Adam Cooper

McLaren, Williams Struggle With Mercedes F1 Team’s Inside Knowledge of New Power Unit The power unit customers have found themselves on the back foot after the first race of the 2026 season.

Being a customer team was not a drawback under the old F1 power unit regs - but it is now, as McLaren and Williams have made clear: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a707114...

On Sunday I took this pic of Oscar Piastri being dropped off by the FIA medical car after his shunt. Race day 5G mayhem meant it didn't upload at time. Better late than never!:

Cadillac F1 Proved It Deserves Its Place on the Grid. Now, It Has to Find Performance One car made it to the finish in the team’s first race, but Cadillac still has the need for speed.

Having not run two cars on track until Friday Cadillac ticked a box by getting one to the flag in Melbourne - now the team has to find speed. Graeme Lowdon and Pat Symonds give the inside story of the weekend: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a706943...

F1 Chinese Grand Prix 2026 Preview from Trackside | F1 Chinese Grand Prix 2026 Preview | Grand Prix Destination The Australian GP was our first look at the 2026 Formula 1 regulations in action over a full race weekend. F1 Chinese Grand Prix preview from trackside reporter...

Key talking points from the start of the F1 season in Australia included mixed reactions to the new rules, and the pace of Mercedes - plus a look ahead to China this weekend: grandprixdestination.com/f1-chinese-g...

On Sunday I took this pic of Oscar Piastri being dropped off by the FIA medical car after his shunt. Race day 5G mayhem meant it didn't upload at time. Better late than never!:

How Audi achieved an F1 debut considered a "drunk" prediction by one driver Audi was one of two new teams debuting on the grid at the Australian Grand Prix, alongside Cadillac. While the latter struggled, Audi impressed with top 10 pace in qualifying and points on its debut.

A result nobody expected for Audi with Q3 and P9 for Gabi Bortoleto, despite a few issues. Here's the story of his weekend - plus what went wrong for Nico Hulkenberg before the start:

www.crash.net/f1/feature/1...

Max Verstappen rages at F1 rules after qualifying disaster Max Verstappen is furious with F1's new rules following a disastrous qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix

In Friday's F1 drivers' briefing Max Verstappen gave a colourful take on the 2026 regulations, and after his disastrous qualifying session he didn't hold back when I asked him for his views...: www.crash.net/f1/news/1090...

Mercedes' Australian GP speed so good Charles Leclerc thought it was a mistake Charles Leclerc admits Mercedes' speed at the Australian Grand Prix so far has been impressive

Charles Leclerc says Ferrari gave him some George Russell data to look at - and it was so impressive he thought there was a problem with it...:

www.crash.net/f1/news/1090...

Lewis Hamilton "loved" 2026 F1 cars in "really fun" Australian GP Lewis Hamilton has spoken out in support of the 2026 cars following the Australian Grand Prix

He's expressed a few doubts about the 2026 F1 rules but after a strong showing in the Australian GP Lewis Hamilton says he thought the racing was "awesome", having enjoyed a close view of the Russell/Leclerc fight:
www.crash.net/f1/news/1091...

Fernando Alonso offers bleak preview of Chinese GP for Aston Martin Fernando Alonso has rallied his Aston Martin team to keep pushing, but no end in sight to its woes right now

Fernando Alonso admits there will be no improvements in form in the short term at the Aston Martin F1 team - but he still has faith:

www.crash.net/f1/news/1091...

How Audi achieved an F1 debut considered a "drunk" prediction by one driver Audi was one of two new teams debuting on the grid at the Australian Grand Prix, alongside Cadillac. While the latter struggled, Audi impressed with top 10 pace in qualifying and points on its debut.

A result nobody expected for Audi with Q3 and P9 for Gabi Bortoleto, despite a few issues. Here's the story of his weekend - plus what went wrong for Nico Hulkenberg before the start:

www.crash.net/f1/feature/1...

Fernando Alonso offers bleak preview of Chinese GP for Aston Martin Fernando Alonso has rallied his Aston Martin team to keep pushing, but no end in sight to its woes right now

Fernando Alonso admits there will be no improvements in form in the short term at the Aston Martin F1 team - but he still has faith:

www.crash.net/f1/news/1091...

Toto Wolff warns Mercedes has "a fight on our hands with Ferrari" Mercedes dominated the 2026 Australian GP weekend, but Toto Wolff feels Ferrari is a huge threat

Mercedes may have had a one-two in Australia but Toto Wolff insists that Ferrari is also in the fight: www.crash.net/f1/news/1091...

F1 Drivers Split on 'Chaos' Under New Rules in Melbourne Season Opener Drivers had a first chance to learn how to race with the 2026 cars in Australia

Mixed reactions from F1 drivers (and all of us watching!) to the Melbourne race, but intriguing that Max Verstappen and Lando Norris both used the word 'chaos' - and NOR's safety fears cannot be ignored: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a706671...

F1 Drivers Split on 'Chaos' Under New Rules in Melbourne Season Opener Drivers had a first chance to learn how to race with the 2026 cars in Australia

Mixed reactions from F1 drivers (and all of us watching!) to the Melbourne race, but intriguing that Max Verstappen and Lando Norris both used the word 'chaos' - and NOR's safety fears cannot be ignored: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a706671...

