Formula 1’s new era was always going to bring questions, but its first week of serious running has raised more than most. With one more preseason test in Bahrain still to come, ESPN makes sense of a fascinating three days in Sakhir.
Category: Formula 1
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Ferrari impress as Leclerc leads F1 testing times
Charles Leclerc ensured Ferrari ended preseason testing in style with a scintillating set of late laps in Bahrain that will increase hype around the Italian team’s 2026 chances.
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F1 drivers wary of new ‘strategic’ overtaking
Charles Leclerc is among a growing number of Formula 1 drivers who have raised concerns about a lack of overtaking under the sport’s new regulations.
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Hamilton expects strong year, ‘DNA’ in this Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton said he heads into 2026 “personally in the best place” he’s been in a long time with a Ferrari car which he feels has more of his “DNA” in its design.
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Explained: F1’s 24-race future from 2026 onwards
As Formula 1 enters a new period of regulations in 2026 with ever-growing popularity and new race locations floated, this is how the calendar stacks up over the next few years.
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Jamaica sledder: F1’s Hamilton would shine on ice
Jamaican sprinter-turned-bobsledder Tyquendo Tracey has said Lewis Hamilton would do “very well” if he swapped Formula 1 tracks for the ice of the Winter Olympics.
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Mercedes’ Antonelli tops timesheets in Bahrain
Kimi Antonelli kept Mercedes at the top of the timesheets on the penultimate day of preseason testing in Bahrain after lowering the overall benchmark lap time to a 1:32.803.
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Explained: F1’s driver contracts, and potential moves in 2026
Driver contracts are a never-ending talking point across any given Formula 1 year — this is how the grid stacks up for the forseeable future.
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Have F1’s new-for-2026 regulations made the sport too complicated?
F1’s star drivers have spent much of preseason criticizing the sport’s new-for-2026 cars. They might have a point, but there are no simple solutions.
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F1 boss: Verstappen won’t quit over new rules
Stefano Domenicali is certain Max Verstappen will not quit the sport over its controversial and already-maligned new rules, which he has urged fans to “stay calm” about.