Racing Bulls equalled its best-ever result of sixth place in 2025, but started the new campaign with plenty of question marks. As one of F1's smaller teams, the huge regulation change was a big stress test and its closely-fought battle for sixth saw it start its 2026 car development later than several direct competitors.

Then there was the huge unknown of its brand-new power unit developed by Red Bull Ford Powertrains, which it shares with parent team Red Bull, and the rookie factor in the team fielding the only newcomer of 2026, teenager Arvid Lindblad.

The good

Heading into the summer break, Racing Bulls finds itself atop the midfield with its upgraded VCARB 03, having overhauled Alpine after the final weekend before the shutdown in Budapest. The Anglo-Italian amassed 66 points to end the first half of the season in an unprecedented fifth place, earning it a B grade.

The season didn't start that way, however. Racing Bulls showed well in Australia, with debut points for eight-placed Lindblad, but as Alpine sorted itself out the Enstone squad leapt clear thanks to four consecutive top seven spots for Gasly.

But a crucial floor upgrade in Montreal, the fifth round of the rejigged 2026 calendar, saw Racing Bulls take a major step that turned the team into the most reliable midfield performer as Alpine faded. Since Canada, at least one Racing Bulls car has reached Q3 at every round and the team scored double points on five occasions, with one of its drivers finishing outside the top 10 just once in Belgium.

A solid package, thanks to a better-than-expected power unit, has allowed Liam Lawson to put his best foot forward, with the New Zealander ninth in the standings as he finally gets the stability of a full season at the same team. On the other side of the garage, Lindblad has impressed from start to finish and has run Lawson close on several occasions, leading to a few close intra-team battles in Austria and Belgium.

Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

The bad

There's little to report in this section, as holding down fifth is about as much as can be expected from Racing Bulls. There is every chance that further upgrades from Alpine after the summer will turn the tables once more, but even equalling sixth would be a positive result.

What the team will have to navigate is its two drivers taking their friendly but competitive rivalry to the next level, against the background of the squad's mission to train young drivers for Red Bull. With junior driver Nikita Tsolov waiting in the wings and the Bulgarian teenager impressing in F2, the pressure on both drivers to perform hasn't gone anywhere, with or without hard-nosed former advisor Helmut Marko overseeing the junior programme.

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

What they're saying

Alan Permane, team principal: "We were in our own championship fight last year for that sixth place, and that was very important to us, so we started a little bit late on the 2026 car. We felt the first races were going to be a bit of a struggle. We brought a very large upgrade for Melbourne, and we’ve continued to upgrade the car through the season. I think what really switched the car on was the floor we brought to Montreal.

"The second part of what’s really helped our season is finding the race pace. We had a very nice car in Canada in qualifying, but it wasn’t so good in the race. Monaco was very similar, Barcelona very similar. What Austria and Silverstone have shown is that we’ve fixed that. It’s a combination of what has been delivered from the wind tunnel, design and production, and a little bit of the way the guys are running the car at the track."

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The explosion in popularity experienced by Formula 1 over the past five years has been described by some as a unique phenomenon in the history of sport.

Labels aside, one of the factors that has turned F1 into such an attractive proposition for manufacturers is its profitability. And that cannot be explained without the introduction of the budget cap, which in 2021 put the brakes on the escalation in team spending, limiting it to $145million before increasing it to $215million coming into the 2026 regulations.

Immediately before the cap was introduced, the better-funded teams – Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull – were spending more than €300million a year. The implementation of the cap meant that, almost automatically, teams and above all manufacturers began to generate surpluses, turning the championship into the perfect showcase for new entrants such as Audi and Cadillac.

With that precedent in mind, and following what they see as a logical path, MotoGP's senior management – is determined to pursue the same strategy, which he believes would bring benefits across the board.

Carlos Ezpeleta, MotoGP

Photo by: Mirco Lazzari GP / Getty Images

"From the organisation's side, we absolutely want to pursue a budget cap, and we've been very clear with the manufacturers about that. It is important to bring a degree of rationality to the way we do things," Ezpeleta said in an extensive interview with Motorsport.com, while acknowledging the complexity involved in such an ambitious change of direction.

"It is going to be very difficult to get there. It is also very ambitious because the manufacturers are extremely connected to their factories, and all of them have different realities, different origins and different organisational structures. It is something we have to study, but where there is a will, there is a way.

"I am sure we will get there. We have never had a budget cap in MotoGP because there has never been a need for one."

The realities of Honda and Aprilia, respectively the biggest and smallest spenders, could hardly be more different. Motorsport.com understands that Honda spends around €80million on its MotoGP activities, while Aprilia's budget is roughly a quarter of that, at around €20million.

Paradoxically, that gulf currently separates them on track, but in the opposite direction to what their respective investments would suggest. Aprilia leads the championship standings, with three of its riders at the front of the overall classification, and is naturally also at the top of the manufacturers' standings. Honda, meanwhile, has its first representative down in 10th place, Luca Marini, and sits second-last in the manufacturers' table, ahead only of Yamaha, the second-biggest spender at around €60million.

For Ezpeleta, this is one of the key differences between F1 and MotoGP.

"There is one caveat that I think is very important: we don't have a problem on track. We are seeing now that some of the manufacturers with lower budgets are outperforming the rest," he stressed.

Luigi Dall'Igna, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images

Over the past year, Ezpeleta has held talks with manufacturers and teams to establish the new commercial framework that will govern their relationship with the promoter over the next five years.

During those negotiations, the manufacturers, led by Aprilia and Ducati, floated the idea of removing one of the two bikes available to each rider during testing, on the grounds that it would help reduce costs. Motorsport.com understands that last Sunday's meeting of the Grand Prix Commission, held in Great Britain, effectively put an end to that proposal.

"We have an opportunity in front of us. I think some of the manufacturers have significant room to reduce their budget," Ezpeleta concluded.

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Aston Martin Formula 1 driver ambassador Jessica Hawkins insists women have the physical strength required to race in F1, but suggests changes may be needed in junior categories such as Formula 2 and Formula 3 to ensure female and male drivers can compete on equal terms.

Speaking on the Road to Success podcast, the Briton reflected on her test of the Aston Martin AMR21 in Hungary in 2023. When questioned on the physical toll of racing, Hawkins dismissed the notion that strength will prevent a female driver from racing in the championship.

"I am absolutely convinced women are strong enough for Formula 1," Hawkins stated. "I could have done the whole race [distance] if it wasn't for my neck."

The 31-year-old argued that neck fatigue is a universal challenge for any driver stepping into an F1 car without recent preparation in high-downforce single-seaters, rather than a gender-specific limitation.

She did, however, point to the junior single-seater ladder as a potential roadblock for female drivers. While F1 cars are equipped with power steering, F2 and F3 machinery lack this feature, making them notoriously heavy to steer.

Jessica Hawkins testing an Aston Martin AMR21

Photo by: Aston Martin Racing

Asked if something needs to be done regarding the physical demands of F2 and F3 to aid female progression, Hawkins replied: "Maybe. Yeah. Because I think F2 is a lot more physical than Formula 1 in different areas. Maybe less physical on the neck, but more physical in other areas."

Hawkins also addressed concerns over the extreme leg strength required for F1 braking zones, drawing direct comparisons to her campaigns in GT racing. 

"I had no problem with the brake in the Formula 1 car," she added. "I had no problem with brake pressure. Actually, brake pressure in what I'm racing now, I find more of an issue than the Formula 1 car, which is GT cars."