Toto Wolff warns Mercedes has "a fight on our hands with Ferrari" Mercedes dominated the 2026 Australian GP weekend, but Toto Wolff feels Ferrari is a huge threat

Mercedes may have had a one-two in Australia but Toto Wolff insists that Ferrari is also in the fight: www.crash.net/f1/news/1091...

Lewis Hamilton "loved" 2026 F1 cars in "really fun" Australian GP Lewis Hamilton has spoken out in support of the 2026 cars following the Australian Grand Prix

He's expressed a few doubts about the 2026 F1 rules but after a strong showing in the Australian GP Lewis Hamilton says he thought the racing was "awesome", having enjoyed a close view of the Russell/Leclerc fight:
www.crash.net/f1/news/1091...

Audi Surprises in Melbourne With a Top 10 Start on F1 Debut Audi’s Formula 1 campaign has got off to a better start than anyone could have anticipated as Gabriel Bortoleto made the top 10 in qualifying in Melbourne – only for a glitch to stop the Brazilian sho...

Great job by Audi to take P10 and P11 in Melbourne qualifying. And it wasn't a perfect session for either driver:

www.roadandtrack.com/news/a706503...

Mercedes' Australian GP speed so good Charles Leclerc thought it was a mistake Charles Leclerc admits Mercedes' speed at the Australian Grand Prix so far has been impressive

Charles Leclerc says Ferrari gave him some George Russell data to look at - and it was so impressive he thought there was a problem with it...:

www.crash.net/f1/news/1090...

Max Verstappen rages at F1 rules after qualifying disaster Max Verstappen is furious with F1's new rules following a disastrous qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix

In Friday's F1 drivers' briefing Max Verstappen gave a colourful take on the 2026 regulations, and after his disastrous qualifying session he didn't hold back when I asked him for his views...: www.crash.net/f1/news/1090...

Lewis Hamilton 'disappointed if FIA has allowed' Mercedes F1 power advantage Lewis Hamilton hopes Mercedes' power advantage in Australia is not a result of compression ratios

Lewis Hamilton starts P7 in Australia and he's happy with his Ferrari - but that huge gap to Mercedes has got him thinking about the compression ratio saga that dominated the winter: www.crash.net/f1/news/1090...

F1 teams force FIA to make U-turn on safety change for Australian GP The FIA has made last-minute changes to straight line mode for the Australian Grand Prix, but has since been forced to reverse its decision.

Here's the latest on the messy situation in Melbourne after teams opposed a last minute FIA change...:

www.crash.net/f1/news/1090...

Cadillac urged to "clean-up" as testing issues persist in Australia F1 practice Cadillac suffered a brace of technical issues on Friday of the Australian GP with Sergio Perez's car

A big day for Cadillac in Melbourne - but Sergio Perez expressed some frustration after repeat problems restricted his mileage: www.crash.net/f1/news/1090...

Fernando Alonso "has 100% faith" Honda can win F1 title, but time running out for him Fernando Alonso thinks Honda will win an F1 title with Aston Martin, despite its current troubles

After he put up with three years of "GP2" engines at McLaren Fernando Alonso was expecting big things with Honda this year. Despite a disastrous start to 2026 he still has faith in the company...: www.crash.net/f1/news/1090...

Max Verstappen issues F1 engine warning amid new rules concerns Max Verstappen doesn't believe much can be done now to address concerns over F1's new power units

He's again made it clear that he's no fan of the 2026 F1 regulations - and Max Verstappen also insists that he doesn't know where RBR sits in the pecking order, despite rivals talking up his chances:

Max Verstappen car damage 'enough to keep Red Bull busy' after F1 practice off Max Verstappen damaged his Red Bull in an off during FP2 at the Australian Grand Prix

The Ford PU continues to impress but it was not a perfect day for Red Bull Racing in Melbourne with car damage after an off for Max Verstappen. Paul Monaghan explains: www.crash.net/f1/news/1090...

Adrian Newey makes dire new revelation about Aston Martin F1 car batteries Aston Martin's Australian Grand Prix has just gotten worse as its battery problems persist on Friday

Aston Martin F1 boss boss Adrian Newey was again creating his own headlines today - this time by revealing that Honda Racing only has two batteries left, one for ALO, one for STR. And there are none in stock in Japan...: www.crash.net/f1/news/1090...

Revealed: F1's Middle East races won't be replaced if they are cancelled The Bahrain and Saudi F1 races won't be replaced if they are cancelled due to the Iran war. Adam Cooper explains why.

For obvious reasons the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs are heading towards cancellation - but don't expect them to be replaced with anything else: www.crash.net/f1/feature/1...

Lewis Hamilton Confirms He's Working On the Sequel to 'F1: The Movie' Discussions have started, but Hamilton says he doesn't want to rush things.

Lewis Hamilton has given some great insight into plans for the F1 movie sequel, stressing there's no hurry as he wants the script to be right. Plus why he's so upbeat and has moved on from 2025: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a706240...

One team boss calms F1 fans' fears on rule tweaks if new cars create bad show As F1 enters a new era, Zak Brown believes regulatory changes could be quickly made to improve the spectacle if needed.

Today I asked Zak Brown if he had concerns about the show we will see on Sunday, and what fans will think of it. He's confident that rule tweaks can address any key issues:

www.crash.net/f1/news/1090...