FIA and Teams Vote on Six 2026 Regulation Changes at April Crunch Summit
Formula 1's governing body and team representatives gathered for the April 20 summit at which six proposed changes to the 2026 technical regulations were put to a vote ahead of Miami. The session, chaired by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, brought together team principals, power unit manufacturers, and Formula One Management to address two core issues: qualifying energy management, where drivers lose electrical deployment before reaching the braking zone; and dangerous closing speed differentials that contributed to Oliver Bearman's 50G crash at Suzuka. Results of the subsequent e-vote are expected within days, with approved changes targeting implementation for the Miami Grand Prix on May 3.
Antonelli Reflects on Historic Title Lead as Five-Week Break Continues
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has described feeling stronger and more in control as he heads into the five-week break holding an unprecedented lead in the 2026 World Drivers' Championship. The 19-year-old Italian, who became the youngest championship leader in Formula 1 history after winning the Japanese Grand Prix, holds 72 points — nine ahead of teammate George Russell. Antonelli said while it was early days, he felt his race craft had developed through consecutive wins in China and Japan. He acknowledged Russell remained a constant threat but said the competitive relationship inside the Mercedes garage was driving both drivers to perform at their highest level.
Sources: Crash.net
McLaren: Oscar Piastri Identified as Key to Closing 92-Point Championship Gap
McLaren has identified Oscar Piastri as central to the team's ambitions of clawing back the significant points gap to championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Piastri, who missed the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix and scored 18 points with second place on his 2026 season debut at Suzuka, is seen as bringing a calmer and more technical driving style better suited to the energy management demands of the new regulations. The team completed a tyre test at the Nürburgring this week, with both Piastri and Norris driving the MCL40 ahead of Miami. McLaren trails Mercedes by 92 points in the constructors' standings.
Sources: Motorsport Week
Norris Labels 2026 Cars 'Frustrating' After MCL40 Test at Nürburgring
Reigning world champion Lando Norris described the 2026 Formula 1 cars as frustrating following a test run in the MCL40 at the Nürburgring this week, adding his voice to driver criticism of the regulations during April's enforced break. Norris said the energy management demands made it impossible to race wheel-to-wheel in a satisfying way, explaining that overspending battery power turns a car into a sitting duck within seconds. He pointed to qualifying as the biggest problem, where drivers are forced to manage energy rather than push to absolute limits. Norris's comments add to pressure on the FIA ahead of today's crunch vote on six proposed regulatory fixes.
Sources: GPFans
Red Bull Promotes Waterhouse and Hires Ferrari's Landi in Technical Reshuffle
Red Bull Racing has restructured its technical leadership in response to a difficult start to 2026, leaving the team sixth in the constructors' championship with 16 points from three rounds. Ben Waterhouse has been promoted to the new role of chief performance and design engineer, reporting directly to technical director Pierre Waché. From July 1, Andrea Landi — formerly deputy head of vehicle performance at Ferrari and deputy technical director at VCARB — will join as head of performance under Waterhouse. Both Max Verstappen and team-mate Isack Hadjar have complained about poor handling and balance in the RB22 across the opening three races of the new regulation era.
Sources: Motorsport Week, Crash.net
Aston Martin Confirms No Quick Fix for AMR26 Honda Vibration Crisis During Break
Aston Martin has confirmed no immediate solution exists for the reliability and vibration problems plaguing the AMR26 and its Honda power unit, leaving the team at the foot of the constructors' standings. Fernando Alonso has managed only one classified finish — eighteenth at Suzuka — while Lance Stroll has not completed a race. Engineers identify the vibration as stemming from a battery layout made during the car's design phase, causing nerve pain in drivers' hands. The team is using the five-week Miami break to work intensively with Honda at Sakura, but both parties have acknowledged the recovery timeline is measured in months rather than weeks.
Sources: The Race
F1's 2026 Regulation Reset Creates Biggest Performance Gap Between Teams Since 2017
The 2026 Formula 1 regulation reset has produced the largest performance gap between fastest and slowest teams since 2017. Across the opening three race weekends, the field was separated by 3.63 seconds per lap in qualifying, with five distinct performance tiers emerging: a dominant Mercedes at the front; Ferrari and McLaren as immediate pursuers; a tightly packed upper midfield from Red Bull to Audi; Williams in no man's land; and Aston Martin alongside Cadillac at the rear. Red Bull's qualifying deficit of 0.97 seconds per lap represents the largest gap the team has faced since 2015, underscoring how dramatically the new rules have reshuffled the competitive order.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Verstappen Races Mercedes GT3 at Nürburgring 24h Qualifiers During F1 Break
Max Verstappen continued his motorsport activity during Formula 1's enforced five-week spring break by competing in the Nürburgring 24-hour Qualifiers this weekend, co-driving the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing alongside Austrian Lucas Auer. The four-time world champion, currently ninth in the 2026 drivers' championship with 12 points after a troubled start to the new regulation era, has made no secret of his frustrations with the 2026 cars. The Nürburgring Nordschleife outing allowed Verstappen to maintain his racecraft and fitness during the gap between the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29 and the Miami Grand Prix on May 3.
Sources: GPFans
South Korea Proposes Incheon Street Circuit for Return to F1 Calendar in 2028
South Korea has outlined plans for a return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2028 with a proposed street circuit in Incheon, marking what would be the country's first grand prix since the Korean GP at Yeongam was dropped in 2013. Circuit promoters are working with Incheon city authorities on a route utilising the waterfront district near Songdo International Business District. The proposal requires formal approval from Formula One Management and must be included in the FIA's calendar process. No formal announcement has yet been made by Formula 1, and the 2028 calendar remains unconfirmed, but discussions are said to be at an advanced stage.
Sources: Motorsport Week
Drivers' Championship
1. Kimi Antonelli — 72 pts
2. George Russell — 63 pts
3. Charles Leclerc — 49 pts
4. Lewis Hamilton — 41 pts
5. Lando Norris — 25 pts
6. Oscar Piastri — 18 pts
7. Oliver Bearman — 17 pts
8. Pierre Gasly — 15 pts
9. Max Verstappen — 12 pts
10. Isack Hadjar — 4 pts
11. Liam Lawson — 4 pts
12. Esteban Ocon — 1 pts
13. Franco Colapinto — 1 pts
14. Gabriel Bortoleto — 2 pts
15. Nico Hülkenberg — 0 pts
16. Carlos Sainz — 0 pts
17. Alexander Albon — 0 pts
18. Arvid Lindblad — 0 pts
19. Fernando Alonso — 0 pts
20. Lance Stroll — 0 pts
21. Sergio Pérez — 0 pts
22. Valtteri Bottas — 0 pts
Constructors' Championship
1. Mercedes — 135 pts
2. Ferrari — 90 pts
3. McLaren — 43 pts
4. Haas — 18 pts
5. Alpine — 16 pts
6. Red Bull Racing — 16 pts
7. Racing Bulls — 8 pts
8. Audi — 2 pts
9. Williams — 0 pts
10. Aston Martin — 0 pts
11. Cadillac — 0 pts