Mahindra Racing has finally put its Gen4 package on track after a two-month delay, stepping up its preparations for the 2026-27 Formula E season.

The Indian manufacturer shook down the as-yet-unnamed successor to the M12 Electro for the first time in mid-July. It has since run the car virtually every week, with the first full test taking place on 4 August. 

The initial running was split between the Elvington and Abingdon airfields, with the latter also hosting the two full-fledged tests conducted so far. 

Mahindra reserve driver and former Maserati/McLaren racer Jake Hughes was responsible for the majority of the running, although Edoardo Mortara also briefly jumped into the car last week. Mortara’s short appearance was aimed at providing additional feedback, as neither he nor team-mate Nyck de Vries has been confirmed for the 2026-27 season.

Mahindra had initially planned to begin the test programme for its Gen4 car in May, having only received the green light from the company’s board in November last year.

Although it had started laying the groundwork for the new package long before receiving approval from Mumbai, the initial May date would have already put it several months behind rival manufacturers, which had started testing hybrid Gen3/Gen4 packages as early as November 2025.

Further delays, caused by supply chain issues and “programme risk-management decisions”, pushed Mahindra’s track debut back to mid-July.

In a statement issued to Motorsport, the Banbury-squad admitted that the later-than-planned start to testing has “increased pressure in some areas”, but insisted that the delays have “not changed the overall development timeline or the team’s target for Race 1”.

"It simply means we need to extract maximum value and learning from every test,” the statement continued.

“The programme remains challenging, as expected with such a significant new generation of car, but it is progressing at full pace.”

Further running is scheduled in the coming months, before all manufacturers converge at Jarama on 16-20 November for the first official pre-season test of the year. The 2026-27 season, the first to feature FE’s new 800bhp car, is scheduled to get under way at Jeddah on 18-19 December, subject to the prevailing situation in the Middle East.

Mahindra has made tangible progress in recent years, after new team principal Frederic Bertrand led a top-to-bottom overhaul of the squad.

Having finished 10th in the championship in the first two Gen3 seasons, it has climbed to fourth place in the 2025-26 campaign with just the final two races in London still to run this week. Mortara has scored four pole positions so far this year, while de Vries put the team back in the victory lane in Monaco and Tokyo after a near-five-year drought.

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Nine-way Formula E title fight goes down to the wire in London

Few topics in the Formula 1 paddock have generated as much political debate during the first half of the season as ADUO, the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities.

The system was introduced as a safety net for a manufacturer that falls behind, partly in response to Honda's situation under the previous regulations, but in practice it has turned into a political battleground.

Toto Wolff immediately warned that it should not become a "leapfrog mechanism", although there was considerable surprise when it was not Mercedes High Performance Powertrains but Red Bull Ford Powertrains that ended up at the top of the FIA's first ranking.

There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the ADUO measurements are based solely on the internal combustion engine, creating a significant discrepancy between the measurement method and the development opportunities, which also cover the electrical side of the power unit.

Secondly, there have been suggestions in the paddock that several manufacturers – including Mercedes and Ferrari – played the game cleverly by not showing their full hand during the opening race weekends in order to secure one ADUO token, or even two in Ferrari's case.

The outcome of the first period has caused frustration at Red Bull, which also explains why those results have still not been publicly announced.

Red Bull Ford Powertrains has been placed at the top of the standings by the FIA following the first measurement period, much to the frustration of Red Bull’s top management

Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images

FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis previously indicated that he was open to considering more parameters for the ADUO measurements – such as the size of the turbo – but that teams and manufacturers pushed to keep the system as simple as possible.

That raises the question of whether the FIA has been surprised by all the controversy surrounding ADUO this season, which Motorsport asked Tombazis.

"Well, in F1 it seems that almost everything is quite sensitive. So it's very rare that you get 11 teams and five or six PU manufacturers saying, 'Fantastic, we all agree'," the Greek replied.

"The only thing I think that everybody agrees on is that the August shutdown is a good thing, and I have to remind you that it was my idea.

"But that's the only thing that everybody agrees on. I think everything else [is difficult]. And even that took time for everybody to agree on. You know, when Franz Tost was still in place, he didn't want it."

According to Tombazis, two different aspects need to be distinguished when assessing ADUO: how accurate the measurements are and whether the system is working as originally intended.

Amid all the dissatisfaction surrounding the outcome of period one, Red Bull requested a factual verification of the results, but according to Tombazis, the FIA's measurements have proven to be accurate.

"Everything is quite sensitive because everyone is so competitive and so focused on their relative position compared to the others. So yes, it has been quite a challenge," he continued.

"I think our measurement, in my opinion, has proven to be very accurate.

"With that said, has everything worked fine? No, because obviously people are not happy and so on. Do we need to think about improvements in the future? Yes, I would say so."

Tombazis acknowledges that the system may need changes in the coming years, but insists that the measurements are correct

Photo by: Kym Illman / Getty Images

One of the apparent flaws is that the other manufacturers could effectively put Red Bull in checkmate. If they continue playing the game and do not use the tokens they have been awarded to develop the internal combustion engine, they could theoretically keep Red Bull at the top of the ranking for longer.

Tombazis, however, does not believe things will go that far in practice: "Well, I don't think it would be convenient for you to always be below [your maximum power] just to keep getting more opportunities, because then what's the point of opportunities if it isn't ultimately for you to be on top?"

That said, the 58-year-old admits that the system needs a rethink for the coming years: "I think the system is working as it was designed, but I do think there are some weaknesses that we need to address in the future. Also to make it less time-consuming and less controversial, we do need to make some steps to improve it in the future."

One logical suggestion would be to consider the entire power unit in the measurements rather than just the ICE, but Tombazis does not want to discuss specific ideas at this stage.

Honda will introduce its first ADUO upgrade at Zandvoort and states that the system works well for the manufacturer that needs it most

Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

ADUO works for Honda, but does it work for F1 as a whole?

Honda is naturally the manufacturer with the largest deficit and is therefore the clearest example of what ADUO was originally designed for.

General trackside manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara says the system does work for Honda, although he is open to a rethink in the longer term for the benefit of the sport as a whole.

"I think the number we received from the FIA looks reasonable. I would say that number is fair. And also, thanks to ADUO, we are now working hard to develop our engine," Orihara told Motorsport.

"So, at this moment, it's difficult to say if the ADUO system is working correctly [or not]. But, at least for Honda, we have the maximum chance to develop our engine thanks to the ADUO system.

"Maybe we adjust [things after] monitoring how the ADUO system works for Formula 1. It is working well for Honda, but we need to keep monitoring how that works for all manufacturers. It should be fair. At this moment, it looks fair for Honda, but we need to keep monitoring it."

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Triple Eight has pointed the finger at Supercars over the recent lack of speed of the Ford Mustang driven by Will Brown, and Supercars has admitted that a part it supplied to the team was undersized.

On Wednesday afternoon Triple Eight team principal and co-owner Jamie Whincup issued a statement in which he revealed that an engine air restrictor, a part Supercars stipulates all the Ford engines must run, was the wrong size.

“At 7pm last night we found a significant issue on car #888,” said the statement.

“Since the start of this season, car #888 has been running with an undersized engine airflow restrictor. This part manages the airflow into the engine and has a significant negative impact on engine performance, and therefore lap time.

“This is not a part we, Triple Eight or Red Bull Ampol Racing, manufacture. This is a supplied part from Supercars expected to be the same for all 11 Ford Mustangs, distributed at the start of the season and expected to be run for the whole season.

“We as a team are taking responsibility and want to deeply apologise to everyone involved for allowing this to happen.”

