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Formula One news from Autosport, RaceFans, and BBC Sport.
Koji Watanabe will retire as Honda Racing Corporation president on Jan. 1, 2027, and current Executive Vice President Keiichi Yasuda will succeed him. Honda says the planned personnel change is intended to strengthen management and support expansion for the next generation.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli said Mercedes does not yet know whether its new W17 upgrade improved the car, after a difficult weekend at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit. The team expects to have a clearer assessment before the Singapore race.
Lewis Hamilton said starting on slick tyres at Sepang left him unable to fight Max Verstappen for victory, though he recovered to the podium. He plans a constructive discussion with his team about the decision before the next race.
BBC Sport’s The Chequered Flag Podcast features expert analysis of the Formula 1 season.
George Russell’s late power unit failure ended a strong run at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and widened his deficit to Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli to 84 points. Team principal Toto Wolff said Mercedes faces work to recover after a difficult race in which Red Bull claimed its first victory of the year.
A rain delay and technical problems on the formation lap held up the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia by almost another hour. A RaceFans commenter criticized the race organization and questioned delays, formation laps and the treatment of affected drivers.
Lando Norris said he was caught out when the field slowed during a Safety Car period and narrowly missed Oscar Piastri. Stewards summoned Norris over his driving and rejoining, while Alexander Albon was investigated over a separate incident involving Piastri.
Isack Hadjar said he had no battery to fend off Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in the final laps of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. He finished fifth after earlier holding off Hamilton, but said his pace was poor throughout the race.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said the team lacked the speed it expected at Sepang and suffered a power unit failure that ended George Russell’s race. Lewis Hamilton recovered from an early delay to finish third, while Kimi Antonelli extended his championship lead over Russell and Hamilton.
Max Verstappen claimed his first victory of 2026 at Sepang after heavy rain and a software problem delayed the start by almost an hour and 40 minutes. Mercedes drivers initially led on intermediate tyres, but George Russell retired with a power unit problem and Verstappen held off Andrea Kimi Antonelli to the finish.
A downpour and lightning at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit delayed the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix as race control waited for conditions to improve. The FIA medical car reported substantial standing water, while the official forecast anticipated dry conditions after the storm passed.
As Formula 1 reaches round 16 of the 2026 season without a wet session or race, Pierre Gasly and Pirelli’s Simone Berra say Sepang’s heat, rough surface and elevation could make it a suitable venue for rain. They also expect different tyre challenges from those possible in cold Montreal, including overheating and the potential need for full-wet tyres.
George Russell says Formula 1 teams should receive financial or outside support to develop cooling vests for hot races, after Mercedes chose not to prepare a robust system. The FIA has kept vest use optional after drivers raised concerns about the standard design, while teams weigh the limited use against development costs and car performance.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said Lando Norris’s car is losing between one and two tenths of a second per lap because it accelerates less and reaches lower top speeds on power-limited sections. The team is examining possible causes and can make further changes only at the Singapore event.
Lewis Hamilton said he was elated to qualify second for the Bahrain Grand Prix, securing his second front-row start of the season despite expecting to finish fourth or fifth. He described a year marked by more difficult race weekends and said the result reaffirmed his confidence.
George Russell said he could not explain his lack of pace in qualifying at Sepang, despite feeling confident after his strong performance in Baku and Mercedes’ new upgrade. He will start Sunday’s race four places behind teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, but expects tyre degradation to create opportunities.
Max Verstappen claimed his first pole of 2026 at Sepang, crediting Red Bull’s recent upgrades and improved balance after a difficult start to the season. Lewis Hamilton will join him on the front row for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, where tyre wear and extreme heat are expected to shape the race.
Mercedes could not compare its revised W17 directly with the previous version at Sepang, where both cars struggled on the abrasive surface. Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth and George Russell eighth, leaving the team uncertain about the upgrade’s effect despite data pointing to an improvement.
BBC Sport’s F1: Chequered Flag asks whether the opening turn at Sepang will bring a repeat of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 battle.
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said a set-up mistake in Friday’s second practice session left Oliver Bearman without useful information to prepare for qualifying at Sepang. Bearman said tyre degradation and a lock-up also affected his performance, which he described as short of the team’s true potential.
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