wasn't a perfect one. We suffered an issue on the Power Unit side which curtailed Kimi's running at 49 laps.

"Despite that though, we did a good job of getting the car out relatively early in the afternoon and overall, we were able to complete a lot of useful work with both drivers. We kept the focus on set-up items and long run consistency today, which allowed us to cover quite a bit of ground.

"The competitive picture still isn't truly clear, but we know that we have plenty of work ahead as we finalise our preparations for Melbourne. We've put together a solid foundation to build from, looking forward to the challenge ahead, and excited to see how the W17 performs when racing."

Alpine's Pierre Gasly is optimistic for the upcoming season after 10 on-track days so far in the A526. 

The Frenchman is confident Alpine can take advantage of being a Mercedes power unit customer.

He said: "I am pleased with our work in the last month, and it has been an incredible effort from everyone at the team.

"We have a lot to look at, and there are certainly a number of areas where we need to work hard for us to find some improvements.

"I am feeling positive, pleased with all our hard work so far, and I will spend two days at Enstone on the simulator and with the team next week to prepare for the return to racing.

"It is an exciting time, and I look forward to putting in the hours ahead of Australia."

Lewis Hamilton has posted an update on social media after pre-season testing with Ferrari came to an end, giving positive thoughts on his time with the new car and declaring that he is going absolutely nowhere.

He said: "That’s a wrap on testing. It’s inspiring to watch a team pull out all the stops to build a car. It’s the most fascinating part of this job for me. Everything is built from scratch and designed and redesigned over and over.

"And then there are only a few of us who get to put that machine to the test. That feeling never gets old. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone in the team back at the factory for the hard work to get to this point!! I am truly grateful.

"I love this job so much and I love working with my team and driving for the fans. I’m incredibly lucky to be able to do what I do, and I’m excited for the season ahead.

"I’m re-set and refreshed. I’m not going anywhere, so stick with me. For a moment, I forgot who I was, but thanks to you and your support you’re not going to see that mindset again. I know what needs to be done. This is going to be one hell of a season. I’ve given everything to be here today. Let’s go team!!!"

Martin Brundle has given a positive verdict on the new F1 cars, after watching pre-season testing. Regulation changes means that the 2026 packages are slimmer and perform differently to last season, drawing some criticism.

The Sky Sports pundit said on social media: "I'm enjoying the '26 F1 cars moving around so much. Makes me appreciate the drivers even more, they can't just lean on massive downforce and stability. There are plenty of gremlins to be smoothed out but that'll happen over the next few months.

"We may even get some great corners like Copse and Eau Rouge 'back'. The top four look very close, of course the pack will be scattered as always happens with new regs, but I have no doubt we are in a much better shape than 2014."

Aston Martin have struggled with reliability over pre-season testing, with little time spent on the track due to it. Engine manufacturers Honda released a statement on Friday regarding the issues.

It reads: "Our last run with Fernando Alonso yesterday showed a battery-related issue that impacted our test plan with the Aston Martin F1 team. Since the, we have been carrying out simulations on the test bench in HRC Sakura. Due to this, and a shortage of power unit parts, we have adapted today's run plan to be very limited and consist only of short stints."

It remains to be seen whether the new setup will be able to get up to scratch in time for the start of the season on March 8.

Former F1 driver Riccardo Patrese believes Isack Hadjar could be the first driver to trouble Max Verstappen as a new Red Bull racer, as he looks set to make his mark as his teammate.

"It will be difficult being number two to Max but, if you want to show to the world that you are a possible world champion, you need to compare yourself with a person like Max," Patrese told Express Sport, via BetVictor. "Especially the first season, maybe he cannot beat Max – but he can put in a good performance against him.

"Then, being close to a champion like him, he can learn a lot and maybe the next season he can really trouble Max, if he's good enough. We'll see. We saw last year that he was good and now he has a chance – not an easy chance, but everybody who is young coming into the sport has to fight with an experienced driver. He has to prove himself and believe in himself, otherwise you cannot believe that he can be good enough to be world champion."

Read more on Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar here.

Ferrari admitted this week that there is an "issue" with Lewis Hamilton's car with the new Formula 1 season due to start in a few weeks.

Melbourne will host the first grand prix of the season in Australia from March 6-8.

However, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has admitted not all is perfect with their car.

With testing in Bahrain now complete, the focus will now turn to the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season.

The first race will take place in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix.

Qualifying will begin on March 6, with the race taking place on March 8 at the Albert Park Circuit.

F1 boss Stefano Domenicali has admitted there could be changes to the number of sprint races for the upcoming season.

Domenicali stated that there could be 12 sprint races for the 2026 F1 season based on "feedback from the fans", and also teated that an old venue could return to the calendar.

In comparison to Charles Leclerc and his comments, George Russell has admitted pre-season testing was far from positive for him.

He said: “The two starts I've made this week were worse than my worst ever start in Formula 1 and Lewis down in P11 [grid slot, P5 in order] got into P1.

“So at this stage, I don't think it matters how quick you are. The thing that's going to trip you up is going to be that tallest hurdle.

“That's what we're trying to get our heads around right now and we're stumbling on some at the moment.”

Charles Leclerc has spoken after topping the final day of Bahrain pre-season testing.

He said: "The test day was very smooth, we ran through our programme and tested all the things we planned to.

"In terms of performance, it's still difficult to understand where we really stand because teams are hiding their true form, so it's important not to focus too much on lap times and prepare for the first race.

"We will build step by step and try to understand how to extract the maximum from our car, we have a lot of data to analyse before we arrive in Melbourne and we will see how things go once we are there."

It has not been a good few days of pre-season testing for Aston Martin!

Fernando Alonso saw Thursday's race simulation interrupted with his pace significantly slower than several of their midfield rivals, and only marginally faster than F1 debutants Cadillac.

The British racing team also completed the fewest laps of any other team in Bahrain.

With nearly two-and-a-half hours remaining of the final session, Aston Martin's day was over as they could not safely run the engine for more than a few laps at a time.

A lack of spare parts also impacted their day with it quite clear a crisis has developed.

Lewis Hamilton looks to have a new lease of life ahead of the 2026 season following a disatrous debut campaign with Ferrari.

He said: "I’ve left everything, all of last year, behind me.

"I really felt that I spent a lot of time rebuilding over this winter, refocusing, really getting my body and my mind to a much better place.

"In general, just making sure that I’m able to arrive feeling better. And I would say I generally feel personally in the best place that I’ve been in a long, long time.

"And then with the car, I think we’ve started off quite well so far. And it’s an exciting time with this new generation of car as well, because it’s all brand new."

Pre-season testing did not quite go to plan for Lando Norris with the 26-year-old facing a real threat from several championship rivals.

Charles Leclerc seemingly has to be considered as one following the performance of Ferrari's car in Bahrain. 

Despite George Russell being quite far off the pace set by Leclerc, it is still seen in the general view of the paddock that Mercedes are favourites to win in Melbourne.

Max Verstappen also looks set for another push towards the title with Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri also likely to be in the running again.

In case you missed it, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc came out on top on the final day of Bahrain pre-season testing to put the pressure on second-placed Lando Norris.

The former completed a blistering lap to clock in a time 0.879s quicker than the reigning champion. 

Max Verstappen of Red Bull came just behind that duo in third but was 1.117s behind Leclerc while George Russell was 1.205s off the pace set by the Monaco native.

Hello and welcome back to Express Sport's latest F1 coverage following pre-season testing in Bahrain...

For all the fallout from that and the latest headlines ahead of the first race in just two weeks, stay right here throughout the day!