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18/09/2026

George Russell's self-doubt has become another talking point for one of Formula 1's fiercest critics, with F1 expert & former team owner Jack Mayor claiming he has never been convinced the Mercedes driver possesses what it takes to reach the very top.

For Mayor, who has built his reputation on relentlessly questioning Russell's performances, the driver's apparent uncertainty comes as little surprise.

Jack Mayor delivers scathing Russell assessment

Mayor has never hidden his scepticism toward Russell, regularly questioning whether the Briton deserves the level of praise he receives.

Speaking about Russell's self-doubt, Mayor offered a particularly harsh assessment.

"Am I not good enough? Well, George, I've been saying that for years. I've always had faith that you'd fail to live up to the hype. So, no, it's no surprise to me that you're still asking these questions."

The Formula 1 veteran continued by arguing that Russell's reputation has often outpaced his achievements.

"People have spent years telling us how special George is. But where is the consistency when it matters most? Where is the ability to silence the critics? At some point, you have to stop making excuses and start delivering."

'The pressure exposes everything'

Mayor's criticism extends beyond individual races, with the fictional commentator suggesting that Russell's ability to cope with expectations remains a major concern.

"Formula 1 is not about being fast on your best day. It's about performing when the pressure is unbearable. And when a driver starts questioning whether he's good enough, you have to ask whether he genuinely believes he belongs at the front."

"I've never bought into the idea that George Russell is destined for greatness. If he proves me wrong, I'll acknowledge it. But until then, the hype is doing far more work than the results."

18/09/2026

Lando Norris’ dramatic loss at the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix has sparked fresh debate over Formula 1’s Virtual Safety Car (VSC) regulations, with Martin Brundle suggesting a potential solution to prevent similar situations in the future.

Norris appeared to be cruising towards victory at the Madring circuit, but disaster struck when the VSC was deployed moments after he had passed the pit-lane entry. By the time he reached the pits, racing had returned to green-flag conditions, allowing Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen to benefit from their pit stops.

A slow stop compounded Norris’ problems, dropping him to fifth before he recovered to finish third.

Reflecting on the incident, Norris said:

"It is a rule that should not define a whole race. I was the only one on the whole grid that didn't get the chance to do the pit stop. That’s just unfortunate.

"There's been plenty of times where I've gained from it in the past and times where I've lost from it, and it's racing, but never when fighting for a win. So, it's probably one of the first times a win has been lost simply because of it.”

Brundle described the outcome in his Sky Sports F1 column:

“Antonelli and Verstappen were both immediately magnanimous post-race when declaring it Norris' victory without the unfortunate virtual safety car timing. Should a driver lose a race because another driver has made a mistake or had a car failure?”

“What goes around comes around in the course of a season and even a career, but it felt rather like a robbery on Sunday.”

Brundle’s proposed fix? Keep the VSC active for at least one full lap, giving every driver an equal opportunity to pit. However, he acknowledged that the change would reduce green-flag racing time.

“Although, of course, that costs green flag full-speed racing time, which is what people want to see in the grandstands and on their devices.”

He also expects improvements to the Madring layout and facilities ahead of 2027.

16/09/2026

Lewis Hamilton has reportedly asked Ferrari to replace several key trackside personnel as he pushes for an operational overhaul, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The move would follow a major reshuffle of Hamilton’s engineering team ahead of the 2026 campaign. Long-serving race engineer Riccardo Adami was moved into Ferrari’s driver academy, with Carlo Santi taking over his role and Cedric Grosjean arriving from McLaren.

It remains unclear which personnel Hamilton wants replaced, but the seven-time world champion has repeatedly expressed frustration with Ferrari’s strategy and race-day ex*****on.

Any major changes would require the backing of team principal Fred Vasseur, although reports claim their relationship is "no longer what it once was."

Tensions became public at the Italian Grand Prix when Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc battled aggressively, ending with Hamilton in the gravel. Afterwards, Hamilton suggested Ferrari should have prioritised his championship campaign because he was ahead of Leclerc in the standings, while also calling for clearer rules between the drivers.

He cited Toto Wolff’s approach at Mercedes as a model, but Vasseur rejected the idea, choosing to maintain equal treatment despite Leclerc’s fading title hopes.

With Hamilton now 101 points behind the championship lead, Vasseur was asked whether his season was effectively over. He replied: "Two or three weeks ago, I told you that I will take race by race. I didn't change it."

