Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar says Formula 1 overtakes are now possible with similar pace, while they previously required the attacking car to be much faster.

F1’s new power unit era features more electrical power and therefore a much greater emphasis on energy management.

In turn, energy management means drivers get to overtake much more easily as they slow down earlier before corners, and this has been reflected in the early races of the 2026 season.

No fewer than 149 overtaking moves have been recorded in the first three grands prix of the season – a conservative figure as it only accounts for overtaking-related position changes on the finish line, with lap one excluded. This is substantially more than the 63 passes from the Melbourne, Shanghai and Suzuka races last year.

“I think it's the only time in a while where two cars with an identical pace can overtake each other back and forth,” Hadjar commented on Thursday at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images

“Whereas, if you take last year, you always needed like six, seven, eight tenths’ advantage to overtake the car ahead of you. Sometimes even more. And sometimes when you complete the overtake, you know that the car behind is never going to overtake you back.

“So, if anything, it's making the racing better, that's for sure. But it's, for sure, at times a bit artificial. So we need to find the right balance. But it's definitely better than it was.”

Asked if the situation was going to change over time as teams learned more about energy management, or whether specific tweaks were required, Hadjar replied: “A bit of both. We need a few rules to change and the engineers [need] more time.”

As for the aforementioned rules which should be tweaked: “Just more efficient batteries, that’s it.”

As it happens, F1 stakeholders are meeting today (9 April) to discuss potential tweaks to the rules amid discontent regarding drivers’ ability to push in qualifying and safety concerns following Oliver Bearman’s hefty Suzuka crash.

What to expect from F1 power unit rules talks on Thursday

Question of the week: What, if anything, does F1 need to change in the current rules?

In a Wednesday night legal filing, Spire Motorsports and co-owner Jeff Dickerson responded to Joe Gibbs Racing’s motion for expedited fact discovery with retorts that the Toyota flagship organization’s posture has devolved into a series of hypotheticals.

“In a case that is supposed to be about JGR’s ‘crown jewels’ and ‘secret sauce,’ JGR’s primary focus in the preliminary stages of this litigation has quickly collapsed into a run-of-the-mill discovery dispute about text messages for a one-month period between a party and a non-party.

“Finding nothing of value in response to initial expedited discovery, JGR’s talk of ‘past car setups,’ car simulations, and ‘two one-hundredths of an inch [makes the difference]’ has given way to newfound fantasies about what might have been. But a burning desire for evidence that does not exist does not warrant expedited discovery.”

Everything taken directly from the filing is italicized.

As part of its $8 million lawsuit against its former competition director and longtime crew chief, Joe Gibbs Racing is alleging that Gabehart participated in a ‘brazen scheme’ to take trade secrets from JGR to Spire in violation of a non-compete agreement between them. In the week after suing Gabehart, JGR also amended its legal complaint to include Spire.

Joe Gibbs Racing seeks $8 million in damages from ex-competition director Chris Gabehart

Joe Gibbs Racing had Chris Gabehart followed by a private investigator before lawsuit

Since then, Joe Gibbs Racing has pursued expedited discovery on Gabehart and Spire, which meant asking Judge Susan C. Rodriguez for the right to seek communications and documents pertinent to the lawsuit to address potentially time-sensitive damages.

In this case, JGR believes that Spire has obtained trade secrets from Gabehart and is using that information against them right now during the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. Judge Rodriguez granted a ‘narrow in scope’ expedited discovery order, and while JGR did find some questionable work documents from Gabehart, did not find anything that definitely suggested the sharing of proprietary data.

It did force Gabehart to disclose that he had deleted text messages with Dickerson from before November 15 and that Dickerson’s same text messages with Gaebhart were lost as part of a 30-day auto delete feature that was only turned off once the suit was filed in March.

Joe Gibbs Racing really wants the deleted texts from Chris Gabehart and Spire

So now Joe Gibbs Racing has asked Judge Rodriguez for a second round of expedited discovery, which Gabehart largely rejected earlier on Wedneday and Spire echoed with its own filing.

“JGR has already sought expedited discovery once, and now, dissatisfied with the results, presses an even broader motion—all while the parties are negotiating an expedited scheduling order that will govern this entire case. JGR specifically seeks expansive, expedited, one-sided discovery from Spire, Dickerson, and even Spire’s competitors … JGR fails to establish that ‘good cause’ exists to depart from the normal merits-based discovery timeline.

“JGR claims expedited discovery is necessary to identify the contents and assess the recoverability of the missing texts and prevent future spoliation, but its sweeping requests— untethered to those objectives and despite Spire’s robust preservation efforts, which JGR has never challenged—are not tailored to those goals.

“JGR thus fails to show any irreparable harm from waiting until merits discovery begins. Further, piecemeal, one-sided discovery would only add unnecessary cost and inefficiency for both sides, especially where Spire’s preservation efforts eliminate any risk of evidentiary loss. The Court should deny JGR’s motion.”

Merits-based discovery is the standard fact discovery procedure that has yet to take place, with JGR, Spire and Gabehart each asking Judge Rodriguez for an expedited process to reach a trial as soon as possible this year in the absence of a settlement.

Chris Gabehart attempting to recover deleted texts; rejects Joe Gibbs Racing’s latest legal motion

Earlier in the day, Gabehart’s filing offered a willingness to subpoena his own cellular provider for his missing text messages, because ‘I have nothing to hide’ but that he had not yet received a response. Spire submitted a declaration from a forensics analyst under retainer, Kevin Clarke, who testified that the text messages were not recoverable from Dickerson’s devices.

These messages, both individuals say, were deleted prior to the lawsuit being filed and before either Dickerson or Gabehart suggested they had any reason to believe they would be subject to litigation.

JGR disputes that, of course, arguing in court and in legal filings that its legal department called Dickerson in December warning Spire to not interfere with the contractual non-compete period between it and Gabehart.

For his part, Gabehart said JGR violated its non-compete period by not paying him. JGR said it stopped paying him under the belief that Gabehart was conspiring with Spire. It also maintains its contract with Gabehart allowed for a 90-day cure or remedy period.

That’s to be argued further in court.  

Like Gabehart, Spire’s legal response says it has agreed to subpoena Dickerson’s wireless provider for call records and text message logs but says Joe Gibbs Racing ‘inexplicably refused’ unless Spire also consents to a series of third-party subpoenas on representatives from Trackhouse Racing, Haas Factory Team and Rick Ware Racing.

Also like Gabehart earlier in the day, Spire’s legal position is that if the court mandates a third-party subpoena on third-parties like the above team representatives and Dickerson, Judge Rodriguez should also allow reciprocal third-party subpoenas and discovery against every JGR employee that has filed declarations over the past month.

“If the Court authorizes expedited third-party discovery of Dickerson’s personal devices, the Court should authorize reciprocal third-party discovery of communications contained on personal devices belonging to JGR’s owners and employees, including Joe Gibbs, Heather Gibbs, Tim Carmichael, Dave Alpern, Toni Rogers, Eric Schaffer, Denny Hamlin, Todd Berrier, and Walter Brown.

“To do otherwise would permit JGR to avoid the very expedited discovery it now seeks to impose on Dickerson. Indeed, three weeks ago, it was JGR who argued forcefully that expedited third-party discovery is unwarranted at this stage.”

To wit, both Gabehart and Spire are calling Joe Gibbs Racing intellectually and legally dishonest in pursuing third-party discovery and subpoenas on a basis it also suggests should not apply to its own employees.

Dickerson challenges JGR in declaration

Joe Gibbs Racing specifically is asking for third-party subpoenas of the following individuals from the court believing that Dickerson has communicated with them in some form or shared trade secrets with them:

In his declaration, Dickerson said it was untrue but also illogical that he would share any advantage with rival teams that aren’t even the one organization (Hendrick Motorsports) that Spire does have a technical alliance with.

From Dickerson’s new declaration:

“I have never shared JGR’s trade secrets or confidential information with any of these individuals or their teams. I do not possess JGR’s trade secrets, so could not have shared them.

“Putting aside that I do not have and never have had any JGR trade secrets or confidential information, and JGR has not shown any evidence to the contrary, these teams are Spire’s competitors. The notion that I would share any JGR trade secrets with Spire’s competitors is frankly preposterous, because Spire actively competes against these teams. That is why Spire itself does not share any of its own data directly with these competitor teams. JGR knows this.

