F1 news: Lewis Hamilton hits back as FIA make suspension decision
The latest news, as the Formula 1 season is about to begin in Australia, and the drama is already beginning to unfold ahead of the opening race this weekend
The Formula 1 season is almost upon us as teams descend on Australia for the opening race of the season. The prospect of seeing a new format, new competition and new teams offers a tantalising prospect.
Fittingly, the drama has already got underway. Valterri Bottas has already been hit by a grid penalty as he makes his return to the sport with Cadillac.
After a year out and a frustrating testing period, Bottas is being hit by a penalty he picked up in the 2024 season and will drop five places following qualifying after he collided with Kevin Magnussen in Abu Dhabi.
Elsewhere, as Ferrari gear up hoping to offer a title challenge, though Lewis Hamilton has played down the suggestion of an in-team competitive rivalry with Charles Leclerc. The British F1 icon has suggested the focus is simply on doing what is best for Ferrari, even after a disappointing debut season.
“I don’t see it that way,” he told Corriere della Serra. "Ferrari is one thing: in Italy and abroad, people follow it like a religion and love it like the Pope. My goal is not to divide the fans.
“We both want to win, and obviously, I want to be the one to do it, and I’m working towards that.
“But the team comes first. Charles is a phenomenal driver in terms of his driving and his ethics, and he’s been here for eight years. But I’m coming into this championship in a different way.”
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of Formula 1.
Sky broadcasts every practice, qualifier and race throughout the season, as well as exclusive coverage of the Premier League, EFL, darts and golf.
Australian Grand Prix to be 'erratic'
Ex-Williams and McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya anticipates a frantic Australian Grand Prix on Sunday with some 'erratic' moves across the grid.
The Colombian told BetBrothers: "For me, it will be interesting to see how the drivers manage the energy. In the first few laps of the race, drivers may run out of energy and the lights will be flashing.
"I think this could lead to some erratic moves. I don't think you'll see a quiet race, one person will use more energy than another on a part of the track.
"When the person in front of you loses their energy, you have to pass them, but you'll then have to regain that energy to stay ahead. Someone will get it really wrong, and someone will get it really right.
"It's cool having a bit of an unknown, it's good for the sport. The people who get it right will say the new cars are amazing, while those who get it wrong will complain. Drivers will complain the cars aren't as stable as they used to be, but what do you expect with 30 per cent less grip?
"The casual viewer who hasn't watched any testing will be seeing the wings open on the new cars for the first time, and they'll be amazed. It's all good attention for the sport."
Lando Norris reveals his F1 retirement timeline
Speaking to GPblog in Melbourne, Norris said he would retire from Formula 1 once he feels unable to compete at the sport’s peak standards.
"Certainly not the bad version of what you put it," he said. "I would still find it impossible to ever want to go out on track and not do everything I can to try and win.
"I'd feel embarrassed if that wasn’t the case. So when that time comes, I'll retire and leave Formula 1. But until then, I'll always do everything I can to win, and certainly winning the championship last year made me want to achieve that even more this year."
Perez fires Red Bull criticism
Sergio Perez says he needed time away from the sport after his dramatic decline alongside Max Verstappen.
"Obviously, I think the last six months of my journey with Red Bull were tough in all areas, and I really felt like I needed a break," Perez told RacingNews365. "I could see things that, from the outside, were not visible.
"They became more visible after I left, of course. For me, I also had a great time with Red Bull."
The fresh Cadillac project has reignited his motivation to return. "For me, getting back [to F1], I'm really enjoying my time with Cadillac, and I'm really looking forward to this journey together," he added.
"I think there are a lot of promises all around. It's a long project, a long shot, but I believe that this can be something very successful, and being part of something new gives me that motivation."
Hamilton worry
Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes that the latest Ferrari may be more suited to Charles Leclerc than Lewis Hamilton.
The pundit reckons certain aspects will leave Hamilton happier than last term but there are areas of concern.
“We’ve got rake in the car, we’ve got more feeling to the driver,” Palmer said. “I think that aspect will help Lewis. He’ll feel the car moving a little bit more where maybe he had more of a numb sensation in the last generation.
“But there are other factors that I’m not so sure about. There’s difficulties in braking, the cars stop deploying energy. It’s a strange way to drive the car when you’re actually slowing speed into some of the big stops. Maybe not necessarily one of Lewis’ great strengths, he loves to attack the brakes really hard.