Hamilton and Vasseur are expected to discuss the situation following the Madrid weekend, although Hamilton admitted he was unsure when that would happen. "We have work this week, so I don't really know the schedule," he said.

Hamilton is currently at Imola testing Pirelli tyres for 2027 alongside Leclerc. Ferrari’s response to his demands could provide a clearer indication of how much influence the Briton has within the team.

15/09/2026

The 2026 Formula 1 season is entering its final stages, with 14 of the scheduled 23 rounds completed following last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Kimi Antonelli claimed victory in Madrid on Sunday, bringing the European leg of the calendar to a close. F1 now heads to Azerbaijan before a run of races across Asia and the Americas.

However, unlike most grands prix, the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will take place on a Saturday, with the race scheduled for 26 September rather than Sunday 27 September. The change was announced in June last year “following a request from the Azerbaijan promoter and relevant government stakeholders”.

The reason for the unusual schedule is Azerbaijan Remembrance Day, which takes place annually on 27 September. The national day of mourning honours military personnel and others who died during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, also known as The Patriotic War.

The conflict began on 27 September 2020 in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region between Azerbaijan and Armenia. It lasted 44 days and ended in an Azerbaijani victory, while also triggering anti-government protests in Armenia.

According to the Azerbaijan government, 2,783 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed during the conflict. As the remembrance day falls on the Sunday, the entire F1 weekend has been moved forward by one day.

That means media day will take place on Wednesday, followed by FP1 and FP2 on Thursday. FP3 and qualifying will then be held on Friday, before the 51-lap Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place on Saturday 26 September.

The 2026 race will therefore become one of the rare Saturday grands prix in modern F1, with the adjusted schedule allowing the event to take place without conflicting with Azerbaijan’s national day of mourning.

15/09/2026

Lando Norris has called for Formula 1 to change its virtual safety car (VSC) rules after he lost a likely victory at the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix.

Norris was leading at the Madring when a VSC was deployed for Lance Stroll’s stranded Aston Martin. Having already passed the pit entry, Norris could not pit under the VSC, while Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen were able to make their stops and lose far less time. Norris eventually pitted a lap later under green flags.

“I was just unlucky, I was the only one on the whole grid who doesn’t get a pitstop,” Norris told Sky Sports F1.

“So I lose 20 seconds on the whole grid, this is out of my control, it’s out of their control, it’s… It’s a rule that shouldn’t define a race.”

Norris said a race should be decided by driver performance rather than circumstances created by the timing of a VSC.

“It’s just…I don’t think many people have lost a race win over it. So it’s frustrating I don’t feel like it’s the way you should lose.”

He revealed drivers have previously discussed delaying the VSC’s effect on pit stops for a lap to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity.

“We spoke about it in the past in drivers’ briefings, saying they should leave it out at least for a lap, so it’s equal for everyone.”

Norris also suggested preventing drivers from entering the pits during a VSC, except in emergencies such as punctures.

“So I think there's a few things you could do to make it more simple and more fair for everyone. But that's a bigger discussion.”

He acknowledged that the rule had benefited him in the past and could do so again, but said losing a victory this way was particularly frustrating.

“I have to take it on the chin. But I just hope it doesn't happen to anyone again, because it's just not how you should lose a race.”

Asked about a possible rule change, Verstappen, who was alongside Norris at the press conference, said: “I’ve also won races because of it. I've lost races because of it.”

13/09/2026

Lance Stroll may be struggling for results in F1 2026, but Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa believes the Canadian has the raw speed to match Fernando Alonso.

Stroll made unwanted history at Monza by becoming the first F1 driver to record 100 Q1 eliminations. He then qualified P22 at the Madring.

The 27-year-old has also fallen well behind Alonso this season, losing their qualifying battle 11-2 and the Grand Prix head-to-head 7-2. Stroll is yet to score a point, while Alonso has three.

Despite those numbers, de la Rosa insists Stroll’s pace is not the issue.

“Lance is super fast,” de la Rosa told the Beyond The Grid podcast.

“I love to watch data because I’m data-driven, and I like to see where one driver is faster than the other. And Lance, in many circuits, in many corners, is unbeatable.

“It’s not like you can say Lance is fast in high-speed, Fernando in… They’re both very evenly matched.

“Lance is extremely quick in all types of corners.”

De la Rosa believes Stroll’s biggest weakness is putting together a complete qualifying lap.

“It’s just that sometimes he’s had some mistakes in qualifying or little things that then eventually, if you don’t qualify up there, it just compromises the whole weekend.

“That’s where he’s missing. It’s just sometimes putting everything together in quali.

“But sometimes he gets it in quali and he outqualifies Fernando, which is like… I mean, we’re talking about Fernando Alonso, you know.

“And in races, his race pace is impressive as well. He’s very good managing tyres.”

De la Rosa also labelled Stroll “very underrated” and believes he can prove his ability when Aston Martin improves its car.

“I think Lance is a very underrated driver,” he added.

“When we improve the car and make it a bit more driver-friendly – I must say it’s a very difficult car right now for many reasons, not only car, chassis, but also on the engine, we have to make improvements on driveability – whenever the car is driving properly, he’s as quick as Fernando.

“There’s no question about that.”

11/09/2026

Williams has faced criticism after unveiling a special livery for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.

The design pays tribute to the FW07C, which raced in Madrid in 1981 and helped Williams win its first Constructors’ Championship. The white, green and navy livery also marks the team’s return to Madrid and Carlos Sainz’s home race.

However, its timing has sparked debate as the weekend coincides with the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

The 1981 Williams was backed by Saudi Arabian companies, including Saudia Airlines. In 1979, Williams also carried the name ‘Bin Laden’ after Mohamed Bin Laden, Osama Bin Laden’s father, supported the team through his construction company.

F1 pundit Will Buxton questioned the timing, despite the livery being based on the 1981 car rather than the 1979 Williams.

Buxton said: 'I love a throwback livery. I'm not convinced the timing of it is wise. In 1979, Williams was sponsored by the Bin Laden family, the father of Osama.

'And so that color scheme has an association with the family that was ultimately - through Osama bin Laden - responsible for 9/11. And this weekend marks 25 years since 9/11.

'Any other weekend, you'd be like, 'Oh, that's pretty cool.' This weekend, I think, you know, there's a focus group that's failed to focus really on that. People will make that link and they will make that association.'

Fans were divided, with some calling the connection unfair and others agreeing the timing was insensitive.

One fan said: 'Probably not the best weekend to run this livery.'

Another added: 'Run it any other weekend and it removes anyone bringing this up.'

Williams says the tribute is about celebrating its racing heritage and return to Madrid.

Team Principal James Vowles said: 'Our mission to get back to the front of the grid is drawn from, inspired by and informed by everything we’ve done before.'

07/09/2026

Isack Hadjar will miss the Spanish Grand Prix as he continues his recovery from a fractured wrist, Red Bull has confirmed.

Liam Lawson will once again partner Max Verstappen in the RB22s as Formula 1 makes its first visit to the Madring.

Racing Bulls has also confirmed that Yuki Tsunoda will remain alongside Arvid Lindblad for a third consecutive grand prix.

Hadjar sustained the injury while training during the summer break and was initially ruled out of the Dutch Grand Prix. However, his recovery did not progress quickly enough for him to return at last weekend's Italian Grand Prix, meaning both teams retained their revised driver line-ups.

With the inaugural Madrid race following so soon after Monza, Hadjar's absence was widely anticipated. Red Bull has now officially confirmed that the Frenchman will not be ready to return to the cockpit this weekend.

In a statement, Red Bull said: "After racing for the team in Zandvoort and Monza, Liam will continue to drive alongside Max at this week's Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.

"The decision has been taken as Isack's recovery continues to progress positively. While he is not yet ready to return to the cockpit, he will be in Madrid supporting the team.

"Everyone at Red Bull Racing looks forward to welcoming Isack back behind the wheel very soon."

04/09/2026

14/05/2026

Former Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley has warned Oscar Piastri that “the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere” amid reports linking him with a move from McLaren to Red Bull Racing.

Speaking on the High Performance Racing podcast, Smedley said: “I've seen drivers do that and I've never seen it work out well. I've never seen it where the driver's been happier.”

Reports claim Red Bull see Piastri as a ‘Plan B’ if Max Verstappen leaves, despite the Dutchman being contracted until 2028.

Former Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer backed Smedley’s view, saying: “That team also has to ascend to be the best team. And those two things are a bit more rare.”

Piastri lost last year’s title battle to teammate Lando Norris, but Smedley suggested remaining at a top team gives drivers the best chance of future success.

Would you stay at a championship-winning team as the number two driver, or leave to become a team leader elsewhere?