“Spire does share certain of its own trade secrets and confidential information with its technical alliance partner, Hendrick Motorsports. Spire does not share any trade secrets or confidential information with any other General Motors race teams, including Haas Factory Team,Trackhouse Racing, and Rick Ware Racing. Hendrick Motorsports is widely considered the most successful team in NASCAR history.

“Notably, I understand that JGR has not sought any discovery from Hendrick Motorsports, which is the only entity Spire shares any of Spire’s data with.”

Translation, Dickerson is challenging JGR, if it truly believes Spire is using trade secreted information from the Toyota flagship, it is more likely that Hendrick Motorsports would be the one that would know … and not Haas, Trackhouse and Ware.

Legal filings

Spire response

Jeff Dickerson's second declaration

Kevin Clarke's declaration

NASCAR Preseason Thunder returning with goal of better superspeedway racing

Cleetus McFarland denied NASCAR O'Reilly superspeedway approval

NASCAR hires its first Director of Artificial Intelligence

Overall, Chris Gabehart, through his legal counsel, is objecting to the latest expedited discovery motions made to the court from former employer Joe Gibbs Racing but also says he is making efforts to recover the deleted texts with Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson at the center of the latest legal wrangling.

Big picture, the Gabehart legal team wants these latest series of motions denied because the court has already granted a limited in scope expedited discovery, but also because the now current Spire Chief Racing Officer believes JGR doesn’t have evidence for what it is seeking.

Everything from the legal filing is italicized below.

“JGR’s Motion should be denied. The Motion seeks to relitigate issues the Court has already addressed, expand expedited discovery well beyond the narrow scope the Court previously authorized, and needlessly pull third parties into the litigation without even trying to articulate a factual basis. JGR’s litigation strategy—file motion after motion, accuse first and ask questions later—cannot manufacture evidence of disclosure of confidential JGR information where none exists.

“JGR is clearly desperate. It has yet to identify a single verified instance in which Mr. Gabehart transmitted, disclosed, or used any JGR Confidential Information. Not for lack of trying: a pre-litigation examination of Mr. Gabehart’s JGR-issued laptop, cell phone, and Google accounts—conducted by JGR’s own examiner pursuant to JGR’s own protocol—and a first round of Court-ordered expedited discovery both came up empty.

“The only documents JGR has been able to point to are personal to Mr. Gabehart and cannot seriously be said to qualify as ‘Confidential Information’ or trade secrets—a high-level business plan and a basic scorecard form used to compile widely-disseminated race information and take notes. JGR’s latest Motion is yet another attempt to paper over this fundamental shortfall with volume rather than substance.”

Joe Gibbs Racing seeks $8 million in damages from ex-competition director Chris Gabehart

Joe Gibbs Racing is now suing Spire and Chris Gabehart

Spire confirms hire of Chris Gabehart, who lawyers up after Gibbs lawsuit

Joe Gibbs Racing is suing Gabehart for over $8 million dollars over a ‘brazen scheme’ to steal trade secrets for the benefit of Spire. Gibbs later expanded its lawsuit to include Spire. Gabehart has maintained that no proprietary data has been shared with Spire and has accused JGR of breaching its contract with him over severance responsibilities.

In response, Gibbs says it ceased paying Gabehart upon the discovery that its former competition director and longtime crew chief had stored proprietary data on his personal devices, and continued to access them, at the same time he was negotiating his employment with Spire.

The court, presided by Judge Susan C. Rodriguez granted limited expedited discovery, at which point Gabehart disclosed texts between himself and Dickerson had been deleted. Dickerson himself deleted the same texts through an auto-delete function.

Gabehart working to recover deleted texts

Gabehart does not object to the recovery of those text messages, and is making efforts to procure them from his cellular provider, but does not agree to the scope in which JGR has asked the court to grant such discovery.

He says he has asked his carrier for those communications but has yet to receive a response.

“He has nothing to hide and would like nothing more than for JGR and the Court to see these texts.”

Again, Gabehart does object to the scope. Joe Gibbs Racing has requested all communication between Gabehart and Dickerson through March 13, 2026.

“The deletion in question occurred on November 15, 2025. Mr. Gabehart’s text messages have now been preserved multiple times—once in January 2026 by JGR’s forensic examiner and once in March 2026 by Mr. Gabehart’s forensic expert. JGR’s Request 3 date range is much too broad without justification.

“Given the open-ended nature of the request, Mr. Gabehart should issue the subpoena and any documents produced should be directed to Mr. Gabehart’s counsel first for privilege review and a relevance determination before production to any other party. Mr. Gabehart has legitimate concerns about the protection of attorney-client privileged communications and joint defense materials. JGR’s requested timeframe extends through March 13, 2026—a period during which Mr. Gabehart was actively represented by counsel in this litigation and engaged in joint defense communications with co-defendants. Permitting JGR unfettered access to these records without appropriate privilege review would be fundamentally unfair and contrary to established discovery practice.”

Joe Gibbs Racing really wants the deleted texts from Chris Gabehart and Spire

Joe Gibbs Racing had Chris Gabehart followed by a private investigator before lawsuit

Joe Gibbs Racing accuses Chris Gabehart of deleting relevant texts before lawsuit

Re: Dickerson, Dan Towriss subpoenas 

Joe Gibbs Racing is also seeking continued expedited discovery from communication devices from Dickerson.

The Gabehart legal team rejects that because it argues that JGR has previously argued against Gabehart seeking subpoenas from JGR executives over how it viewed their contract status at the end of last season.

“When Mr. Gabehart requested reciprocal discovery—including forensic examination of devices belonging to JGR personnel—JGR opposed that request. JGR argued that third-party personal devices should be excluded from expedited discovery. Now that JGR wants to examine a third party’s devices, it readily abandons that position.

“The Court should not permit JGR to selectively invoke litigation positions when they are advantageous and discard them when they are not.”

Thus, Gabehart has asked the judge, if she so-chooses to allow such third-party subpoenas, than they want the same in return over communications about when JGR believed Gabehart was indeed no longer employed by them.

“Specifically, if the Court permits forensic examination of Mr. Dickerson’s devices or subpoenas to third parties, Mr. Gabehart requests the reciprocal discovery of the cell phones of Heather Gibbs, Eric Schaeffer, Dave Alpern, and Toni Rogers, consistent with prior requests. These individuals played central roles in JGR’s decision to pursue this litigation and in the so-called ‘for cause’ termination that JGR claims triggered the 18-month non-compete. Their communications are directly relevant to Mr. Gabehart’s defenses and counterclaims.”

Spire, Gabehart and Gibbs await key decision from Judge

Jeff Dickerson replies to all things Gibbs, Gabehart in legal filing

Trackhouse, Haas and Ware subpoenas 

The Joe Gibbs Racing legal team has also repeatedly asked the court to subpoena text messages from Joe Custer of Haas Factory Team, Justin Marks and Todd Meredith of Trackhouse Racing and Rick Ware and Tommy Baldwin from Rick Ware Racing for 'communications with Spire or Spire’s agents concerning Spire’s possession of JGR’s Confidential Information and Trade Secrets.'

The court did not grant this motion once because Judge Rodriguez felt like JGR did not have any evidence. It still has not produced evidence in court or filings that suggests these two other Chevrolet teams have had any such communications. The judge said she was not going to allow JGR to go on a fishing expedition.

Gabehart's legal team says that hasn't changed and JGR just has speculation about what Dickerson 'may have' communicated.

"JGR’s request is part of a continued harassment campaign designed to drag Mr. Gabehart, Mr. Dickerson, and anyone associated with Spire through the mud with no evidentiary basis. The racing community is small and tight-knit. JGR knows that serving subpoenas (with no evidentiary basis) on leaders of competing teams will deliver a message throughout the industry. The Court should not become a surrogate for JGR’s turf war."

Richard Bowman has been named NASCAR's first director of Artificial Intelligence. 

"Excited to share that I’m now Director, AI at NASCAR," Bowman said in a Linkedin post. "Even in my relatively short time here, it has been clear that this is an organization willing to engage seriously with both the opportunities and responsibilities that come with AI. I’m grateful for the chance to help lead that work.