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Several hours later Supercars made a statement of its own, in which it admitted that the part was not of the correct specification.

“Supercars acknowledges the finding that Car 888 has competed during the 2026 Supercars season with an air restrictor that is one millimetre smaller in size than is prescribed for the Ford Mustang,” it said.

“The component was loaned by Supercars to Triple Eight Race Engineering (T8RE) for demonstration purposes only at the team's launch in February.

“The air restrictor subsequently remained fitted to Car 888 through the Perth Super 440. Neither party identified the discrepancy until it was discovered by T8RE during preparations for next weekend's event in Ipswich.

“Throughout the Supercars season, routine scrutineering and compliance checks are carried out at random by Supercars’ Technical department, covering a vast range of components and systems. As of the Perth event, the air restrictor fitted to Car 888 had not been selected for inspection during those checks.

“Supercars is reviewing the circumstances surrounding this matter and will evaluate opportunities to strengthen its technical and operational procedures moving forward.

“Supercars acknowledges and appreciates T8RE’s identifying and prompt reporting of the matter to Supercars.”

Triple Eight has also confirmed that it would still proceed to have a new car for Brown, who is currently in seventh place in the championship points, at the next round of the series at Queensland Raceway on 21-23 August.

Tensions flared at the Osky Challenge on Monday night at Southern Iowa Speedway, when Kyle Larson bested Ryan Timms in the closing laps to win with the help of a controversial pass.

Larson made his move up the field with five laps to go, running inside of Timms into turn four and making contact with him.

Larson's pass for the lead would hold, while damage to Timms's nose wing slowed him down to a point where he had to settle for third place behind Corey Day. It was Larson's third straight win at the Osky Challenge, and his fifth win in the past six years.

Timms made his frustration known after the race.

“I seen him coming up. Initially, I was going to try and drive around it. And I realized he wasn’t letting me, giving me any room," Timms said. "I lifted, slammed on the brakes, tried to turn it, and he still just ran right over me.

“So he’s a piece of shit, but it is what it is. I’ll remember it, and that’s that.”

Larson responded in kind.

"He was getting nervous in one and two, and started making mistakes," he said while celebrating his win. "I'm sure it wasn't the cleanest move. I'm sure if anyone has followed his career he's made a lot of mistakes as well. His car owner is upset at me, which is fine, but at least get my race right. I'm not Chinese, I'm Japanese."

Larson was referring an interaction he had with Shane Liebig, owner of Timms's No. 10 car, who allegedly shouted a racial insult towards Larson after the race.

Larson and Timms also shared a brief, stern interaction for themselves in Victory Lane.

The two could meet sprinting again this week at the Granddaddy of Them All at Knoxville Raceway, but Larson will need a little help from the weather to make the rematch possible.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will close the airspace above Reagan National Airport (DCA) from 10:15am EST to 1:15pm EST on August 23 in order to "help ensure the safe and efficient movement of air traffic” during the IndyCar race in Washington D.C. later this month.

This is not an unusual move from the FAA, as they also briefly closed the airspace for the Fourth of July UFC fight at the White House, and also in June of 2025 for a military parade.

Arrivals and departures will be stopped for that three-hour period, and the IndyCar race is set to go green just after 1pm EST. FOX will broadcast the highly anticipated event, which will take IndyCar's best around the National Mall of the U.S. Capitol. It will pass the National Archives, National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum.

The temporary 1.7-mile street course features seven corners, and will have 147 laps of racing.

The race, called the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, is meant to be part of the celebrations for America's 250-year anniversary. President Donald Trump recently met with Roger Penske, as well drivers Alex Palou, David Malukas, and Felix Rosenqvist as they promoted the event at the White House.

This race was a late-add to the schedule, joining only after President Trump signed an executive order on January 30.

IROC is also partnering with IndyCar next weekend in D.C., holding a special event as a support race to the Grand Prix. Drivers will include NASCAR legends Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte, Rusty Wallace, Bill Elliott, as well as Indy 500 winners Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, and Dario Franchitti. 

General admission to the race is free, but the 'Champion's Club' section will offer a more exclusive weekend experience to spectators paying up to $5,000.

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Building a championship-caliber sports car program from scratch in four months is a daunting task, but Dries Vanthoor is helping steer BMW’s top-class GTP effort through a rapid operational evolution in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Now in his second full-time IMSA season, the 28-year-old Belgian driver finds himself at the center of a major transition for the manufacturer. Following last year’s campaign with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing as BMW’s factory partner, which featured three podiums and a win (Road America), the German brand shifted its efforts to Team WRT - the outfit it already built a Hypercar relationship with in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the same outfit Vanthoor has extensive history with. The revamped squad made an immediate statement with a podium at the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, but turning fast starts into long-term dominance is requiring more patience.

Building a full-scale IMSA program from scratch in just four months required significant adjustment, a reality Vanthoor acknowledged when comparing the transition between RLL and WRT's infrastructure as BMW’s factory partner.

“Obviously, I think it's always very different,” said Vanthoor, co-driver of the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 alongside Sheldon van der Linde. “It's a completely new program for us. It's a lot of new people. A completely new structure. We've always been used to having our structure in Europe and now we have to do a completely different structure in the U.S., which is different. Also, the way of working, working with people. And this takes time.

“I do think we've seen some signs of it (working), which is very positive, but we've also seen already some things which aren’t really positive, which we have to work on. But I think that's also normal. You can't expect to build up – I don't know, they did it in four months – I think they built up the whole thing. So, I don't think you can expect it to be working from the first race onwards.”

Despite the operational growing pains, speed and execution have surfaced across key events this year. In addition to the #24 entry's third-place result at Daytona earlier this year, the #25 sister car has snagged two more podiums, including a runner-up finish in Detroit.

“Good things take time, they always say,” said Vanthoor, who also captured a victory in last month’s Six Hours of São Paolo with the program’s arm in WEC. “So hopefully in some more time it will get together. I do think it is, obviously, we've got good people, and I do believe that it will get better, and we will be able to fight for victories. I do think we are. We’ve had good races already this season where we showed good pace and good strategy from the guys. So, we just have to keep working and keep making sure to get all the little, little mistakes out of our system.” 

#24 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Dries Vanthoor, Sheldon van der Linde

Photo by: Brandon Badraoui / Lumen via Getty Images

The cross-continental synergy between WRT’s WEC and IMSA efforts has yielded tangible progress on track compared to previous seasons, with the BMW M Hybrid V8 regularly challenging near the front of the grid in both championships.

When asked about the program's distance from its ceiling and the refinements required moving forward, Vanthoor noted the global progress while highlighting the remaining details needed to fine-tune the package.

“On a global aspect, or looking into the involvement of the car, also on the WEC side, I think this is positive,” Vanthoor said. “I think if you look now in WEC and IMSA, we are both sometimes or most of the time, trying to fight at the front, compared to last year. That was a bit more difficult, so that is positive.”

The focus now turns toward polishing operational consistency and vehicle refinement as the team builds toward long-term contention. 

“And I think it's just the main things. We used to have small issues with getting things right on the car, making sure that communication is well within the team and small things like that, which are normal in a new setup,” Vanthoor said.

“I think we are not far away, but I do think we still have some points to improve. We still have some points on the car to improve. So, I think we still have to work hard and maybe by the end of the year or for sure next year, I think we have a complete package where we can say that we can fight for something nice.”