“He loves a stable rear end. We saw Charles Leclerc at the end of testing really hustling it, the rear end coming out. I feel like it’s a car that maybe suits Leclerc more, maybe suits a Verstappen more for that reason.
“We will see. Maybe it suits Lewis more. There are arguments for and against.”
Piastri wants home win
McLaren racer Oscar Piastri is excited to compete in Australia this weekend but isn't getting ahead of himself.
"It would be optimistic, or very optimistic, to say we’re going to have the same form as we did here 12 months ago.
I think we’re somewhere towards the front, but from testing it feels like Mercedes and Ferrari got a little bit on us and Red Bull. I think we’re in the mix but not right at the pointy end.
I would love to win here. If we’ve got the car to do it…and even if we don’t have the car to do it…I’ll be trying my absolute best to.”
Two contenders
Carlso Sainz believes there are two primary contenders for the Formula 1 world championsip this season. Speaking on Formula 1’s Beyond the Grid podcast, Sainz tipped some familiar names.
“George Russell or Max Verstappen,” he said
Ominous admission
Mercedes star George Russell has spent much of this pre-season downplaying the hype but has admitted ahead of Sunday's Melbourne curtain-raiser that he's never seen his team in a better place.
Russell said:
"It has been a better pre-season than the last four years. Regardless of the stop watch, things are working out as we hope. The morale is definitely different, but this is more to do with the fact the car is performing as expected.
The correlation is good, there are no major scares. The engine looks strong, the package looks good, so that is why morale is high. The lap times looked decent as well in the first two tests, but the rate of improvement is going to be at its steepest for the next six months."
Perez feels appreciated
New Cadillac driver Sergio Perez feels his feedback is “much more appreciated” than it ever was during his time at Red Bull.
Perez believes his words have greater impact on the development on the development of his F1 car.
"Yeah, definitely. I think so. I think I could definitely see the way that the car is being developed and the way we are pushing forward in the same direction; it always helps.
I feel that definitely my feedback is much more appreciated.
Hadjar relishing expectation
Isack Hadjar enjoyed an impressive debut F1 season and now must overcome testing disruption to shine on the track again.
Hadjar said:
Yeah, I mean, not an ideal preparation for me, but it’s nothing I can do.
I made the most of the few mileage I had and, you know, worked out on the sim, so I’ll try my best to get as ready as possible for this weekend.
He added:
I was fighting for podiums and wins since Go-Kart, so actually last year was something I wasn’t used to.
And now, knowing that I can have a shot at better results is what I’m here for. So now, I prefer to be in this position.”
'Last shot' at F1
Colton Herta has admitted that his switch to Formula 2 is his 'last shot' at securing a place in Formula 1.
The nine-time IndyCar race winner and 2024 series runner-up has long been linked with a move to F1 and was previously on the books at McLaren as a development driver.
Interest from AlphaTauri emerged in 2023 but the FIA denied him an exemption from the super licence points system.
Herta has now joined Hitech for the F2 season and is a reserve driver for Cadillac.
"At the end of the day, it was my decision, and I saw it as my last opportunity to get to Formula 1.
I was super-grateful for it. There are plenty of series that I want to race in and compete in, but none that have the time constraints of Formula 1, so this really is probably my last shot of getting to it and I’m just very grateful for the opportunity with Cadillac.
Verstappen laughs at FIA
Asked about the FIA possible making changes this season following controversy around the new regulations, Max Verstappen could only laugh.
"We're a bit late with that. The amount of money that has been invested into these regulations, it will be around for a while.
You could have seen this coming. That suddenly now things are raised, it's a bit late."
Norris lays down guantlet
Lando Norris does not believe McLaren is starting the season on the back foot despite the prospect of not being among the two quickest teams to start the season.
"I don't think we're starting on the back foot. Even if you're second, third or fourth quickest, I don't think that's on the back foot. I think that's still a very good position to start in.
In previous years where it's been harder to improve over the course of a season, we've certainly proved that you could. And I continue to believe that, you know, it's a long, very long season.
One of the big [lessons] from last year is to not get too frustrated with one or two bad races, a bad beginning of a year. It can always come back your way as long as you keep working hard.