"Before this chapter, much of my career was rooted in educational technology. That experience shaped how I think about innovation: technology creates value only when people can actually use it well, trust it, and see how it helps them in the flow of real work. That is a big part of what makes this moment in AI so interesting. The promise is real, but so is the need for clarity, governance, and thoughtful adoption.

"I’m so thankful for everyone who supported me, and looking forward to continuing the work."

He has been work with NASCAR since January, but was named the sport's first ever Director of AI this week.

AI continues to become more commonplace in every area of life, including the motorsports world. Several NASCAR teams are already integrating AI tools, which Trackhouse Racing Director of Technology Phil Surgen spoke about ahead of the 2026 season.

Phil Surgen talks AI in NASCAR and his new role at Trackhouse

How robots are helping teams like Hendrick Motorsports make better, faster race cars

Legacy Motor Club has confirmed Michael Guttilla  as the team's new president, effective immediately. 

Guttilla has two decades of experience working with the global engineering firm, Multimatic. He filled the role of  Vice President of Engineering and R&D and Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing. His career also took him to General Motors and Mechanical Dynamics Inc.

Most recently, he worked as the Chief Operating Officer at Joe Gibbs Racing.

“Michael’s leadership and technical expertise will be a tremendous asset as we continue building the future of Legacy Motor Club,” said seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, owner at Legacy.. “He understands both the competitive and business sides of this sport, and we’re excited to welcome him to the Club.”

Legacy Motor Club currently fields two chartered entries with the No. 42 of John-Hunter Nemechek and the No. 43 of Erik Jones.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with leaders and mentors who invested their time, knowledge and trust in me,” said Guttilla about taking on this new role. “Coach Gibbs and the entire Joe Gibbs Racing organization are the most recent example of that support, and before that the founder and teammates at Multimatic. I’m honored by the opportunity to bring those experiences to the incredible team Jimmie and Cal have built and to help execute and accelerate Jimmie’s mission, vision, and values for Legacy Motor Club.

“I’m also excited to continue working closely with TRD,“ Guttilla continued. “The collaborative spirit of ‘coopetition’ they foster among Team Toyota partners elevates everyone’s performance and strengthens the entire program. Together, our focus will be on building the kind of organization and culture capable of competing for wins and championships year after year.”

Both JGR and Legacy collaborated on Guttilla's move, with Joe Gibbs saying: “We really appreciate Michael’s guidance and leadership over the past few years. We are happy that he will be able to continue to contribute to the Toyota family in his new position.”

NASCAR now has a five-year sample size of data that concluded there is no doubt a better way to do superspeedway racing using the NextGen car but it needs to determine a pathway of getting there.

In the short term, the Sanctioning Body is adjusting stage lengths to combat fuel saving strategies used by teams since the debut of this car, but it will also target regulation changes during a winter test session.

The general approach was detailed on NASCAR’s official Hauler Talk podcast on Tuesday by NASCAR EVP and chief racing development officer John Probst.

“If you look at generally how a lot of our speedways were laid out it was a short stage, a short stage and then a long stage to the end,” Probst said. “Going into Talladega, we’re going to flip that and adjust the lengths of the final two stages such that we’re confident that the last two stages are short enough to be made without a fuel stop.”

Drivers spend so much time saving fuel so they can take less fuel on pit road. They want to spend less time on pit road because it’s the most efficient way to get track position with a car that is so draggy that passing is a tremendous challenge under the current superspeedway configuration.

“I think that coming out of Daytona we have been working hand-in-hand with a lot of our race teams trying to largely break into two categories things we could do,” Probst said. “One are sporting related things, things like rules around pit stops or stage lengths or things of that nature. The other being in a technical bucket, which would mean car changes: spoiler, power level, things of that nature.”

NASCAR on superspeedway fuel saving: 'What are we trying to fix?'

NASCAR officials address holding the caution, fuel saving tactics at Daytona

Denny Hamlin has a Daytona 500 fuel saving pitch that involves The Clash

That means a de facto return of NASCAR’s Presason Thunder test session, which was equal parts a competition test but also a hype machine for the sanctioning body in advance of the new season.

“When it comes to car changes, we will likely right now plan to have a test in Daytona in January,” Probst said. “Kind of how we used to do it in the past, where we’ll go down there and try some different power levels and spoilers and maybe some other car type things to see what we can do there to mitigate it further.”

Probst also expressed an awareness that flipping the stage lengths to where the longest run is at the first half of the race would shift the fuel saving to that segment. However, he also hopes that creates some strategic divergence.

“It could be interesting, as well, in that first stage, the length of it, if there’s some that try to do it on one stop versus some that try to do it on two,” Probst said. “We think that if there are some that try to do it on two, they may drag the group that tried to do it on one along with them to where they won’t be able to do it in one, so it’s got the potential there for some pretty interesting strategies.”

All told, Probst says NASCAR is just trying to be open-minded to address something fans and competitors have expressed a degree of disdain for in recent years, even if he believes he can’t make it all go away.

“I think it’s important to point out that this is a tool now that the teams know,” Probst said. “This is not something that I think is ever going to go away, because these guys will look for every possible advantage that they can get, and that’s reasonable on their end.

“So I think that what we can do is just take steps to mitigate that. And I think that looking at the sporting stuff that we can do quick and get a read on it this year, and then look at some car things next year, is our best chance for success there.”

Cleetus McFarland denied NASCAR O'Reilly superspeedway approval

Hendrick leadership says new body is a work in progress but they’re close

Justin Allgaier says Alex Bowman substitute role has been a challenge

AF Corse unveiled its privateer Ferrari hypercar to the world on Tuesday, offering a first look at the Italian marque's updated aero package for the 2026 World Endurance Championship.

At an event organised at the headquarters of its new partner ESA NanoTech, the Italian team showcased the #83 Ferrari 499P to be driven once again by 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours winners Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson.

As is well known, the WEC, ACO and IMSA have agreed on a new re-homologation of all LMH and LMDh prototypes competing in Hypercar and GTP classes. Consequently, the manufacturers have been working over the winter to recalibrate their aerodynamics.

Already during the official presentation of the 499P, technical chief Ferdinando Cannizzo had specifically outlined what the Maranello-based had focused on, also at the request of the federation itself, which, with the new parameters, aims to obtain even more accurate and detailed data to better define the Balance of Performance.

Ferrari 499P, 2026 detail

Photo by: AF Corse

"The new homologation essentially involves three aspects. The change of wind tunnel from Sauber to Windshear, thus from Switzerland to the United States; a new data collection and analysis process, including new measurement points in the wind tunnel; and finally, a repositioning, a redefinition of the performance window," said Cannizzo, head of endurance cars in Maranello.

"This therefore meant we had to review our car’s positioning at the new operating point. We did this deliberately without using any Evo Joker points – which we wanted to keep in reserve for the future – and thus by making adjustments to small details."

But what exactly did changing the bodywork – and, with it, the aerodynamics – entail? It must be said that some changes aren’t visible to the naked eye because they affect the airflow beneath the car, while others have slightly altered shape and dimensions without drastically altering the original design.

What immediately stands out starting from the front is the new design of the aerodynamic appendages mounted above the splitter at both ends, just below the headlights. 

These two flaps, also known as “flick” in technical jargon, are now shorter and more contoured, and lack the small support that had been present since their introduction in the summer of 2024, when the first (and only, so far) Evo Joker was released by the Emilia-based manufacturer.

"Still focusing on the front end, we worked on the lower flaps and flow deflectors to try to adjust the car’s balance," adds Cannizzo.

Moving up to the upper section, the way airflow is managed around the wheel arch has changed; in fact, the two appendages that were attached to the black carbon section in front of the fender opening have been removed (at the Federation’s request), and this area now takes on the of a true aerodynamic surface, as illustrated by Ferrari’s chief engineer.

The two similar black strips located between the end of the wheel arch and the cockpit have also changed shape.

Continuing along the lines of the 499P and moving to the central section, the radiator vents on the sides have been slightly revised, but what the Ferrari engineers have highlighted as most important is the new design of the engine cover, particularly its rear end.