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Theo Pourchaire has admitted that combining his newly-announced Formula E drive with another campaign in the World Endurance Championship would be tough, but has not ruled out running a dual programme.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that 2023 Formula 2 champion Pourchaire will return to single-seaters, joining the new Opel Formula E team for the 2026-27 season.

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The move followed speculation over whether he would continue his relationship with Opel’s sister brand Peugeot after the end of his first season in Hypercar in November.

Speaking on the eve of this weekend’s London E-Prix, the Frenchman admitted that he remains open to another year in the WEC, where he has scored a best finish of 10th so far in an uncompetitive 9X8. However, he stressed that his priority will be Formula E as he looks to build a long-term career in the all-electric championship. 

“I’m really, really happy with the Formula E deal and to be able to be racing in the world championship,” the 22-year-old said. 

“Of course, I would be open to doing a double programme, but it's a lot of... I mean, it's a big, big calendar and I want to be focused on Formula E. 

“Formula E is going to be my main programme and it's going to be what I want to do the best in it. 

“Of course, I'm going to be a rookie, so it's not going to be easy to be performing well straight away, but I will do my best and I want to win in the future in Formula E. So being focused there, it's important. Let's see.

“Yeah, I'm open to anything.” 

#94 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Loic Duval, Malthe Jakobsen, Theo Pourchaire

Photo by: Ker Robertson / Allsport via Getty Images

Peugeot’s situation is complicated by the fact that two other drivers from its Hypercar roster are also racing in Formula E, with both Nick Cassidy and Jean-Eric Vergne driving for Citroen.

Vergne already stepped down from his WEC duties this year to focus on developing Stellantis’ Gen4 package, but he has always insisted that he will return to Hypercar in 2027.

Formula E’s decision to move the Monaco GP forward by two weeks has eliminated one clash with the WEC, but the Shanghai E-Prix in July next year is still scheduled on the same weekend as the Sao Paulo 6 Hours.

In theory, the French manufacturer can field two-driver line-ups in the Brazilian round, but Pourchaire’s absence would still leave it short of one driver.

When asked by Motorsport if the situation makes it more difficult for him to continue in WEC, Pourchaire added: “To be fair with you, I don't know anything about the driver situation with Peugeot. 

“I only know that I'm racing until the end of the year with Peugeot. For sure, I have four races to go at least, so we'll see.”

The 2026 WEC season is at its halfway point, with the remaining four rounds scheduled in a span of just over two months from early September to early November.

Just days after the WEC campaign will conclude at Monza, Formula E will host its official pre-season test at Jarama on 16-20 November. The first Gen4 season is scheduled to get under way in Jeddah on 18-19 December, subject to the prevailing situation in the Middle East.

Pourchaire said he will continue to focus on his primary engagement in WEC until the end of the season, before switching his attention to Formula E.

“This year, I'm racing in the World Endurance Championship for Peugeot and we still have a few races to go,” he said.

“And for next year, I'm focused on my programme with Opel. So it's a big opportunity. It's also very good for me to know what I'm going to do early in the season.

“So I can only focus on my remaining races in the World Endurance Championship and then focus on the Formula E team with Opel.”

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The Pacific Northwest was Alex Palou’s personal playground once again, with the Spaniard coasting to victory in the Grand Prix of Portland.

Despite falling to third during the opening stint of the 110-lap race, Palou utilized his classic overcut and stayed out a lap longer than pole-sitter Felix Rosenqvist to vault to the top spot after the first green flag pit cycle. From there, Palou maintained control of the race and kept his #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda out front for 60 laps en route to a 4.1167s victory of the Swede.

There were 119 total passes, with 94 of those for position around Portland International Speedway’s 12-turn, 1.964-mile natural terrain road course. Additionally, there were nine lead changes among four drivers.

Here are the winners and losers from the 13th round of the season. 

Winner: Alex Palou 

The reigning and four-time IndyCar Series champion, Palou’s clinical drive delivered his sixth victory of the season and extended his stranglehold in the title race to a 110-point advantage with five races remaining. The result also marked his third victory - and fifth podium - in six starts at Portland.

Loser: Graham Rahal

There was optimism coming into the weekend for Graham Rahal, with Portland being a track he’s enjoyed two top fives and four top 10s since 2021. And while that was furthered after qualifying eighth, it quickly unraveled as the Ohio native dropped wheels in Turn 11 and drifted off course and into the Turn 12 tire barrier on Lap 6. Although he was able to continue on, his #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda was unable to make up any ground and settled for 23rd; making it the fifth consecutive race Rahal has finished outside the top 10 since finishing third on the streets of Detroit in late May.

Winner: Rinus VeeKay

Rinus VeeKay, Juncos Hollinger Racing

Photo by: Perry Nelson / Lumen via Getty Images

Rinus VeeKay continued to push Juncos Hollinger Racing to the front of the grid, qualifying a season-best fifth and capturing a fourth-place finish. The outing came with a late strategic play to vault ahead of Andretti Global’s duo of Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson, and placed behind their other teammate, Will Power. The Dutchman has now scored four top four finishes over the last five races, with two additional top 10s on the year that has him firmly sitting 10th in the championship standings. The three top fives also ties a career-best mark in a season, having previously accomplished that feat in 2020 (his rookie season) and 2022, respectively, when he drove for Ed Carpenter Racing.

With his name circling the rumor mill, along with Christian Lundgaard, as it relates the the soon-to-be-vacated #9 Chip Ganass Racing Honda, VeeKay’s latest effort certainly didn’t hurt his chances.

Loser: Marcus Armstrong

While his teammate Rosenqvist stood on the podium, Marcus Armstrong suffered the dark side of the results table. Plagued by poor balance in qualifying that left him 20th on the grid, his race lasted just 33 laps before an engine problem on his #66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda forced him into an early retirement. Recording the afternoon's sole retirement, Armstrong’s streak of technical setbacks continued to undermine what had been a promising summer campaign.

Winner: Felix Rosenqvist

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank w/ Curb-Agajanian

Photo by: Perry Nelson / Lumen via Getty Images

Felix Rosenqvist laid down a statement early by snatching pole position and leading the opening 31 laps with raw, unbothered pace. While Palou’s pit timing eventually jumped him, Rosenqvist never wavered, keeping his #60 Meyer Shank Honda within striking distance and gained noticeable ground on Palou while on the softer alternate tire compound.

Despite being bound for Arrow McLaren next year, the Swede continues to push for the maximum this season, with the runner-up result his best since winning the Indianapolis 500. He now has three podiums on the season, with one additional top five and six top 10s to hold sixth in the championship standings.

Loser: Scott Dixon

While Palou celebrated in victory lane, his legendary Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon endured an uncharacteristically invisible afternoon. Dixon started 11th and never found the pace or fuel-saving rhythm to make forward progress. Stuck in traffic trains and lacking top-end pace on the front stretch, the six-time champion slowly drifted backward, crossing the line a quiet 14th on a track where he usually excels.

To make matters worse, Dixon has now finished outside the top 10 in seven consecutive races and sits 12th in the championship standings. And while the New Zealander edges teammate Kyffin Simpson with a third-place finish (Long Beach) compared to fourth (Road America), he actually trails the Caymanian in terms of top 10 results: Dixon has five to Simpson’s six.

Winner: Christian Lundgaard

Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren

Photo by: Perry Nelson / Lumen via Getty Images

Electrical issues, along with hybrid problems, plagued Lundgaard’s qualifying effort and left him starting last (25th) at a track notoriously challenging to pass on. However, the Dane carved forward with relentless overtaking maneuvers and exceptional stint length on the primary tire compound. Gaining 16 positions – more than any other driver in the field – he salvaged a top-10 finish from a race that easily could have been a total loss, and was the bright spot for what was a rough weekend collectively for Arrow McLaren. He continues to sit fourth in the title race and now holds a 20-point advantage over teammate Pato O’Ward.

