Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was fastest in the opening practice session for Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix, outpacing the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton by 0.207s. Having established clear superiority in straightline speed at the preceding race in Bahrain, Ferrari was expected to build on that advantage on the long straights of the Shanghai International Circuit. It

Sebastian Vettel says it is a good thing that Ferrari Formula 1 team-mate Charles Leclerc is capable of being on top form when the four-time world champion is not. Ferrari’s ostensible lead driver Vettel had a tricky previous race in Bahrain, where he was re-passed by poleman Leclerc early on and had a spin battling

Max Verstappen says a mechanical set-up error was to blame for Red Bull’s disappointing performance in Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix. The Dutchman, who said the issue came to light during the two-day test after the race weekend, added the wind had also played a factor. Verstappen qualified fifth, only sixth thousandths ahead of Haas’s

Formula 1 managing director of motorsport Ross Brawn says the championship’s 1000th grand prix is the “brightest symbol” of the “amazing history from which to move forward”. As F1 and its governing body the FIA continue to thrash out the plan for a major rules overhaul in 2021, the championship will celebrate its 1000th race

Haas team boss Gunther Steiner says Liberty Media’s approach to ensuring customer teams can survive is essential for Formula 1’s long-term future. Rival F1 teams have pushed for outfits such as Haas to make more of its own parts, and the American team’s closeness to Ferrari has led to friction with other squads. F1 sporting

Alexander Albon says his Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost has told him to “just don’t care” about the external pressure that comes with racing in Formula 1. Albon stepped up to grand prix racing after finishing third in Formula 2 in 2018, having no previous F1 experience before making his debut with Toro Rosso

Racing Point Formula 1 team boss Otmar Szafnauer is confident that the FIA and the F1 organisation can agree plans for 2021 with the teams before the planned deadline in June. The FIA’s International Sporting Code specifies June as the cut-off for decisions on changes for 2021. The teams were given a briefing on the

Formula 1 teams want more Pirelli tyres for qualifying, if a proposed move to a four-stage qualifying session is imposed for 2020. As revealed by Autosport last weekend, F1 teams pushed forward with the idea of a four-session knockout concept at the recent Strategy Group and F1 Commission meetings. Key to it getting ratification is

George Russell is at least 6kg heavier than last year thanks to Formula 1’s fairer driver weight rules for 2019, and believes “the next step” is a standard cockpit size. The Williams rookie is one of the tallest drivers on the F1 grid and has revealed that after weighing 66kg in his Formula 2 title-winning

Renault has “similar problems” with its 2019 Formula 1 car’s characteristics as last year, says its driver Nico Hulkenberg. The French manufacturer’s works team finished fourth in the constructors’ championship last season and had targeted eating into the gap to the big three of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. However, at the start of the

Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost says rookie Alexander Albon could become a “very successful Formula 1 driver” and has explained how he has impressed the squad. Albon, who had not driven an F1 car until the shakedown of the STR13 in February, has out-qualified team-mate Daniil Kvyat in both races. In the Bahrain Grand

Red Bull sees potential for big ‘free gains’ with Honda in the future, just from improving the packaging of the Japanese power unit in its car. The Red Bull-Honda partnership began with a podium finish in Australia courtesy of Max Verstappen, who followed it up with fourth in Bahrain. Rob Marshall, Red Bull’s chief engineering

Kimi Raikkonen reckons the rule changes brought in for 2019 have made it easier for Formula 1 cars to follow each other closely in race conditions. Raikkonen followed up his eighth place in Australia by qualifying eighth and finishing seventh in Bahrain, right behind McLaren rookie Lando Norris. Despite having a pace advantage over Norris

Romain Grosjean supports Formula 1’s race stewards being more relaxed about driving clashes, but says “we don’t want Formula E” levels of contact. As Autosport revealed over the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, the FIA stewards and race director Michael Masi met the drivers to discuss how best to implement rules of engagement in wheel-to-wheel racing.