This section, situated between the diffuser and the beam wing, now has a more concave shape and no longer features the two long appendages (similar to those that were attached to the front wheel arches), effectively creating more downforce on the rear axle, where there are also other new features.

Looking at the ends of the rear wing, with larger-shaped flaps, the supports now have much larger appendages next to the lights installed at the top.

Moving down to the lower section, the side panels behind the rear wheels have been redesigned with a more arched shape to readjust and optimize the aerodynamic flow. 

"These are the minimal yet effective changes we were able to make without altering the car’s main surfaces. This allowed us to get back within the expected performance window," concluded Cannizzo.

The updates were tested during last week’s session at Imola, and further valuable data will be collected as early as the Prologue on 14 April – a preview of the season’s first race weekend, which will also take place on the banks of the Santerno River.

WEC reschedules Qatar round following Middle East conflict postponement

The entry list for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s annual trek out to the West Coast with this year’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach has been revealed. 

The first sprint race on the calendar is also one of the shortest, with a field of 28 cars between Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) classes taking to the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit for 100 minutes.

There are two changes among the 11 GTP entries as each car goes down to its two full-season drivers for the first non-endurance event of the year. Frederik Vesti fills in for Earl Bamber alongside Jack Aitken aboard the #31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R. The other notable change is Laurin Heinrich, who has contested - and won - the opening two rounds of the year in the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 shifting over to the #5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 alongside Tijmen van der Helm. Heinrich will be making his first appearance on the streets of Long Beach. 

There are several changes among the 17 GTD entries, including the return of Robert Wickens to the #36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R for his second season in the program. The Canadian will co-drive alongside Mason Filippi. Corey Lewis is set to make his first sprint race and second season start in Gradient Racing’s #66 Ford Mustang GT3 alongside Jake Walker. And Spencer Pumpelly fills in for Tom Gamble alongside Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello in the #27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.

AO Racing and Vasser Sullivan Racing continue their respective continuations of running an extra GTD entry. AO Racing will field Harry King and Mikkel Pedersen in its #177 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992). The team is seeking a repeat win after Jonny Edgar and Laurens Vanthoor won in 2025. Vasser Sullivan, the 2024 GTD race winners, bring back the #89 Lexus RC F GT3 for Jack Hawksworth and Frankie Montecalvo. Additionally, Pfaff Motorsports will run a GTD car for Andrea Caldarelli and Zachary Vanier, the #46 Lamborghini Temerario GT3 following the Temerario GT3’s worldwide competition debut last month at Sebring.

FULL ENTRY LIST HERE

Opel is set to make its return to world championship-level motorsport after announcing its entry into Formula E for the Gen4 era. The four-year programme was formally confirmed at last month's Madrid E-Prix, shortly after DS announced that it would be leaving the championship at the end of the current season.

Rumours about Opel joining Formula E had been rife for some time, and the head of its motorsport division was previously spotted at the 2025 Monaco E-Prix, which he attended to familiarise himself with the environment.

While some have viewed Opel's entry as just another strategic shift by Stellantis, which swapped Maserati for Citroen as part of a major branding exercise this season, this change goes far beyond that.

In an interview with Motorsport.com Spain, Schrott explained that Opel aims to compete in the electric championship with an autonomous structure, and its entry does not have anything to do with other Stellantis brands. “It was Opel who decided to join, not Stellantis,” he summed up.

As such, Opel will not rely on the existing DS Penske team structure, and will instead set up its own organisation.

There are multiple reasons behind this strategy. Opel wants to retain full freedom in decision-making while creating a team based on the brand’s values and the expertise gained in other electric racing categories in which it has already participated or continues to participate in.

Traditionally, Stellantis has partnered with other teams to run their cars. The current Citroen team was born out of Maserati MSG, with MSG referring to the Monaco Sports Group, while DS partnered with Virgin Racing, Techeetah and Penske over the years.

Opel Formula E

Photo by: Opel

Explaining the autonomy, Schrott described Opel as “the first official team in Stellantis’ history”, which means “there will be no partners involved in the team”.

“That means no partner will have a say in decisions, whether regarding driver selection, team structure, organisation, or even race strategy,” he continued. “We’re working on a new team structure to be much more efficient, more focused, and ultimately faster as well. The decision-making process will be much more agile.

“Opel is creating its own Formula E team with key internal responsibilities. The plan is to manage all track operations in the future, including those during race weekends. Furthermore, it is very positive to have a highly competent, experienced, and highly qualified Stellantis team.”

Gen4 development

Stellantis is leading the development and testing of the Gen4 car. But Schrott clarified: “Members of the Opel team are already participating in that group. When the time comes to manage track operations, we will have our own set-up. We will develop and prepare for races autonomously: all set-ups, including software, race strategy, and simulation work, will be managed by the Opel team.”

He was quizzed about that Satory headquarters, where Citroen and DS Penske currently operate, though the reply left some questions unanswered: “It will be a pragmatic start, which makes a lot of sense for several reasons: organization and efficiency.

“Building a team from scratch is a huge challenge. We have to build the right structure and, at the same time, the core of the Opel team. Having a base in Satory is an advantage, because we already have everything we need there, even as a factory team.

“As a manufacturer, we already have all the necessary resources to get started. That’s a very important support for us. Plus, we already have Opel Motorsport in Resselsheim. And, as I said, the plan is to manage operations in the future, preparing tests and races. For now, I don’t want to go into too much detail, but later on, in a few months, we’ll be able to discuss it in greater depth.”

Formula E drivers counting on the impact of their letter to the FIA

Opel enters Formula E for Gen4 era

At the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), major decisions are most often made on the ground floor of the building that houses the pitboxes, at the end closest to the pitlane entrance. Most of the offices there have windows overlooking the paddock.

On Sunday, hours before Marco Bezzecchi completed his perfect run of victories since the start of the 2026 MotoGP season, all of them were open except one, where a curtain prevented any curious onlooker from seeing who was inside.

At that moment, the championship’s top decision-makers were hoping to finalise the commercial framework for the next five years – even if only with a symbolic handshake between the manufacturers (MSMA) and MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (MGPSEG, formerly known as Dorna).

However, Motorsport.com understands that the gap between the two positions at that time made an agreement impossible. Talks remain on hold, pending a resumption of negotiations that have now dragged on for over a year.

The contract on the table will bind all premier-class teams to Liberty Media, the rights holder of the championship, for the 2027–2031 period. It will define the rights and obligations of both parties, with the financial aspect representing the main point of conflict.

Teams are pushing to implement a model similar to that used in Formula 1, whereby they would receive a share of the profits. MGPSEG, however, wants to maintain the current structure, which stipulates a fixed payment independent of overall revenue.

The latest proposal is understood to be around €8m, distributed across various variables – an increase of roughly €1m compared to the current deal, which expires at the end of this year.

Teams consider that increase insufficient and have made this clear to Carmelo Ezpeleta and Carlos Ezpeleta, MotoGP’s CEO and chief sporting officer respectively. On Sunday in Austin, they also conveyed their position to Liberty Media’s top executives, led by CEO Derek Chang. That meeting could mark a turning point in what has become a stalled process, which is currently delaying announcements of rider signings and renewals already agreed for 2027.

MotoGP field at the start

Photo by: Steve Wobser / Getty Images

If the situation has reached this point, it is because manufacturers see this moment as a unique opportunity to press their demands. Not only because the current agreement expires in eight months, but also due to the broader context following Liberty Media’s acquisition of the championship.

Until now, the entertainment giant’s leadership has largely stayed out of day-to-day decision-making. However, there is a growing belief within the paddock that this could change once the new contract – MotoGP’s equivalent of Formula 1’s Concorde Agreement – is signed.

Aware of the importance of Sunday’s meeting in Austin, MSMA members gathered for a dinner the previous Saturday, Motorsport.com understands. The meeting was promoted by Ducati and organised by Aprilia, with several representatives from each manufacturer in attendance.

Among the key figures present were Michele Colaninno, CEO of the Piaggio Group; Claudio Domenicali, his counterpart at Ducati; Gottfried Neumeister, KTM’s CEO. Honda was represented by Yuzuru Ishikawa (MotoGP project leader) and Alberto Puig (team manager), while Yamaha’s delegation was led by Paolo Pavesio.

This informal summit served to define the strategy for the crucial face-to-face meeting the following morning.