Loser: David Malukas 

Malukas’ race was effectively compromised before the green flag dropped. Forced into an unapproved engine change following his heavy crash in opening practice from the previous round in Nashville, Malukas had to swallow a mandatory six-place grid penalty. Left starting 15th in the #12 Team Penske Chevrolet, he spent his stints battling dirty air and fuel targets, unable to break higher than 12th when the checkered flag fell. The result dealt a massive blow to his position in the championship standings, dropping him down one spot to third, but even more bothersome losing significant ground - 83 points to 118 - behind Palou.

Official race results: 2026 IndyCar at Portland

How serious was the retirement threat from former champion Thomas Preining at the Norisring weekend really? After a disappointing Saturday race in Nuremberg, the Manthey Porsche driver settled scores with the Balance of Performance (BoP) in the DTM and said in an interview with Motorsport-Total.com, "I'm really close to saying: There's no point anymore, I'm stopping."

Three weeks later, the 28-year-old dominated at Oschersleben, securing two poles and nearly two victories, had the final pit stop not gone wrong. But how does he view his statements today? "Generally, obviously, those are heat of the moment things," says the Austrian.

"It was a very frustrating time, not only at Norisring, but also the races before, where we were really not doing as well as we probably should have. So for sure I was frustrated. Nevertheless, in that moment and in the following weeks during the summer I was spending a lot of time thinking what are the right steps for my future."

Preining: Porsche contract expires at the end of the season

It's a fact that Preining's Porsche contract expires at the end of the year after two years, and his future has not yet been clarified. As for how things look in that regard? "I haven't taken a decision yet," clarifies Preining, who worked his way up as a Porsche Junior and is one of the few GT3 pilots to hold a factory driver contract with the Volkswagen brand.

"I'm definitely gonna stick around for a few more years in racing in general," says Preining, ruling out a complete retirement for now. "I'm not gonna hang up the boots just yet, but as a works driver it's also not always entirely up to me to decide which program I do, etc."

Nevertheless, Preining, who won his first 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps this year, makes it clear that his love for the DTM has not completely cooled. "Of course, I do love DTM. It's my favorite championship and I would love to stay, but it's not always 100 percent in my hands," he says.

Bortolotti's warning: "Then DTM will be dead"

Apart from that, for DTM specialist Preining - who, aside from the opening win in Spielberg, did not finish higher than seventh in Zandvoort until Oschersleben - whether he is competitive also plays a role. "Like I said at Norisring: It didn't make so much sense to drive, but obviously the way it's been going since then is totally different. So, it's very up and down."

While Aston Martin driver Nicki Thiim, in view of Preining's dominance in Oschersleben, made fun of the matter and said he would now threaten to retire as well, Bortolotti urges former DTM title rival Preining to definitely continue his career in DTM.

"I hope Thomas doesn't retire," the Italian says, having often expressed great respect for Preining. "We need him in DTM. Otherwise, if we lose drivers like Thomas and others that start to say 'I'm gonna retire', then the DTM will be dead."

Is Preining fully back in the title hunt? "Not yet ..."

Before Manthey's home game at the Nurburgring - and thus six races before the end - Preining sits in fourth place in the overall standings, 28 points behind DTM leader Maro Engel. Is he fully back in the mix after Oschersleben? "Not yet," he answers.

"We are hopefully on the way to the front. But the leader managed to create quite a big gap when we were struggling in the early parts of the season. So we're still catching, but if we can have another weekend like at Oschersleben, of course that would really help our chance to reduce the gap," says Preining. Manthey's first DTM victory at the Nurburgring is therefore the declared goal.

Francesco Bagnaia endured a nightmare weekend at the British Grand Prix, failing to score points for the first time this season.

Returning to MotoGP action just weeks after surgery on his right forearm, Bagnaia never looked comfortable on his Ducati GP26 at Silverstone, but remained optimistic about a turnaround.

Instead, however, his weekend only got worse with each session. In practice, he struggled with braking and crashed late on in the session, failing to secure a direct entry into Q2. 

On Saturday morning, he recorded an even slower time in qualifying, ending up seven tenths off the pace of Franco Morbidelli on the GP25.

Sprint nightmare

Then, Bagnaia lost significant time due to tyre graining in the sprint, much like his team-mate Marc Marquez, with his pace dropping in the 2m02s range. Having also failed to make any headway at the start of the race from 16th on the grid, he crossed the line in 17th place, only ahead of Maverick Vinales’ stand-in Pol Espargaro and the Yamahas of Augusto Fernandez and Toprak Razgatlioglu.

“I cannot imagine something more with my performance today,” Bagnaia lamented after the sprint.

“[I had] no performance, no speed. The lack of grip…. Their grip is huge, and today after four laps, I started to go behind, not in front, and the last two laps, I raced without touching the knee on the right side, so it was very difficult for me to be competitive. 

“The target to start the weekend was to be in the top 10, but looking at my performance it's difficult to imagine something better than 15. 

“The factory team today struggled a lot, me and Marc were the slowest riders in the last laps, so it's difficult to imagine what to do, because today I was expecting the drop, but not that much.”

Inexplicable crash 

Sunday’s race offered no respite. In just three laps, he had slipped back to 18th place, with just 21 riders remaining on track at that point. As several more riders crashed in quick succession, he gradually made his way into points-scoring positions, but his weekend came to a premature end when he tucked the front at Luffield on lap 8. This was coincidentally the same corner where he crashed at last year’s British GP.

However, the Italian was baffled as to why he went down after the apex, describing the crash as “strange.”

“I never lost the front exiting from a corner, so, very strange,” he said. “Looking at the data, it's very difficult to see something. The only thing is that the front steering completely closed the...

“I completely lost the front in a matter of milliseconds. So, very strange. But it's what happened.

“It is also difficult to accept, because it was already one of the hardest weekends of the season. I struggled to be close to the top ten on the weekend. And today there was a little possibility of finishing in the top 10.

“We need to rise from this situation, because I don't want to do another weekend like this one.” 

A lack of rear grip has been a persistent issue for Bagnaia in 2026, with the Italian identifying it as the biggest factor holding him back this season.

While Gresini has been able to find a solution for this problem on Alex Marquez’s bike, Bagnaia continues to deal with it on the factory Ducati, despite his team doing its best to fix it.

“I changed everything. The set-up, electronic side, but the problem is not that," he added. 

“From the first race of the season, I don't have any grip. Completely zero. And we don't know what to do, because there are riders in Ducati that have a lot. So, it's very difficult to understand.”

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Darlington Raceway has announced its race dates for the 2027 season. The historic track, which opened in 1950, will again hold a triple-header weekend from April 2-4 with all three national divisions. 

However, there is a change for later in the season when NASCAR returns to Darlington for 78th running of the Southern 500. The race will be held on September  5, and preceded by the NASCAR O'Reilly Series on September 4 as part of Labor Day Weekend.

This is notable as Darlington will now sit as the regular season finale, instead of the first race of the Chase for the championship. The Southern 500 was last situated as the regular season finale in 2024, where Chase Briscoe dramatically won his way into the playoffs (under the old format) just months before Stewart-Haas Racing shut down.

This year, Daytona International Speedway is the site of the regular season finale.

