Formula 1

Australian Oscar Piastri said a “breakdown in trust” with Alpine led to his decision to reject them and join McLaren for his debut next season. McLaren won a dispute over Piastri with Alpine on Friday, after F1’s contract recognition board (CRB) ruled they had a valid contract with the 21-year-old. “McLaren was a great opportunity.

Max Verstappen won a titanic fight for pole at the Dutch Grand Prix, shading Charles Leclerc by just 0.021 seconds. The Red Bull driver looked to be in formidable form early in qualifying but Leclerc went faster on the first runs in the final session in his Ferrari. Leclerc improved on his final run, only

Lewis Hamilton says he and Mercedes are “not that far behind” at the Dutch Grand Prix after an encouraging Friday practice for the team. Hamilton ended the day third quickest, just 0.072 seconds off the pace set by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, whose team-mate Carlos Sainz was second fastest. Championship leader Max Verstappen was eighth in

Australian Oscar Piastri will drive for McLaren next year after Alpine lost their appeal to Formula 1’s contract recognition board (CRB). Alpine had lodged a claim with the board, a team of lawyers set up to adjudicate in contract disputes, after Piastri rejected their claim he was committed to them. The CRB said: “The only

Max Verstappen suffered a car failure early in Dutch Grand Prix first practice and managed only seven laps as Mercedes set the pace with a one-two. Verstappen, championship leader after a series of Ferrari errors, stopped on track. Team boss Christian Horner said he lost drive while shifting gear. He was fastest at the time

Lewis Hamilton says Red Bull could be embarking on an era of domination similar to his with Mercedes. Hamilton said: “The chances are very high that that’s already happened. They are already on that way. “It’s going to be very tough for teams to close that gap.” Max Verstappen is on course for a second

Ferrari have questioned the ability of Formula 1’s governing body to police the sport’s budget cap effectively. Team principal Mattia Binotto said the cap was “a very green regulation”, adding: “The number of people in the FIA monitoring it is very little.” He said: “It has to improve for the future because it would be

Lewis Hamilton said it was “nice to know how he feels about me” after being criticised by Fernando Alonso for a first-lap crash between the two. Alonso called fellow driver Hamilton “an idiot” who “only knows how to drive and start in first [place]”. The comments were heard on Alonso’s Alpine team radio after they

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen crushed the rest of the field to take a stunning victory in the Belgian Grand Prix. The World Championship leader was in a class of his own as he fought quickly from 14th to take a firm lead by lap 18 and disappear into the distance. Verstappen was a second a

The Belgian Grand Prix has secured its place on the 2023 Formula 1 calendar with a new one-year contract. The race at historic Spa-Francorchamps had been vulnerable as F1 juggled its options, but has secured a reprieve. An F1 statement said: “Formula 1 can confirm that the Belgian GP will be on the 2023 calendar

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is likely to win the Belgian Grand Prix despite starting 15th, Mercedes driver George Russell says. The world championship leader qualified fastest at historic Spa-Francorchamps, 0.632 seconds clear, but has a grid penalty for excessive engine usage. Russell, who will start fifth, said: “Max is probably going to slice through and

Max Verstappen put in a stunning performance in Belgian Grand Prix qualifying – but Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz will start the race from pole position. Red Bull’s Verstappen was a remarkable 0.632 seconds clear of the field but a grid penalty for using too many engine parts means he starts towards the back. Sainz won a

The dispute between McLaren and Alpine over the future of Oscar Piastri will go before Formula 1’s contract recognition board on Monday. Alpine laid claim to the Australian, but Piastri has said he will not drive for them. He is understood to have committed to McLaren. Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer said he was “very

Title rivals Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc will start the Belgian Grand Prix from the back of the grid. The Red Bull and Ferrari stars are two of six drivers to be penalised for using too many engine parts, with McLaren’s Lando Norris another. Verstappen, who leads Leclerc by 80 points in the championship, set

Audi is to make its debut in Formula 1 in 2026. Markus Duesmann, chairman of the Audi board, said on Friday that the German car company had officially registered as a power-unit manufacturer in F1. “If you think about Le Mans, DTM and Formula E, we have always been very active and very successful. We

Lando Norris says he feels no sympathy for team-mate Daniel Ricciardo following the Australian’s split with McLaren. Norris said: “I don’t feel like you have to have sympathy for any driver because they’ve not been able to do as good a job.” The 22-year-old Briton added that he “hated to say it”. “People will probably

Sebastian Vettel says Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali used a “very unlucky choice of words” when he said it was “very unlikely” a woman will be on the grid within five years. Italian Domenicali used the phrase “realistically speaking, unless there is something like a meteorite,” when discussing the issue. Aston Martin driver Vettel said:

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell said they believe a win for Mercedes is “close” as the Formula 1 season resumes at the Belgian Grand Prix. Mercedes have had a difficult season but progress in recent races culminated with their first double podium at the last race before the summer break in Hungary. Hamilton said he