Sunday’s meeting began at 11am and lasted around an hour. Shortly after midday – just a couple of hours before the MotoGP race – the manufacturers’ chiefs left the offices and gathered in a visible huddle in the paddock, where they spent a good 20 minutes discussing the outcome.

Motorsport.com understands the MSMA believes the current draft contains a number of limitations that make it unacceptable. Beyond the financial terms mentioned above, there are also clauses related to team slot ownership and the degree of control over them – particularly regarding the entry of potential investors.

As expected, the financial dimension underpins all aspects of the ongoing debate. On the responsibilities side, MGPSEG is demanding that teams strengthen their marketing and communications departments in an effort to expand the championship’s reach as much as possible. In addition to hiring more staff, teams are also expected to have fully functional MotoGP prototypes available for promotional events.

Continuing on the commercial front, teams are also being asked to improve the level of hospitality they provide to guests, particularly those using shared facilities at overseas events. “The current proposal offers an increase of €1m, but everything they are asking from us already costs significantly more than that,” a source familiar with the negotiations told Motorsport.com.

As things stand, the promoter, manufacturers, and independent teams all share the intention of reaching an agreement, as they all aim to compete in 2027. The MSMA – responsible for supplying the bikes – must first sign with MGPSEG, after which the independent teams will follow.

It remains to be seen whether the parties involved in these negotiations will ultimately find common ground – or whether intervention from higher up will be required to break the deadlock.

Michelin gives verdict on Aprilia’s MotoGP advantage

Why Gresini has flirted with leaving Ducati in MotoGP

Change, as always, stirs debate – and while Formula 1 has been through many regulatory shifts before, the scale of reaction in 2026 has been notably different.

The new rules have pushed several aspects of the sport into unfamiliar territory, prompting strong responses from drivers, fans and stakeholders alike. Opinions remain divided, as ever, but it is clear that some adjustments may be needed. The question is: what should be addressed now, and what can wait?

Our international panel of journalists offer their views.

Restore the ability to push flat-out in qualifying

Roberto Chinchero, Motorsport.com Italy:

There is little doubt that the current Formula 1 regulations are in need of intervention. The new 2026 power units have proven to be engineering masterpieces, yet conceptual shortcomings have emerged that are difficult to reconcile with the very nature of motorsport.

The primary issue – and by far the most significant – concerns qualifying. In the sessions held so far, it has become increasingly clear that drivers are frustrated by being forced to resort to lift-and-coast techniques during what has always been the most performance-critical moment of any race weekend, across every category.

George Russell, Mercedes, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

A qualifying lap represents the absolute peak of performance – a unique moment in which there should be no room for management of any kind. Everything must be directed towards pure speed. That is the essence of motorsport.

So the question becomes: how can this issue be addressed in the short term?

There are no miracles in Formula 1, and for that reason the only viable short-term solution is to reduce electrical power deployment during qualifying laps. Whether lap times end up three or four seconds slower is ultimately secondary. What truly matters is restoring the drivers’ ability to push flat-out – an instinct that no regulation should ever take away.

Everything else, for now, is of lesser priority. Energy management strategies will inevitably converge over time, naturally eliminating the frustrating yo-yo effect. At the same time, it is right that all possible ideas are put on the table with a view to 2027.

Qualifying, however, cannot wait.

Move away from that mythical 50/50 split

Fil Cleeren, Motorsport.com Global:

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella pointed out the perils of F1 2026's closing speeds and erratic starts as two major points of concern on the eve of the season, and it seems he was right on the former. Teams appear to have a reasonable handle on the starts, in no small part thanks to a rule tweak from the FIA, without taking away the inherent advantage of manufacturers who opted for a smaller turbo, like Ferrari.

To me, that's a reasonably good example of a course correction without overreacting, and without punishing those who interpreted the rules correctly.

That approach should also be possible with the issue of closing speeds, which reared its ugly head in Japan with Oliver Bearman's crash. It is a bit puzzling that the phenomenon was spoken about so little before Bearman's accident, as all we heard about the initial objective of F1's April meetings was to fix qualifying. To some extent, I believe those two problems can be addressed in one fell swoop, for example by raising the super clip limit from 250kW to 350kW, as Stella suggested back in Bahrain, and reducing the amount of electric energy drivers are allowed to deploy.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo by: Philip Fong / AFP via Getty Images

Yes, that means we'll move away from that mythical 50/50 split even more. But honestly, who cares? Cars might be a bit slower on the straights and in overall lap time, but the spectacle will be better and more authentic for it, and safer too. There are probably bigger moves to be made year on year to put more control into the drivers' hands rather than the power unit algorithm, but this would be a start. And one that hopefully can be achieved ahead of Miami.

Safety must come first

Federico Faturos, Motorsport.com Latin America:

Formula 1 must rid itself of the problem of closing speeds and the danger they create – a risk that is no longer hypothetical, but very real.

Driver safety in Formula 1 is almost taken for granted, given the numerous advances made over recent decades in both cars and circuits. That is precisely why the image of Oliver Bearman climbing out of his crashed car, clearly in pain and limping, should serve as a stark wake-up call.

It is clear that much of the spotlight among fans is on the new ways of racing introduced under the 2026 technical regulations – artificial overtaking, super clipping, lift-and-coast, and so on. And let’s not even get started on qualifying. But safety must be the absolute priority when it comes to what F1 needs to change within the current ruleset.

The issue of closing speeds between cars must be addressed as a matter of urgency and made a priority in the April meetings, where the relevant stakeholders will assess potential changes ahead of the return to action in Miami on the first weekend of May.

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team car after his crash

Photo by: Kym Illman / Getty Images

F1 was fortunate in Suzuka in the incident between Bearman and Franco Colapinto, and it may also benefit in this regard from the cancellation of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, given the nature of Jeddah’s ultra-fast street circuit, with its immense speeds and limited run-off areas – unlike the one the Haas driver was able to use in Japan.

The FIA and Formula 1 have a range of options on the table to tackle this issue, and in doing so may also be able to move past other problems created by the new regulations, such as those mentioned above. That is why situations in which cars encounter each other on track with a speed differential of 45km/h cannot be allowed to persist.

"We should go more analogue again"

Heiko Stritzke, Motorsport.com Germany:

First and foremost, Formula 1 must recognize that the excitement of a race is not defined by the quantity of overtakes, but by the quality of the racing itself. Artificial aids like DRS or super clipping cannot replicate the tension of a genuine, hard-fought battle.

Look at the recent duel between Christopher Haase and Max Verstappen during the NLS race in March on the Nordschleife. There were only two actual overtakes, but the sustained wheel-to-wheel action was far more phenomenal than any DRS-assisted pass on a straight.

Looking at the technical regulations, we should go more analogue again. One bold step would be reducing the wings to 1990s ChampCar oval kit dimensions. Simultaneously, unleash the power units, setting them to outputs between 1,200hp and 1,500hp.

By maintaining strict fuel-flow restrictions, limits on displacement and cylinder counts can be eliminated. The minimum weight of the engine should be calibrated so that configurations of up to 12 cylinders remain competitive. While a portion of this power could still be derived from a battery, it must be delivered in a way that ensures a natural speed progression on straights.

Car of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Marcel van Dorst / EYE4images / NurPhoto via Getty Images

Furthermore, these cars should be paired with tires capable of withstanding excessive wheelspin from the raw power. This combination of massive power and lower downforce would place a much higher emphasis on pure driver skill.

Optional: to take this driver-focused approach even further, one could consider banning the silent "overtaking killer" nobody ever talked about: the semi-automatic gearbox. Until the late 1980s, many opportunities for overtaking arose from missed shifts. With modern electronics, engines could still be protected from over-revving while returning the physical act of shifting – and the potential for error – to the cockpit.

By focusing on mechanical grip and raw power over aerodynamic dependency, Formula 1 can return to being a true test of a driver’s mettle.

There must be a plan for short, medium and long term

Khaldoun Younes, Motorsport.com Middle East:

Answering a question of this magnitude does not only require broad knowledge of the sporting regulations that govern Formula 1, but also a precise technical understanding of the 2026 regulations, which appear to have opened a Pandora’s box beyond return.