"Darlington Raceway has a long-standing tradition of hosting some of NASCAR's most memorable races, and our 2027 schedule delivers two outstanding weekends that showcase everything fans love about the Track Too Tough To Tame," said Darlington Raceway President Josh Harris. "From our spring tripleheader featuring all three NASCAR national series to the historic Cook Out Southern 500 serving as the NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale, we're excited to welcome fans for another incredible year of racing at one of the sport's most iconic venues."

The 2027 schedule is quickly coming together with a flurry of announcements from various tracks, and the full schedule is expected to be officially announced very soon.

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Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord has given several reasons behind Kimi Antonelli’s rise into a Formula 1 title contender this season.

Antonelli endured a tough rookie campaign last year as F1’s third-youngest driver in history, having bypassed F3 to spend just one year in F2 before joining one of the most successful teams in the world championship – courtesy of Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes for Ferrari.

The Italian youngster used to be vastly outperformed by team-mate George Russell but has reversed that dynamic as F1 switched to new technical regulations – to the extent that he’s leading the 2026 drivers’ standings at the summer break, having won six out of 11 grands prix, including five in a row.

“I've been asked a few times if I'd been surprised,” Lord commented. “And I guess no and yes is the answer.

Bradley Lord, Deputy Team Principal, Mercedes AMG F1 Team

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

“We signed Kimi and we took the decision to bring Kimi into the team because we believed in his potential. But it's also undeniable to see a driver in just his second season in Formula 1 performing with so much consistency and with a real, calm maturity is incredibly impressive.

“Through that difficult first season, it's almost like he managed to do multiple seasons’ worth of learning in one, and then that's all consolidated over the winter.

“I'm sure there's also to some extent the reset factor of new regulations, that means every driver is on a steep learning curve with new cars and new power units and that seems over the field to have seen a re-balancing between newer drivers in the sport and older drivers as well in the teams where you can see those pairings.

“Kimi's obviously done and continues to do an incredible job, and you see his confidence and his self-confidence building from weekend to weekend, not in a way that he's getting carried away with anything, his feet are very firmly on the ground and kept very firmly on the ground by his family and inside the team as well. You can just see his self-belief growing and that's really, really impressive.”

Expanding on how Antonelli bounced back from that difficult 2025 season, Lord continued: “I think he found the method that worked for him in order to get the most from the team, understand the effort that is needed ahead of the weekend in order to arrive prepared – because track time is such a scarce and valuable commodity, particularly in a calendar where we're seeing ever more sprint races, and therefore it's an FP1 and then you're straight into a timed session, a competitive session and such rather than a free practice session.

Kimi Antonelli, Peter Bonnington

Photo by: Reginald Mathalone / NurPhoto via Getty Images

“It was a really useful reset around Baku time for him to really redouble his efforts with Bono [race engineer Peter Bonnington] and the rest of the team around him, with the regularity of the visits to the sim and the intensity and depth of the work there, for him to see the opportunity that was there for him to grab and to take. And he's taking it with both hands.”

What also contributed to this upturn was Mercedes’ approach to shelter Antonelli from pressure and media frenzy as much as possible, with lessons learned from a 2024 Monza FP1 outing where the very keen youngster crashed the F1 car on his first flying lap – he definitely wasn’t holding back.

“We've been very careful and very judicious with how we've tried to support Kimi's introduction to Formula 1,” Lord added. “It's a huge step for any driver, particularly with the expectation that comes with driving for Mercedes, and so helping him not be overworked and overloaded with marketing commitments or PR stuff at the track and other events but managing that in as smooth a way as possible.

“We often say to the drivers, ‘Look, we can't make you faster with this stuff, but if we get it wrong we can definitely slow you down’.”

However, when it was suggested that a youthful Antonelli might have been ‘more adaptable’ than Russell to get the most of F1’s new machinery, Lord swiftly dismissed that view.

“No, I don't think either of the drivers has been set in their ways or anything other than completely open-minded about how to get the best out of these cars,” he insisted. “The ability to adapt and to be agile and versatile is always a key strength of any top driver, and both Kimi and George have that ability and capability as well.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

“These are cars where – and this is a formula where you can get a little bit lost sometimes in some of the complexities of it – the input and the advice has been just to keep it simple, concentrate on the driving, getting the tyres in the right place, doing the bits that every racing driver always needs to do well and the systems, then do the learning they need to do and support and deliver in an optimal way as well.

“Obviously when things aren't quite working right, that can get pretty complex and pretty complicated, but I think Kimi's been able to strip away a lot of the noise actually and really focus on the essentials, focus on the core parts of what he needs to do, and then that creates the space for the engineers to focus on the set-up and the optimisation of all the other systems as well, so it's been a really good balance of effort between those different things.”

Additional reporting by Oleg Karpov and Roberto Chinchero

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MotoGP’s new 850cc era will kick off with a special season-launch event at Rio de Janeiro on 21 February 2027.

As reported by Motorsport.com last month, the entire MotoGP grid will travel to Brazil at the start of next year to mark the launch of the new season. 

The main event will take place at Botafogo Beach, with the famous Sugarloaf Mountain serving as the backdrop

The launch will precede the opening round of the 2027 campaign, which will take place on 5-7 March at the Buriram International Circuit in Thailand.

Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP Group, said: "The MotoGP Season Launch has become one of the defining moments of the year for our championship, bringing together every team, rider and manufacturer as we begin a new season.

"The enthusiasm shown by Brazilian fans during our sold-out return to Goiania in 2026 confirmed the extraordinary connection between MotoGP and Brazil.

"Following the success of our recent season launch events in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, Rio de Janeiro provides the perfect stage to continue raising the bar, combining iconic locations, passionate fans and world-class entertainment. 

"We look forward to delivering our biggest and most spectacular MotoGP Season Launch yet." 

Carlos Ezpeleta, CSO of MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group group

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Following in the footsteps of Formula 1, with which it now shares an ownership structure, MotoGP hosted a special fan-focused season launch on the streets of Bangkok in 2025.

The inaugural event was a success, convincing Dorna (now MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group) to turn it into an annual fixture.

A second season-launch showcase was held in Kuala Lumpur at the beginning of this year, with riders performing wheelies and stoppies in a closed-off stretch of road in front of thousands of fans.

For 2027, MotoGP is placing even greater emphasis on its season launch event, with the year marking the introduction of new 850cc machines. The bikes will feature reduced aerodynamic influence and no ride-height devices as part of a major overhaul of the technical regulations. 

Miami had initially emerged as the venue of choice, before MotoGP zeroed in on Brazil. The South American nation returned on the calendar in March this year, with Goiania hosting the first Brazilian GP in two decades.

MotoGP will not rule out moving Qatar Grand Prix to another venue

From all the teams that wrote off 2025 or shifted focus to 2026 much earlier, Alpine is actually the squad that saw the biggest benefits from that approach. Powered by Mercedes engines, the squad enjoyed a strong start to the season. But Alpine's first half of the year has been slightly downgraded to a B- as it got caught by its rivals ahead of the summer break, ending the first half of the season in sixth place, five points behind Racing Bulls.

The good

Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto were rewarded for enduring a painful 2025 campaign as Alpine began life as a Mercedes customer with a much more competitive package. After a tough opener in Melbourne, in which the team didn't execute a clean weekend and struggled to get on top of power unit deployment, the Enstone team went on to dominate the midfield.

Alpine's A526 made regular Q3 appearances, especially in the hands of Gasly, as the squad scored points in each of the first seven grand prix weekends. That run culminated with a controversial Monaco podium for Gasly, which was initially denied due to time penalties but later overturned, subject to an appeal.

Gasly has continued his impressive 2025 form, which largely went unnoticed because of how poor last year's car was. Meanwhile Colapinto also gained confidence that has made him a more stable presence in the midfield and eased doubts around his long-term future.

Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

The bad

In a similar fashion to Haas, Alpine started off strong but has since been caught by the rest of the midfield. It lost its status of 'best of the rest' to an impressively consistent Racing Bulls squad, which has continued racking up points to pip Alpine to fifth in the constructors' standings in Hungary. Alpine has also seen Audi make great strides.

From being a regular in Q3, Alpine had to battle to get into Q2 in Hungary, which is the result of being out of sync with the rest of the midfield in terms of upgrades, and therefore lacking downforce. The next big package is expected in Zandvoort right after the summer break, and is projected to give a clearer picture of whether or not Alpine can regain the upper hand over the final stretch of races.

Flavio Briatore and Steve Nielsen, Alpine

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

What they're saying

Flavio Briatore, executive advisor: "Racing Bulls scoring with both cars again has dropped us to sixth in the standings. We simply have to admit that they have done a better job in this phase of the year. We know that developments and upgrades are coming very soon, and we need to make big jumps that we know we're capable of.

"We need to use this feeling as added motivation at Enstone to turn things around. We haven't been good enough recently, but there's still half of the season left and what matters most is where we finish at the final race.”

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Formula E’s Gen3.5 era is set for an epic conclusion in London this weekend, with the fight for the 2025/26 title going down to the wire.

As many as nine drivers remain in mathematical contention heading to the ExCel double-header, the most since the chaotic 2020/21 season when 18 drivers went into the final races in Berlin with a chance of becoming champion.

Prior to last month’s races in Tokyo, one would have expected a more straightforward battle for the title. But with both Porsche and Jaguar faltering in the Japanese capital, the championship fight has been blown wide open, with more drivers now in the mix.

Andretti’s Jake Dennis has gone from being 32 points down to leading the standings, while Pascal Wehrlein slipped from first to third in the same period. In all, four drivers (Dennis, Mitch Evans, Wehrlein and Oliver Rowland) appear to be genuine contenders, while the rest have an outside - or a mere mathematical - shot at the crown.

Adding to the uncertainty is the ExCel’s unique indoor/outdoor layout, which has routinely delivered chaotic - and controversial - title deciders over the years. Porsche and Jaguar would be the most obvious bets given their recent form, but past results only count for so much when stakes are so high and making (strategic) mistakes is easy. Just ask Jaguar. 

In our London preview, we assess the chances of each of the nine title contenders

Drivers championship

Jake Dennis

Jake Dennis, Andretti Formula E

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Jake Dennis was Formula E’s first Gen3 champion in 2023, and if things go his way, he could be its last too. While all other title contenders have the might of a factory directly behind them, Dennis has punched above his weight in a customer Porsche, backed by an Andretti operation that has regularly outperformed its means.

Although Dennis was expected to be an outside contender at best heading into the final races, the outcome of the Tokyo weekend changed the complexion of the championship, with two podiums propelling him to the very top of the standings.

Dennis has put together a strong campaign overall, even if it has been far from perfect. He started the season with a fine victory in Mexico and continued to amass a solid haul of points in the first half of the season.

Monaco was the lowest point of the year. After being taken out by Nick Cassidy in race 1, he caused a collision with Dan Ticktum in Sunday’s race and earned a penalty that left him without any points from the weekend.

However, he quickly bounced back from the double disappointment by winning in Sanya, with three podiums in the following four races to strengthen his title bid. 

Mitch Evans

Mitch Evans, Jaguar TCS Racing

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Formula E’s winningest driver is still searching for a maiden title, and London was the venue for some of his most painful heartbreaks. But Mitch Evans has a chance to set that right as he makes one final appearance for Jaguar before departing for Opel next season.

Evans’ campaign has gone through some major highs and lows, but it’s worth highlighting how exceptional his performances were when he was able to put everything together. First came the wet-weather win in Miami, even if Evans put the result down to the conditions rather than the car at his disposal. Jeddah was where his season really started, but it was in Madrid and Berlin where he really starred, converting back-of-the-grid starts into top-line results. By round 10, he was 21 points clear of the rest of the field.

The second Asian leg was where things started going wrong for him. An incident triggered by Ticktum in Sanya and a technical problem in Shanghai all cost him valuable points. But while the Tokyo weekend was tough for both Jaguar and Porsche, Evans was able to salvage a fourth place in the first race, which means he now trails Dennis by just two points.

With team-mate Antonio Felix da Costa far down the order, it will be imperative for Jaguar to back Evans in their joint pursuit of a maiden drivers’ title.

Pascal Wehrlein

Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche Formula E Team

Photo by: Joe Portlock / Getty Images

Pascal Wehrlein is gunning to join Jean-Eric Vergne in the exclusive group of double Formula E champions. And with new team-mate Nico Muller having no more than a mathematical chance of the title, one would expect the entire Porsche team to put its weight behind the German.

Looking back at Wehrlein’s season, one statistic particularly stands out: he failed to score points in six of the 15 races so far. On one hand, that shows how many poor weekends he has endured over the course of the season - whether due to factors within or outside his control. 

But the fact that he is only five points behind Dennis going into London illustrates how impressive he has been otherwise during the year. Think about those dominant victories in Jeddah and Shanghai and the pole position in Berlin; there were plenty of occasions where Wehrlein made his rivals sit up and take notice.

Wehrlein also lost lots of points when others clattered into him, most notably in Monaco when it was his team-mate Mueller who caused an embarrassing clash for the factory Porsche team. On some occasions, he was himself at fault, like at Sanya (after being caught out by the timing of a red flag), while a dry-weather package cost him in the second Tokyo race.

Oliver Rowland

Oliver Rowland, Nissan Formula E Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Oliver Rowland has singlehandedly carried Nissan on his back this season and strengthened his position as one of the most talented drivers on the grid. With Jaguar and Porsche taking centre stage, the Briton has done all he could to extract the best out of the Nissan package.

For a large part of the season, he lacked consistency; either he finished on the podium or completely outside of the points. This meant that we saw Rowland producing some textbook drivers, such as in Monaco, that were reminiscent of his title-winning 2024/25 campaign. On the other hand, he also evidently dropped the ball at times. For instance, in Sanya, he clattered into the barriers while chasing Wehrlein, who was already carrying a penalty.

But those swings in performance hide the fact that he managed to achieve six podiums, more than any title contenders so far this season. That’s the paradox: Rowland was remarkably inconsistent despite being able to score regular podiums.

The Briton carries some momentum into the London weekend after recovering from poor starting positions to score two solid results on Nissan’s home turf in Tokyo. With that in mind, it would be foolish to bet against Rowland winning back-to-back titles at the end of the Gen3 era.

Edoardo Mortara

Edoardo Mortara, Mahindra Racing

Photo by: Joe Portlock / LAT Images via Getty Images

Edoardo Mortara equalled the record for most pole positions in a season - four - yet he is the only title contender yet to score a victory this season. Of course, there were occasions where other teams were simply faster than him in race trim, but it’s also fair to say that both Mortara and Mahindra didn’t execute everything as they needed to.

With a 40-point deficit, Mortara is at best an outside contender for the title. But with others focused on the championship battle, the Italian-French driver could utilise the opportunity to end a win-less streak that stretches back to 2022.

Antonio Felix da Costa

Antonio Felix Da Costa, Jaguar TCS Racing

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

After a difficult start to life at Jaguar, Antonio Felix da Costa began his championship challenge with back-to-back victories in Jeddah and Madrid. More podiums followed, but those were punctuated by costly non-points finishes. Da Costa was rightly aggrieved after being hit by Mueller in Berlin and again after a collision with Ticktum in Monaco. That meant that he was left with too much ground left to make up in the title fight, even as he proved he could take over from Evans as Jaguar’s next team leader in the Gen4 era.

Nick Cassidy

Nick Cassidy, Citroen Racing

Photo by: Joe Portlock / Getty Images

Nick Cassidy’s move to Citroen has proved to be a success, even if he has fallen short of mounting a sustained title challenge. The Kiwi shone at the start of the season - winning from 13th place in Mexico -  and again performed admirably in Tokyo. But ultimately, he never had the package to run regularly at the front and suffered too many painful non-scores, including a painful 17th place result after taking pole at Jarama.

Nico Muller

Nico Müller, Porsche Formula E Team

Photo by: Porsche

Nico Muller emerged as a reliable and dependable driver after moving up to Porsche this year. Matching Wehrlein was always going to be tough, but he has done enough to help Porsche remain in the hunt for the teams’ title. His Berlin win was easily the highlight of the year, while the clash with Wehrlein in Monaco was the low point. One can expect him to assist his team-mate’s title bid in Berlin, even though he himself has a long shot at winning the championship.

Nyck de Vries

Nyck De Vries, Mahindra Racing

Photo by: Takashi Aoyama / LAT Images via Getty Images

For most of the season, Nyck de Vries has run in the shadow of team-mate Mortara. Yet it was the Dutchman who guided Mahindra back to winning ways in Monaco and secured another victory in Tokyo last month. While he has been erratic at times, the 2020/21 champion continues to excel on strategy and race execution, two things that would benefit him again in Tokyo. A championship is most certainly out of the picture, but he could bag yet another victory to cap off the year in style.

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MotoGP has not ruled out moving the Qatar Grand Prix to another country amid the uncertainty caused by the war in the Middle East, and could potentially follow the same strategy Formula 1 has taken by hosting its Bahrain race in Malaysia. 

The conflict that erupted several months ago in the Persian Gulf between the United States, Israel and Iran has had a direct impact on this year's sporting calendar, prompting several championships to cancel or postpone events. Formula 1 initially postponed the Saudi Arabian and Bahrain grands prix, but announced a few days ago that the latter will take place at Sepang in Malaysia on the weekend of 4 October. F1 organisers continue to monitor developments in the region ahead of deciding what course of action to take regarding the Qatar Grand Prix on 29 November and the Abu Dhabi season finale in early December.

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In MotoGP's case, the Lusail circuit on the outskirts of Doha was originally scheduled to host the fourth round of the season on the weekend of April 11-12, but the organisers opted to reschedule it for 8 November. As things stand, Qatar is the final race before the championship returns to Europe, where the Portuguese Grand Prix is scheduled for 22 November and the Valencia round, which will bring the season to a close, is due to take place one week later.

MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (MotoGP SEG), the championship promoter, officially maintains that it is still working towards holding the race at Lusail, while at the same time admits it is exploring possible alternatives. Aside from the commitment involved in considering hosting a sporting event in a location where there are obvious security concerns, Motorsport.com understands that some companies operating in the championship – namely suppliers – have internal policies prohibiting them from sending employees to areas considered high-risk.

Asked directly about the alternatives being considered, sporting director Carlos Ezpeleta did not rule out MotoGP following a similar path to F1 with Bahrain and staging the Qatar Grand Prix in another country.

2025 Qatar GP

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

"Obviously, the fact that we belong to the same family as F1, Liberty Media, means that this issue is obviously on our minds," Ezpeleta told Motorsport.com. "The situation is different, though. We only have one race in the Middle East and, from a commercial point of view, a 21-stop season rather than 22 is clearly sufficient."

The final decision on what to do with the Lusail race is extremely complex from every perspective. Logistically, finding a circuit at such short notice that both meets MotoGP's required safety standards and is available is far from straightforward. It must also be taken into account that, just two weeks later, all the equipment needs to be ready for the Portuguese Grand Prix.

Watch: MotoGP could move Qatar GP to another venue

"We are at a point in the year when most European circuits are already occupied," Ezpeleta said, while stressing that his priority remains travelling to Qatar in November. "Honestly, I hope we can go, and that's what we're focused on right now."

MotoGP SEG has given itself until the end of this month to make a decision, allowing enough time to act in either direction. Depending on the course of action and how the situation in the Middle East develops, next year's opening sequence could also have to be altered.

For now, it is known that the first round of the 2027 season will take place in Thailand on 7 March, with everything seemingly in place for Qatar to host the second round one week later. The conflict, however, could yet force a change to that scenario.

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McLaren says Ferrari's vast number of Formula1 car upgrades over the first half of the 2026 season is an "inspiration" as it aims to keep rolling out updates of its own.

The dawn of a new era of regulations triggered a huge development war over the first half of the 2026 campaign, with Ferrari and Red Bull in particular impressing rivals with the quantity of upgrades they have been able to fast-track out of the factory.

That development race is expected to continue after the summer break, before tapering off as teams switch focus to 2027. Ferrari and McLaren have already both brought enough improvements to their respective cars to start snatching race wins away from the initially dominant Mercedes team.

McLaren has at least one more bullet in the chamber for August's Dutch Grand Prix, while Mercedes is also expected to deploy further upgrades after bringing less novelties to the track than its rivals thus far.

But, like Mercedes, McLaren has also singled out Ferrari as the squad that has impressed the most with the quantity and quality of its car upgrades so far, to the extent that it has prompted the Woking squad to look at its own processes to try and match Maranello's design and manufacturing pace.

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

"I think we've done a pretty good job of bringing a lot of upgrades that have added performance to the car," said McLaren's engineering technical director Neil Houldey. "But when you look around at our competitors, there are teams [like] Ferrari, who've done a fantastic job this year to just drive that development forward."

When asked by Motorsport.com if he felt Ferrari had front-loaded its development budget under F1's cost cap, and therefore perhaps created opportunities for McLaren to make a bigger splash after the summer, Houldey replied: "Well, I think we've been front-loading what we've got available.

"I'd say from a volume stand it does look like Ferrari have managed to do a lot, and it's something for us to look at and understand how they were able to achieve that. Because you look at that from an aerodynamic development point of view, you look at it from a manufacturing point of view.

"Actually, how they turned around this stuff so quickly, it's an inspiration for us to look at and say: 'Come on, we did well in 2024. We did well in 2025. But actually, how do we do even better in 2026 and moving forward into 2027?

"These things, as with anything in F1, if you're not moving forward and finding ways of doing things faster and more effectively, then you're effectively going backwards yourself. So, I think it was a good lesson for us to see what other people are capable of and how we do that."

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Houldey said McLaren intends to keep developing its 2026 challenger late into the season rather than switch focus to 2027 early, because he feels the lessons the team can learn still apply to the 2027 project, even if McLaren is planning to change key elements of its car design such as its wheelbase and suspension geometry.

"We expect the next few races to be bringing some major parts, and we expect to do that quite late on into the season as well," he revealed. "We're certainly not stopping development on 2026 because we know that whatever we take from 2026 into 2027, that learning will carry over.

"Even if our car might get a little bit longer, even if conceptually the suspension might change, everything that we're learning this year is very much relevant for next year. So, we're very keen to keep developing the car for as long as we possibly can."