McLaren’s Zak Brown says his Formula 1 team is not expecting to regularly battle Red Bull in 2019, despite its promising performance in the Bahrain Grand Prix. McLaren has made good progress with its car this year, with Carlos Sainz taking on Max Verstappen, who went on to finish fourth, at the Sakhir track last

Williams drivers George Russell and Robert Kubica reckon Patrick Head’s return in a consultancy role will be a boost for the struggling Formula 1 team. Team co-founder and former technical director Head is providing support to Williams’ engineering operations as it regroups following the departure of Paddy Lowe. The 72-year-old was last involved with Williams

Red Bull says it approved of Max Verstappen’s decision to swap helmet supplier to Schuberth despite its RB15 2019 Formula 1 car being created around an Arai design. Changes to the safety standards of F1 helmets this year – designed to provide extra protection for the forehead area – left a number of suppliers in

Pierre Gasly feels he needs better direction from his Red Bull Formula 1 team to help fix the struggles he is having with the handling of its RB15 2019 challenger. Gasly has had a difficult start to his Red Bull career after crashing twice in pre-season testing and then during a frustrating opening weekend in

Ferrari has revealed that an unprecedented short circuit within the control systems of its Formula 1 engine was the cause of Charles Leclerc’s problem in the Bahrain Grand Prix. Leclerc had looked on course to take his maiden F1 victory but slowed with just over 10 laps to go as his engine dropped a cylinder.

Red Bull is confident it will have a fix for its aerodynamic issues by Formula 1’s Spanish Grand Prix at the latest, following some encouraging results in testing at Bahrain. A challenging Bahrain Grand Prix meant Red Bull could not challenge Mercedes or Ferrari, with Max Verstappen a distant fourth and team-mate Pierre Gasly in

The Williams Formula 1 team posted “solid” financial results in 2018, despite a poor performance on track leading to the outfit tumbling to last in the constructors’ championship. Figures announced today showed that both the F1 team and its sister company Williams Advanced Engineering generated increased revenue compared to 2017, although earnings before interest, taxes,

Formula 1 rookie Lando Norris has admitted McLaren’s race pace is “better than we anticipated” after an encouraging start to the 2019 season. Norris has qualified in the top 10 for the first two grands prix of his career as McLaren has surprised itself with its strong form at the opening races. The British driver

Plans have been unveiled for the Racing Point Formula 1 team to build a brand-new £25 million factory at its Silverstone site. Planning permission for the new facility will be sought this month and the team hopes to be able to start building later in the year. The plan is to have construction complete in

Mercedes Formula 1 boss believes Charles Leclerc has the potential to become world champion in the future, saying the Ferrari driver has the right “character” to be successful. Leclerc was on course to win last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix until his engine dropped a cylinder in the closing stages of the race, allowing Lewis Hamilton

George Russell improved late in the day to set the fastest time of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain, driving for Mercedes instead of his 2019 race team Williams. Russell drove for Williams on Tuesday at the post-Bahrain Grand Prix test before taking over from Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, which retains close ties to its former

Sergio Perez says he hopes that Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix was the lowest moment for Racing Point this season after it struggled throughout the weekend. Racing Point spent every timed session at Bahrain mired in the second half of the field, qualifying 14th and 18th ahead of Sunday’s race. After the sudden retirements of

The second and final day of Formula 1’s Bahrain test has begun with Sebastian Vettel setting the early pace and Dan Ticktum making his debut in a contemporary Red Bull. Unexpected heavy rain halted track running for a large part of the opening day of the post-Bahrain Grand Prix test on Tuesday. That meant teams

Mick Schumacher described his first test in a contemporary Formula 1 car as “astonishing”, and said the 2019 Ferrari “felt like home” right away. The reigning European Formula 3 champion took part in his first F1 test with Ferrari after the Bahrain Grand Prix – although he had previously driven his seven-time world champion father

Fernando Alonso says McLaren’s 2019 Formula 1 car is “a step forward in every aspect” compared to 2019 and believes the team can lead the midfield this season. McLaren has exceeded the expectations of its full-time drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz Jr in the opening two grands prix of the season, with Norris qualifying

Daniel Ricciardo hopes the post Bahrain Grand Prix Formula 1 test will allow him to iron out the struggles he is having getting the most out of his new Renault. The former Red Bull driver is taking part in Tuesday’s opening day of action at Sakhir, as Renault bids to move on from its double