It is expected that the FIA is working behind the scenes, in cooperation with the teams, to come up with a solution, or rather a “basket of solutions”, as part of ongoing efforts to improve the quality of racing.

Accordingly, it may require the collaboration of multiple minds working in harmony to develop a flexible plan that can be implemented in the short, medium, and long term.

Perhaps this is where the real key to the issue lies: the feasibility of implementing changes within a reasonable timeframe for the teams, the championship, and perhaps even the fans.

This is especially important given that teams have been working for a long time to adapt their cars to these regulations. Therefore, any upcoming changes must be applicable without sacrificing resources, which have become increasingly limited under the cost cap regulations.

Nico Hulkenberg, Audi F1 Team, Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

Photo by: Lars Baron / LAT Images via Getty Images

Several proposals have emerged recently, most of which focus on the electrical component. These include reducing the maximum energy deployment limit (currently set at 9MJ), as well as increasing the share of the internal combustion engine beyond the current 50%.

The prevailing direction appears to center on reducing the significant impact of electrical energy on the overall power unit, at least as a way to eliminate the increasingly evident issue of super clipping.

Notably, a proposal by former engineer Toni Cuquerella has recently gained considerable popularity. The Spaniard, who previously worked with teams such as HRT, Super Aguri, and Sauber, explained in a study he published on social media that certain adjustments to power unit parameters could resolve many of the existing issues.

As for us, all we can do is wait… and see.

Tell us what you think in the comments!

As Formula 1 enters a month-long break from racing, its key stakeholders are set for a series of talks to tweak the divisive 2026 energy management regulations.

March's three race weekends in Australia, China and Japan have offered F1 a decent sample size of a wide range of circuits that put the full scope of the new regulations on display.

The series and a significant part of its fanbase has been encouraged by a more entertaining style of racing featuring more overtakes, but there have also been serious concerns over safety, the qualifying spectacle and a more philosophical debate over how much drivers are now in control.

Both commercial rights holder FOM and governing body the FIA have always been keen to avoid taking knee-jerk decisions; there are several levers the FIA can pull to make adjustments, some of which have already been trialled over the first tranche of 2026.

What is happening on Thursday?

On Thursday, a technical meeting is scheduled in London to formally discuss various proposals that have been floated around in the paddock on how to refine the energy deployment regulations to improve both the show and F1's authenticity.

The main driver of Thursday's talks has been the resentment among almost all F1 drivers, and with them a die-hard subset of F1's fanbase, of how the current iteration of the 2026 power unit regulations have affected qualifying.

What is supposed to be an all-out test of both driver skill and machine has become one dominated by the latter, and by complex power unit algorithms that punish drivers for pushing in faster corners, as it gives them less energy to deploy on the following straight.

It's not just the drivers who loathe how the most exciting laps of the race weekend have largely been taken away from them. Some fans have voiced criticism too, as cars are seen lifting and coasting on the straight even on a qualifying lap, and a lot of challenging corners are now taken off-speed to charge the battery.

One of the main agenda items will therefore be to formulate tweaks to the energy equation in qualifying and bring driver skill and enjoyment back to the fore, perhaps by reducing the electric energy component or changing how and when the battery can be charged.

It is important to stress Thursday's discussion is just the first of a series of meetings between now and May's Miami Grand Prix, and it is understood no imminent change or decision is expected to come out of it. The goal of the meeting is for technical experts among the teams and power unit manufacturers to first propose concrete tweaks. Those will then be discussed at a follow-up meeting on 20 April, which will also involve F1 chiefs and the teams themselves, and which will be followed by an e-vote.

The resulting refinements will then be trialled from the Miami Grand Prix onwards, and data gathered over the subsequent series of race weekends will then be analysed in case another pass of the sporting regulations has to be made over the summer break.

Photo by: Kym Illman / Getty Images

What about safety?

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella had warned about the safety implications of 2026's huge closing speeds even before the season had started, but the topic had somewhat disappeared into the background as the first two weekends took place without major dramas, and even delivered some entertaining races.

But then Haas driver Oliver Bearman suffered a 50G crash in Japan after having to take avoiding action for Alpine's Franco Colapinto, and his thud into the wall swiftly brought the safety element back on the agenda.

Safety is always a loaded term from a regulatory standpoint, as the FIA can unilaterally push through changes on safety grounds if there is no consensus among the teams through the usual governance channels. But the first indication after the Suzuka weekend is that there seems to be a broader agreement that tweaks have to be considered, and while things will inevitably get political in the 20 April meeting, there appears to be some optimism that the governing body won't have to unilaterally intervene.

Managing expectations

Those hoping for a radical overhaul of the rules will likely be disappointed by the April meetings. There is certainly no scope for hardware changes given the lead times involved, and both the teams and power unit manufacturers have poured a huge amount of time and resources into optimising what they have for the regulations as they are currently written. That will not be undone by whichever tweaks are being agreed upon.

Any bigger changes will likely have to wait for the off-season, at the earliest. There is an overarching philosophical discussion to be had on the human-versus-machine element of these new rules, and what should or shouldn't be in the driver's hands, but amid more pressing matters those talks will likely be for another day. 

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Haas "doesn't see the ceiling" with impressive Oliver Bearman

Pedro Acosta has admitted that joining nine-time world champion Marc Marquez in a MotoGP team would be a “dream come true” for him.

The KTM rider is all set to make a high-profile move to Ducati for the start of the 850cc regulations in 2027, replacing the underperforming Francesco Bagnaia at the factory squad. 

Although the deal was agreed before the start of the season, as reported by Motorsport.com in February, the absence of a commercial agreement between manufacturers and MotoGP for 2027 has prevented Ducati from making a formal announcement.

So far, Acosta has remained tight-lipped about his future in MotoGP, instead focusing on the task at hand and his ongoing commitments with KTM, which backed him from his early days in motorcycle racing.

But ahead of last month’s United States Grand Prix, Acosta’s idol Kevin Schwantz made an intriguing comment, suggesting that pairing the 21-year-old with veteran Marquez would create a “dream team” - without explicitly referring Ducati.

When this comment was put to Acosta, the Spaniard said he would relish such an opportunity, much like any other rider on the grid, although his comment wasn't in context of a potential switch to Ducati.

“Time will tell. I don’t know about him, but for me, definitely. It’s not every day you get to stand on the other side of the pitwall from a nine-time world champion – or however many titles he has by then,” said Acosta. “For me, it would definitely be a dream come true. 

“I think quite a few people in this paddock, except maybe his brother [Alex Marquez], would pay to spend a year – alongside Marc as a team-mate. Why wouldn’t I do it?”

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Photo by: MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group

Acosta has enjoyed a strong start to the 2026 season and has been the only rider consistently able to challenge the dominant Aprilias across the opening flyaway rounds.
Heading into this month’s Jerez event, he sits a strong third in the championship, behind Aprilia duo Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin but ahead of the Ducatis of Fabio di Giannantonio and Marquez.

Speaking earlier in March, Marquez described Acosta as “special” and the standout talent among the new crop of riders to join MotoGP.

“Acosta is the leader of the younger generation. He’s special,” he told Spanish radio station Onda Cero. “But a rivalry truly forms when you reach the final races and fight for a title. 

“I hope to compete with Pedro Acosta for many more races, because he’s the benchmark of the younger generation and will be one of the riders who define a MotoGP era."

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Takamoto Katsuta revealed he feels 'lighter' and “more relaxed” now that the burden of trying to clinch a maiden World Rally Championship victory has been lifted.

The Toyota driver will head into this week’s Croatian round of the 2026 campaign after he and co-driver Aaron Johnson secured a breakthrough victory at Safari Rally Kenya last month.

It came on Katsuta’s 94th WRC start and marked the first success for a Japanese driver in rallying’s top flight since Kenjiro Shinozuka in 1992.

The 33-year-old has had three weeks for the enormity of the achievement to sink in before the WRC season kicks back into life with the first true asphalt round of 2026 in Croatia.

Reflecting on the victory, Katsuta says he’s now feeling more relaxed as the pressure of trying to clinch a maiden win has dissipated: “Obviously it was one of the best memories of my career, the first victory in Kenya, but it feels like it was already one year ago. It’s a long, long time ago in my head.