I have very good faith in the team that they can, if we don't start in the best way possible, that we will be able to continue to work as efficiently as possible to bring upgrades, bring big things later on through the season to help turn things around if that is the case.
But even if we start in a good form, I still expect us to continue that and improve a lot through the middle of the course of the season. It's certainly not led by our results this weekend or the first races of the year.
Hamilton's plea
Lewis Hamilton has called for an African Grand Prix to return to Formual 1's calendar.
The continent has not hosted a race since 1993 when team's raced in South Africa. Asked where would be best suited, Hamilton offered up some suggestions on Thursday.
"There's one on every other continent, why not Africa? I know they [F1] are really trying. I think they've been to quite a few different countries.
The ones that I've enjoyed the most: I loved Kenya. [But] I don't think we're going to have a grand prix in Kenya. Rwanda was spectacular. Two places I felt like I could live.
South Africa is stunning. I think those are the ones I think would be good places for us to potentially go to."
Pit lane speed limit clarified
The FIA has issued clarification for the pit lane speed limit for this weekend's Australian Grand Prix.
Earlier reports had suggested a reduction from 80km/h to 60km/h woud be put in place, but the governing body has confirmed that it will remain at the standard 80km/h.
Chief events officer Tom Mottram has claimed a temporary reduction could be introduced to help manage tigther operating conditions.
“We’ve had to reduce our pitlane speed from 80km/h to 60km/h, just because it will be a little bit tighter for teams to pull in,” he said.
Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races under threat
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix are under threat, a statement has confirmed.
It's claimed that the races could be cancelled as a result of the US-Isreal war with Iran. The two countries have been targeted by retaliatory missles launched by Iran in response to US-Israeli air strikes.
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.
"As always we closely monitor any situation like this and work closely with relevant authorities and will always prioritise the safety and security of all those in the sport."
Antonelli to Ferrari not impossible
Piero Ferrari has admitted that Kimi Antonelli one day racing in red isn't impossible. The Italian currently races for Mercedes after he extended his contract for 2026.
With Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both facing uncertainty in the future, a seat could be open at Ferrari and the door for Antonelli hasn't been rebunked.
"It's not forbidden," he said. "There have been Italians at Ferrari and the last one who tried, a dier friend, Michele Alboreto, didn't succeed.
"Antonelli has already proven he deserves top-flight cars: with a little experience, he’ll certainly become a great driver.”
Aston Martin's Australian Grand Prix worry
Adrian Newey has admitted Aston Martin won't finish the Australian Grand Prix with both drivers worried about suffering nerve damage as a result of their problem-plagued car.
Honda's new engines suffered significant reliability issues in pre-season testing and their problems continue as the season gets under way in Melbourne on Sunday.
Excessive vibrations were last week identified as the reason why the new power units keep breaking down.
Team principal Newey conceded neither Fernando Alonso nor Lance Stroll will be able to complete the race until the vibrations have been reduced.
He said: "That vibration into the chassis is causing a few reliability problems: mirrors falling off, tail lights falling off, all that sort of thing, which we are having to address.
"But the much more significant problem with that is that that vibration is transmitted ultimately into the driver's fingers. Fernando is of the feeling that he can’t do more than 25 laps consecutively before he will risk permanent nerve damage into his hands. Lance is of the opinion that he can’t do more than 15 laps before that threshold.
Stroll himself offered a dramatic description of the issue as he said: "I don't know how you could compare it. I guess like you electrocute yourself on a chair or something like that, it's not far off. It's a very uncomfortable vibration. It's bad for the engine, but also for the human inside the car. We need to get on top of it. I think we will."
F1 season odds with Russell leading the way
The wait is finally over. Formula 1 is back in Melbourne this weekend, and as the engines fire up for the Australian Grand Prix, BetTom have delivered a verdict on the new era of racing.
Mercedes' George Russell has emerged as the man to beat, sitting as the 19/10 favourite to claim his first World Championship. After a winter where the Silver Arrows appeared to find the 'magic bullet' for the radical new 2026 regulations, Russell looks primed to lead the Brackley squad back to the summit.
However, don't expect Max Verstappen to relinquish his grip easily. Despite Red Bull’s transition to Ford power, the Dutchman remains a fierce threat at 29/10, breathing down Russell's neck before a wheel has even turned in anger.
The spotlight is equally bright at Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc 15/4 and Lewis Hamilton 11/2 both tipped for a massive season.
Meanwhile, the McLaren duo of Lando Norris (8/1) and Oscar Piastri 12/1 remain dangerous dark horses, tied with the sensational Mercedes teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli 8/1.
With the first practice sessions just hours away, we'll know more about the season very soon.
FIA suspends Melbourne curfews
The FIA has suspended mandatory curfew regulations at the Australian Grand Prix. It comes after a series of events which led to widespread air space closures.
Hundreds of team members and officials were left stranded, forcing Formula 1 to organise emergency charter flights. Race director Rui Marques has notified staff that the mandatory rest periods would be waved.
A statement read: “We wish to inform you that, following consultation with the stewards of the meeting, due to force majeure and specifically ongoing travel and freight disruptions experienced in the preparation of the Australian Grand Prix, the provisions of Article B9.5.1a i.e. ‘Restricted Period 1’ and Article B9.5.1b i.e. ‘Restricted Period 2’ shall not apply at this Competition.”
Bottas penalty reversed
A recent change to the Formula 1 sporting regulations means Valtteri Bottas will no longer serve a five-place grid penalty this weekend.
He was destined to serve the penalty issued at the 2024 Adu Dhabi Grand Prix. It was originally going to carry over to now, but that will no longer be the case.
Section b (i) of article B2.5.4 stipulates that for cases of 15 or less cumulative "unserve grid penalties for the Race imposed in the previous twelve (12) months” are taken into account when forming the grid.
This change means that penalties imposed outside of that period do not apply.
Bottas' grid penalty confirmed
Valtteri Bottas will serve a grid penalty at this weekend's Australian Grand Prix.
The Finn spent last season as a reserve drive for Mercedes after leaving Sauber at the end of 2024. He's now at Cadillac alongside Sergio Perez.
However, he will serve a five-place grid penalty because of an incident in his final race for Sauber.At the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the 36-year-old was involved in a collision with Perez on the opening lap.
He tagged his new team-mate into a spin, earning himself a 10-second time penalty. Later in the race, he locked up his front wheels and drove straight into the back of Kevin Manussen.
Hamilton dismisses Ferrari issue
Lewis Hamilton was dismissed any claims he faces an intra-team rivalry with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari in this year's F1 season.
After failing to finish on the podium across 24 races last year, the Brit is gunning for an improved season this term. However, before the first Grand Prix of the campaign, Hamilton has debunked any idea of a rivalry with Leclerc.
"I don't see it that way," he told Corriere dello Serra. “Ferrari is one thing: in Italy and abroad, people follow it like a religion and love it like the Pope. My goal is not to divide the fans.
“We both want to win, and obviously, I want to be the one to do it, and I’m working towards that.
“But the team comes first. Charles is a phenomenal driver in terms of his driving and his ethics, and he’s been here for eight years. But I’m coming into this championship in a different way.”
Your morning headlines
Here's some of the stories in the F1 world that you may have missed from the last few days:
F1 have made big change to 2026 calendar with three new races
Verstappen's rule complaint and FIA response
Max Verstappen has complained about the new F1 regulations, comparing the new cars to those of Formula E.
Among the change is the update to assess engine compression ratios at both ambient temperature and 130°C. Verstappen insisted the change could help Mercedes get an extra 20 to 30 horsepower.
FIA chief Nikolas Tombazis said: "I think they’re getting used to the new cars, but we are completely conscious that we may need to make adjustments, and that has been a discussion. We’ve been open with the teams and the PU manufacturers for a long, long time, and with the drivers, indeed.
"I think there are some ways that we can act as a sport to make adjustments in the rules. Clearly, they would also need approval through the governance process – and we can’t just say tomorrow ‘we’ll change this and change that’, there’s a process.
“We are taking the drivers’ comments into consideration. We are asking them a number of questions to give us feedback, and the teams and the PU manufacturers are being extremely constructive in this process.
“So, I don’t think we are exactly where we’re going to be in a few months from now, we may have to make some adjustments and, frankly, I don’t think the adjustments are huge, that we need to make.”
Good morning
Hello and welcome to today's Formula 1 live blog and we're only one day away from the start of the 2026 campaign.
New rules and car regulations mean the new era is set to be an exciting one. We will delve into the comments on the new season, as well as everything else in the F1 race.
So stay tuned for all things F1.