"I was in Japan and doing some [PR] events and it was such a nice event as well. But yeah, I am fully focused for the next rally in Croatia. I almost forgot what happened. But of course it was one of the nice memories.

“I was never thinking about if I had crazy pressure or not, but now after Kenya, I feel a bit of a light feeling. Let’s say, probably, I had that kind of pressure, but it was quite normal for me.

“I didn’t feel that it was making [me] any worse or anything. But it just feels much more relaxed and easier to focus for the next one, and to think about the big picture, the whole weekend and the whole season.”

Takamoto Katsuta, Aaron Johnston, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Katsuta’s triumph marked his best start to a WRC season, having accumulated 55 points from the opening three rounds, leaving him third in the standings and 11 behind early leader Elfyn Evans.

The Japanese driver’s previous best tally after three rounds came in 2024, when 30 points left him tied for fourth. However, thoughts of a title push have been kept in check for now.

“I’m now only thinking about each rally and trying my best to get a good result, as much as I can,” said Katsuta. “The championship will come if I do well on every single rally. I’m not thinking about the championship too much.”

While keen to build on this momentum, the Croatia visit is set to provide plenty of new challenges for WRC crews with only three stages retained from the previous visit there in 2024.

Drivers will once again face the narrow and bumpy asphalt roads synonymous with Croatia, although these stages will now be complemented by a selection of smooth tarmac roads, located near to the rally’s new headquarters in Rijeka.  

“Croatia is one of the trickiest asphalt events because even in the dry the grip changes a lot, and in my test we had a lot of rain and even some snow,” said Katsuta. “With many new stages too, we have to be ready for surprises.”

Hyundai unveils Craig Breen tribute livery for WRC Croatia

From Le Mans to Indy cars via Formula 1, Mark Blundell had a successful career in motorsport – but how much more successful could it have been?

Born on 8 April 1966 in London, Blundell had a first taste of motorsport on motorbikes before switching to single-seaters in 1984, which yielded two championship titles in Formula Ford, followed by mixed results at the higher echelons of junior formulae.

Blundell’s path soon took him to endurance racing with Nissan, and he became one of the youngest drivers to take pole position in the Le Mans 24 Hours’ glittering history, aboard the R90CK he shared with Julian Bailey and Gianfranco Brancatelli in 1990. His margin over second place in qualifying was six seconds – still a Le Mans record. “It was one of those moments where time stood still and everything went perfectly,” Blundell reminisced in 2015. A gearbox issue took the trio out of the race.

Mark Blundell, Nissan Motorsport

Photo by: William Murenbeeld LAT Images via Getty Images

That same year, Blundell signed with the Williams F1 team as a test driver. A Jaguar endurance deal was on the cards for 1991, but the unfancied Brabham F1 team offered him a race seat, so he gave up on both Jaguar and Williams to fulfill his dream of actually competing at the pinnacle of racing.

“Initially I’d agreed a deal with Tom Walkinshaw to race for Jaguar in 1991,” Blundell told Motor Sport magazine in 2022. “When the paperwork came through to sign, however, there was a six-figure number missing, a potential bonus in the event of winning the world championship.

“I called Tom to discuss it, but Brabham approached while that conversation was going backwards and forwards. ‘Would you like to be a salaried Formula 1 driver?’ I wasn’t going to say no, was I?

“I asked Williams whether they would release me from my contract and they agreed, though their advice was to stay with them and not to accept the Brabham offer – and with hindsight they were absolutely right. But I was still young and more than anything else I wanted to be an F1 driver. I thought all my dreams had come true.”

In his maiden F1 season – which he described as “fairly horrendous from day one” – Blundell took a highest result of 11th in qualifying, 2.359s off the pace at Monza; he scored a solitary point at Spa-Francorchamps, courtesy of a few retirements ahead of him – as often happened at the time.

Mark Blundell, Brabham

Photo by: LAT Images

“What I didn’t really appreciate at first was that I had absolutely zero opportunity of doing anything with the Brabham,” he added. “There was no money – my salary cheques bounced a couple of times! – and reality bit when Williams asked me to stand in for Damon Hill, their new development driver, in a test at Imola just after the San Marino Grand Prix.

“I was more than two seconds faster on race tyres in the Williams than I had been on qualifiers in the Brabham.

“I think Damon still owes me a drink, actually, because I phoned him as soon as I knew I was going to Brabham, to suggest that he should pitch for the Williams seat I was vacating…”

Blundell fell off the grid in 1992, with Hill taking up that Brabham drive alongside his Williams commitments, which lay the foundations for his title-winning career at the Didcot- then Grove-based outfit.

But Blundell took Le Mans honours that year, driving the Peugeot 905B to victory alongside Derek Warwick and Yannick Dalmas. He went on to enjoy a short but respectable F1 career at Ligier, Tyrrell and McLaren, taking three podium finishes over three seasons.

Mark Blundell, Peugeot Sport

Photo by: William Murenbeeld LAT Images via Getty Images

The main subsequent highlights in the Englishman’s career were his 1997 CART campaign, with three victories and sixth in the standings, and second overall in the 2002 Le Mans 24 Hours, in a Bentley Speed 8 he shared with David Brabham and Johnny Herbert.

Blundell founded 2MB Sports Management with fellow F1 driver Martin Brundle in 2004, looking after a number of British drivers like Gary Paffett and Mike Conway.

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McLaren reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli has completed his first Formula 1 tests, covering more than 900km (560 miles) with the team’s 2023 machinery.

The reigning Formula 2 champion failed to find a seat in the world championship for 2026 and settled for a reserve role at McLaren – that was the first time he associated with an F1 team.

The Woking-based outfit swiftly gave Fornaroli his first outings in grand prix machinery. The 21-year-old Italian drove the MCL60 on 23-24 March at Barcelona, completing 112 laps (512km) and earning praise from McLaren.

“He made fantastic progress throughout, getting to grips with the F1 car incredibly quickly, and continuing to demonstrate the traits we’ve seen throughout his successful junior career of consistency and his rapid ability to learn and perform,” McLaren chief business affairs officer Alessandro Alunni Bravi said of Fornaroli’s outing.

“Tests like these are vital in ensuring he’s prepared as the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team’s reserve, as well as for his development within our driver development pathway.”

Leonardo Fornaroli, McLaren Reserve Driver

Photo by: McLaren

Fornaroli then took to the track on 7 April at Silverstone, covering 68 laps (393km), with the squad describing his programme as ‘longer runs, lower fuel loads, and a mix of hard and soft tyres’.

The youngster has therefore completed nearly three grand prix distances in F1 machinery.

“Another good day on track – it was amazing to be back in the MCL60,” Fornaroli said. “Silverstone is one of my favourite circuits, so I’m grateful to McLaren for the opportunity to get back behind the wheel of an F1 car there. 

“With it being my second test, the run plan was more advanced, so I got to try some different set-ups and run with different levels of fuel, which continues to support my understanding of driving a Formula 1 car. I’m very happy with today, and I continued to make improvements from my test a few weeks ago, getting even more comfortable with these machines.”

McLaren has announced Fornaroli will enjoy further outings ‘at a variety of different circuits’ while he supports the team’s effort both trackside and in the simulator.

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In a video posted to his Facebook page on Tuesday evening, Garrett Mitchell dba Cleetus McFarland says NASCAR has not approved him to run superspeedways in the O’Reilly Series at this time.

“They did not see enough,” Cleetus said. “Granted, it was a pretty hectic race. I tried to pass someone three-wide on the third lap, spun out, spun out a few more times … didn’t crash or crash anybody but still … it was pretty hectic.

“Nonetheless, NASCAR has said ‘we need to see you run more ARCA and more Trucks, and have some of those on my calendar, coming up but in O’Reilly, I am still limited to short tracks.”

In the video, Cleetus concedes he’s only been in NASCAR for ‘one year’ and that ‘it was never my mission’ to get to the top as fast as he could.

“We figured we would try,” he said. “We didn’t get approved. It is what it is. I need more windshield time, regardless of whether it’s in an O’Reily car, ARCA car or Truck. More windshield never isn’t going to hurt. I have a lot to learn guys.”

He’s says ‘it’s a kick in the nuts’ but not as much of a letdown as it seems.

“I just need to get out there more and do as much learning as possible and then hopefully I’ll get to run Daytona and Talladega next year.”  

Cleetus McFarland says see you at Talladega; RCR says 'we need to be better'

What NASCAR O'Reilly Series field expects of Cleetus McFarland at Rockingam

Why Cleetus McFarland is a sound investment for Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing’s Danny Lawrence suggested this might be the outcome on Saturday telling Motorsport.com that he suspected NASCAR would want to see more out of the 31-year-old YouTuber.

"Well, they'll look at everything," Lawrence said. "They might ask us to run another race because the thing about it is we didn't get to do a live pit stop. There were a lot of things they wanted to see happen that didn't happen.

"When he got sideways early, we automatically went into this conservation mode of just keep rolling and don't push it too hard. So, it's going to be close, but I would not be surprised if NASCAR didn't want us to run another race before we got to Daytona and Talladega. Everything happens so fast there that we all want to be prepared when we do take him there."

NASCAR EVP and Chief Racing Development Officer John Probst also indicated this earlier today on the Sanctioning Body’s Hauler Talk podcast.

“We're all huge Cleetus fans. We all watch his videos and are certainly very appreciative of everything he's done in our sport and will continue to do in our sport. He is approved right now for O'Reilly Series short tracks, which means he's good for all of ARCA, all of truck, and then O'Reilly up through the short tracks. We'd like to see more out of Cleetus in the short tracks. So we're not saying no, but there is more that we would like to see out of Cleetus before we would approve him for Talladega.”

Seven full-time NASCAR Cup drivers -- six of which have won at the highest level of the sport -- will all be racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend.

With NASCAR increasing the number of races Cup drivers can run in the lower divisions entering the 2026 season, most expected to see an increased presence in O'Reilly and Truck races, and that is precisely what is happening. 

The field will also feature reigning NCTS series champion Corey Heim, who leads the championship despite only running part-time (so he's not eligible for the Chase). But he still has a lot to race for, as a third consecutive win this weekend as part of the Triple Truck Challenge will earn him $500,000 in prize money -- $150,000 of which he's already secured through wins at Darlington and Rockingham.

“I don’t really think about it in the truck but being able to reflect on it – it would be cool to be the first person to sweep all three if we are able to do it,” said Heim, who won the 2023 Bristol Truck race, and even earned his career-best Cup finish there (sixth in 2025). “There is a lot of motivation for these guys in the No. 1 camp with Celsius as our primary (at Bristol), so super excited about that.”

But this will likely be the hardest race to win of them all. Here's a look at the current full-time Cup drivers that Heim will be facing off with in this weekend's race:

Kyle Busch -- No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

The two-time Cup champion has more wins at the Cup level than any other active driver (63), and he's also the winningest Truck Series driver in history with 68 wins. He already won in his only truck start so far in 2026, taking the checkered flag at Atlanta. Busch also has five Truck wins at Bristol, but none since 2017.

Ross Chastain -- No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet

The defending winner of the Coca-Cola 600 and 2022 Cup Series championship runner-up has six wins at the Cup level. He also has five Truck wins, and is the 2019 Truck Series championship runner-up. Just a couple of weeks ago, he lost the Darlington Truck race when Heim passed him in the final corner.

Christopher Bell -- No. 62 Halmar-Friesen Racing Toyota

Bell has 13 Cup wins and seven Truck wins, and is also a former Truck Series champion, winning the title in 2017. He's also placed inside the top five in the Cup standings for the past four consecutive years. 

Chase Briscoe -- No. 5 Tricon Garage Toyota

Briscoe has five Cup wins and is the back-to-back winner of the Southern 500 winner at Darlington. He's also a proven winner in Trucks with two victories there, but this will be his first Truck start in about three years. Last year, he placed third in the final Cup standings.

Carson Hocevar -- No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Hocevar is the 2024 Cup Series Rookie of the Year, and while he's the only driver on this list without a win at the highest level of the sport, he has been very close. In the Truck Series, he has five wins, reaching Victory Lane with both Niece and Spire. In 2023, he was a Truck title finalist and placed fourth in the standings.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -- No. 4 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet

Stenhouse is the 2023 Daytona 500 winner and has four wins in the Cup Series. However, he had never started a Truck race prior to the 2026 season. This will be his third start of the year with Niece, placing sixth and ninth in his first two appearances.

Daniel Suarez -- No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Suarez hasn't run a Truck race in five years, but he does have a win in Trucks. He's also the only foreign-born driver to win races across all three national divisions, including two in the Cup Series. 

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard was surprised that the FIA did not reprimand Max Verstappen after the four-time champion ejected a British journalist from a media session at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The incident at Suzuka took place during a Red Bull hospitality media session, when Verstappen bluntly refused to start until the journalist left the room. The Dutchman's frustration had stemmed from an exchange at the 2025 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when Verstappen lost out on the championship to Lando Norris by just two points.

The journalist, Giles Richards of The Guardian, had questioned Verstappen about a collision he had with George Russell earlier in the season that could have affected his position in the standings. "You forget all the other stuff that happened in my season. The only thing you mention is Barcelona. I knew that would come," Verstappen responded at the time.

"You’re giving me a stupid grin now. I don’t know. Yeah, it’s part of racing at the end. You live and learn. The championship is one of 24 rounds. I’ve also had a lot of early Christmas presents given to me in the second half, so you can also question that."

Discussing the moment during the Up To Speed podcast, Coulthard weighed in on Verstappen's actions. 

"Well, I see it this way, it's probably not something that on reflection Max will feel good about because even though he's absolutely right, you don't have to answer the question, it is unusual to ask somebody to leave from that environment," the former driver said.

"And I'm actually a little bit surprised the FIA didn't take a stance on it. I didn't see anything that there was any sort of reprimand because basically if he was to say the word s**t in there, he'd get fined."

David Coulthard on the grid during the Sprint

Photo by: Dom Gibbons / LAT Images via Getty Images

He added: "I can only liken it to when I was racing, and I never won the world championships that Max has, of course, but I was definitely open to some criticism from various journalists.

"And it's very difficult not to take it personally. So I'm sure you don't look at the comments on some of the social feeds because there'll be some who love you and there'll be some that just don't like you, and that's the way it is.

"So I certainly did get some criticism, and there was always an underlying, let's say, if they were questioning my qualifying ability, it was a fair question, but of course it wasn't easy to be asked the same question time and time again.

"And some journalists would be a lot more dismissive. And it is their right as a journalist to say what they see. But it is difficult not to take it personally. And none of the drivers are exempt from that.

"And right now, Kimi Antonelli is getting all of the praise. Everything. Everyone loves him. And his mum will be getting cutouts from newspapers if people still do that nowadays. But as sure as he's being praised right now, he'll get criticised at some point in the future, especially if he makes some mistakes.

"I remember one journalist writing that 'David has an amazing ability to talk about the incident as if he wasn't driving the car at the time'. And it really shocked me because clearly he thought I was just making excuses all the time.

"But I didn't see it that way. But maybe I was being overdefensive, and I spoke to that journalist, and we made peace and moved on. But it is tough to take that public criticism."

As Cleetus McFarland (Garrett Mitchell) approaches five million subscribers on YouTube and moves deeper into the world of NASCAR, he has formed a multi-year partnership with Polaris.

“We are big fans of Cleetus and the community he has built. We couldn’t just watch from the outside; we had to be a part of it,” said Reid Wilson, President of Polaris Off-Road Vehicles. “He brings a level of energy, passion and authenticity that reflects what American motorsports is all about, and we look forward to supporting a community that shares our love for performance and adventure.”

Cleetus recently made his NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series debut, and also scored his first top five as an ARCA East driver at Rockingham. Polaris is also a perfect fit for much of his YouTube content, as Cleetus himself points out.

Cleetus McFarland says see you at Talladega; RCR says 'we need to be better'

Cleetus McFarland earns impressive top five finish in ARCA East Rockingham

“I built my community around freedom, horsepower, and having a good time, and Polaris fits that perfectly,” said Cleetus. “They get the people, they get the spirit—hell yeah, brother—that’s what we’re all about. Teaming up allows us to introduce more people to powersports and the fun that comes with it.”  

So, expect to see a lot more of Polaris around the Freedom Factory. The partnership was announced via a new video, which you can watch below: