標籤: Formula

Formula 1 descends on Montreal for the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix this weekend with a championship picture that seemed impossible to imagine three months ago. The 19-year-old Italian player is on top with 20 points. The four-time defending champion is in seventh place. McLaren is retreating. And somewhere in the middle of all this, a frustrated Scuderia Ferrari is trying to figure out how a major upgrade package produced a 10-point weekend.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has a way of breaking everything. It rewards braking confidence, punishes over-aggressiveness and serves safety cars on cue. This is the kind of place where the championship story can turn in 70 laps.

Can Kimi Antonelli win the Canadian Grand Prix? Here are five stories that will shape the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix.

1. Kimi Antonelli moves into Wall of Champions conversation

With three Grand Prix wins, three poles and 100 points, Kimi Antonelli arrives in Montreal as the first driver in F1 history to win his first three races from pole position, and based on the evidence so far, the Mercedes is the fastest car in the field.

But the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a long memory for young drivers who think they have the game figured out. The Wall of Champions did not get its name by chance. Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve all left paint on it in 1999. Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button and Pastor Maldonado have all kissed it since then.

Antonelli has been close to being blameless. Their starts have been terrible, their comebacks have been brutal. Montreal will test whether the rookie can manage a low-downforce circuit with a 20-point lead in his pocket and teammates breathing down his neck.

This is where the championship story either rests or breaks.

2. George Russell’s time is running out

Antonelli’s teammate, George Russell, is 20 points behind in the Drivers’ Championship standings and has really shown no inclination to fight for the lead despite having the same car. He will be looking for a spark at the track where he won in 2025 after holding off a fired-up Verstappen.

Russell has finished on the podium in two of the last three rounds, while his rookie teammate is on his way to victory. Britain has not complained publicly, but the math is starting to look ugly. If Antonelli wins again in Montreal, Russell will blow away the Canadian in just five rounds and be meaningfully out of a championship fight he should have won.

Montreal favors him. He won the pole and race there in 2025. They like the layout, if the weight comes in they are good at it and it is late.

If Russell doesn’t perform this weekend, Toto Wolff will have a tougher conversation than anyone expected.

RELATED: F1’s Mr Saturday, Meet Sunday: Is 2026 finally George Russell’s year?

3. Max Verstappen finally has something to work with

The 2026 season has been a public, ugly humiliation for four-time champion Max Verstappen. He is seventh in the championship with 26 points. Verstappen has openly questioned whether he wants to continue racing under the new rules, calling the cars a “joke”. Red Bull principal Laurent Mackies admitted that the team had “significant shortcomings” after the Chinese Grand Prix.

Then the Miami Grand Prix happened.

Verstappen kept Red Bull on the front row with Antonelli and fought hard for the podium, before a first lap spin compromised his race. He nevertheless recovered and raced towards P5. Makeys has since been careful with his words, but the message from Milton Keynes is clear: the corner has been turned.

Montreal is proof point for Red Bull and Verstappen. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a more traditional layout than Miami’s street circuit and will tell us whether Red Bull’s Miami Speed ​​was a one-off or the start of something real. If Verstappen is on the podium on Sunday, the rest of the grid has a problem. If he returns to midfield, discussion of his release clause and his October decision window becomes very intense.

4. McLaren is back in the conversation

Reigning world champion Lando Norris finished second in Miami and his teammate Oscar Piastri third, indicating a real resurgence for McLaren in 2026. The Papaya Cars looked like a team that had finally sorted out the package issues that had ruined their first three rounds.

Norris now sits fourth in the championship with 51 points and still looks to be alive in this title fight and Miami suggests he is starting to climb back into it.

The Canadian Grand Prix has historically been favorable to McLaren. Both cars needed to be on the podium to confirm that Miami is not a one-track outlier. Andrea Stella’s team has talent and resources. What they didn’t have in 2026 was a clean weekend with both cars in the top three.

Get it in Montreal and the championship picture will change.

5. Ferrari needed an answer and it still needs it

Ferrari entered the 2026 Miami Grand Prix with 11 upgrades on the SF-26, including floor changes, suspension geometry and changes to the rear wing. After a five-week break Fred Vasseur’s Scuderia had the most aggressive development effort of any team on the grid.

They walked away with 10 marks and more questions than answers.

Charles Leclerc led the opening lap, slid to the rear during the race, then reached the podium on the final lap with a spin at Turn 3. A subsequent 20-second penalty dropped him to eighth behind the Alpines of teammate Lewis Hamilton and Franco Colapinto. “It’s all on me,” Leclerc told Sky Sports F1. he was right. He was also calling for an internal investigation into the drop in car speed on the medium compound by the end of the weekend.

Hamilton remained a few tenths behind his teammate throughout the weekend and finished outside the top five in every session. Nico Rosberg called the Scuderia’s weekend on Sky “clumsy”. He was polite.

This is the big problem. Mercedes withheld its major upgrade package for Canada. McLaren brought him to Miami and dominated the sprint. Ferrari spent its development plans in Florida and got nothing back. If the SF-26 cannot find race pace in Montreal with a fresh package already on the car, the Scuderia is no longer fighting for the championship. It is struggling to hold on to third place in the constructors’ list.

Leclerc has won in Montreal before. Hamilton has won there seven times. The history is there. The car, right now, is not there.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen

Five years ago, an American Formula 1 fan had two choices on Sunday morning: find ESPN on your cable package or miss the race. The broadcast was good. Commercial-free, Sky Sports commentary, respectable production. It moved the needle from niche to mainstream, especially after drive to survive In 2019, Paddock was adapted into a Netflix drama.

That era ended on March 7, 2026, when the Australian Grand Prix became the first F1 race to be broadcast exclusively on Apple TV in the United States.

The game didn’t just change the platform. It really changed what it meant to watch Formula 1 in America.

Watch Formula 1 action live at the Miami Grand Prix: Now available on Apple TV

From Netflix to Apple TV: how the door opened

drive to survive did something that no broadcast deal could do on its own. It introduced F1 to an audience that had no idea it was missing. By the time Netflix released season one in 2019, the game’s US fan base was approximately 25 million. By 2025, it was up to 52 million – up 11% a year – and growing faster than any other major sport on the planet.

ESPN rode that wave well. Formula 1 averaged 1.32 million viewers per race across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC during the 2025 season, its last year on the network, with 16 individual races setting event viewership records. The Abu Dhabi closing ceremony alone attracted 1.5 million people. This is up 53% from last year’s closing. Growth was real and accelerating.

Apple then paid $750 million over five years to acquire it exclusively. No cable bundle. No channel flipping. One app, one subscription, $12.99 per month.

The skeptics had a point – taking games to a paywall has historically reduced viewership. Ask NASCAR, which saw a 14% decline in revenue in 2025 when it moved some races to Amazon Prime. But Apple was betting on something different: The F1 fan created by ESPN was a streaming-native, device-forward consumer who would follow the sport anywhere. Apple’s senior vice president of services, Eddie Cue, confirmed after the Australian Grand Prix that viewership had increased year-on-year compared to 2025, exceeding the expectations of both F1 and Apple.

So far the bet is succeeding.

Apple TV’s approach to Formula 1 coverage

The production difference between what ESPN delivered and what Apple launched is not subtle.

ESPN shows Sky Sports’ feed with British commentary and a ticker at the bottom. This was fine for fans who already knew the game. It wasn’t designed to draw in newcomers.

Apple redesigned the entire viewing experience. Each Grand Prix is ​​now streamed in 4K with Dolby Vision and 5.1 surround sound – the first time F1 has been broadcast in that format in the United States. That alone is important. An F1 car at full speed in 4K Dolby Vision is a fundamentally different visual experience than American fans have had before.

But the big change is what lies beneath the main broadcast. Apple TV offers up to 30 live feeds simultaneously across all sessions – Driver Tracker for a bird’s-eye view of the race, real-time telemetry, a mixed onboard feed that automatically switches between driver cameras as the action unfolds, and a podium feed that dynamically follows the top three. Fans can watch up to four feeds simultaneously via Multiview, with pre-configured team layouts or a fully customized setup. Apple Vision Pro users get five simultaneous feeds.

The casual fan taps a button and gets a curated experience. Hardcore fans create their own broadcasts. No other sport in America offers this.

And it goes beyond the screen. The Apple Sports app offers real-time leaderboards and live updates. Apple Maps features custom circuit guides with 3D grandstand and turn-by-turn navigation for fans attending in person. Apple Music plays a free live audio broadcast during the race. They have also partnered with free streaming service Tubi to offer exclusive live F1 altcasts for several races, available at no cost on every device. Yahoo Sports gets practice and qualifying streams. The Canadian Grand Prix will be simulcast on Netflix.

This is not a broadcast deal. It’s an ecosystem game.

Apple was built for an audience

Here’s the thing about American F1 fans drive to survive Built: He didn’t love the lap time. American fans fell in love with Lewis Hamilton’s championship hunt in 2021. He fell in love with being a constant competitor to Max Verstappen. The audience fell in love with the paddock politics, team orders, driver fights and the overall dramatic production.

In other words, they’re exactly the same audience Apple has spent a decade developing — streaming-native, content-forward, device-loyal, and accustomed to paying for premium experiences they actually use.

Apple launches an expanded Apple Maps experience with immersive 3D landmarks for the F1 Miami Grand Prix!

It will take place on May 3 in Miami pic.twitter.com/77ZKZALzzC

– Apple Cycle (@theapplecycle) 24 April 2026

The United States is now Formula 1’s largest market for YouTube viewers, with 171 million video views in 2025, and social media followers are up 17% year on year. The 18-49 demographic – which every advertiser and platform covets – watched F1 on ESPN last season, averaging 511,000 viewers per race, a jump of 24% from 2024. These fans weren’t watching because F1 was on cable. Despite this they were watching.

Apple gives them a reason to lean in more. The Multiview feature is designed for a single fan who follows a specific driver. It’s got what the viewer wants: George Russell’s onboard in the corner, the main feed in the center and drivers championship leader Kimi Antonelli’s telemetry in the third window. He is not a traditional sports spectator. He’s a fan who got into it through a streaming show and now wants to delve as deep into the game as it will allow.

2026 Miami Grand Prix: where it all comes together

Coverage and spectacle are now co-designed. This is the part that gets overlooked in broadcast conversations.

Miami’s visual identity – the fake marina, the palm trees inside the stadium complex, the paddock that looks like a luxury brand activation – was always created for the cameras. But now it is specially designed for the cameras brought by Apple. The cinematic 4K production deployed by Apple in Australia, China and Japan was not accidental. It was purpose-built for a circuit that was purpose-built for television.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said at Apple’s press day in February that Apple’s reach through its streaming and connectivity platforms would ultimately be bigger for Formula 1 than that of ESPN. It’s a significant statement from the man who helped ESPN transform its sport from a niche European import to a 52-million-fan American phenomenon.

The Miami Grand Prix week is a clear expression of what F1 has become in America, and now it has a broadcast partner whose entire business model is built around exactly the type of fans it came for. Celebrities, 4K cameras, 30 simultaneous feeds, multiview layout, Tubi Altcast for fans who don’t want to pay, Netflix partnership for fans who already want to pay.

drive to survive Opened the door. Apple passed by and renovated the house.

American fans no longer watch F1 on cable. They open an app, select their camera feed, and watch a 19-year-old break records in 4K Dolby Vision on a circuit built specifically to look good.

This is the new normal. Miami is the clearest proof of this.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen

Formula 1 blinked.

Three races into the most ambitious regulatory overhaul in a decade, the sport called an emergency meeting, voted unanimously on four changes, and told the paddock: Miami is the test bed. Whatever problems the 2026 rules created in Australia, China and Japan will be fixed at Hard Rock Stadium this weekend.

No one has yet been able to answer the question whether they really work.

Watch all the Formula 1 action live at the Miami Grand Prix: Now available on Apple TV+

Why do F1’s 2026 regulations need emergency reforms?

Start with the basics. The 2026 power unit regulations make these cars split approximately 50-50 between combustion and electric power. The MGU-H – the component that used exhaust energy and automatically topped up the battery – is gone. It has been replaced by a more powerful electric motor and a much more complex energy juggernaut.

Since teams cannot conserve energy as before, drivers must now create their own recharging opportunities between laps. On straight lines, in the braking zone, wherever they can steal a moment. To anyone watching at home, the cars look as if they are randomly losing speed for no apparent reason. This is superclipping – when the energy management system draws power even when the throttle is pinned. It’s as strange as it sounds, and it’s one of the defining images of the 2026 season so far.

Charles Leclerc called it “Mario Kart”. Max Verstappen went further, describing it as “Formula E on steroids”. Lewis Hamilton has been at the forefront – he says his racing experience is the best he has had in the last 20 years. Hamilton isn’t wrong about Sunday. That’s not entirely true about qualifying, where superclipping is most visible and most frustrating.

4 rule changes taking effect at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix

Following three rounds of data from Australia, China and Japan, the FIA ​​met with team principals, power unit CEOs and Formula One management on 20 April. The vote was unanimous. Here are four changes taking effect in Miami.

Superclipping limit reduced. Maximum permitted recharge reduced from 8 MJ to 7 MJ. Peak Superclip power increases from 250 kW to 350 kW. The goal is simple – less time recharging, more time spent. The duration of the superclip should be reduced by approximately two to four seconds per lap. That’s a meaningful reduction from what fans saw in the first three rounds.

Power deployment is limited in the corners. The MGU-K still delivers 350kW through the acceleration zones – from corner to exhaust to braking point – but drops to 250kW elsewhere. The limit of 150 kW above the current power level at the time of activation directly addresses the sudden, disturbing performance fluctuations that were creating dangerous closing speeds at the track. Overtaking should be exciting. There need not be any security problem in this.

New race start detection system. 2026 has been off to a chaotic start. The new detection system more accurately detects the car’s movement out of line and tightens the window for deployment when the lights are off. The Bearman accident in Japan occurred on lap 22, but the start-line lottery created a near-miss. This is the solution. This won’t be completely visible to fans watching at home, but teams will feel it immediately.

Updated wet weather protocols. New parameters for when and how power deployment changes in wet conditions. Less dramatic than the other three changes, but important for safety. Afternoon storms can occur in Miami in May. This may matter more than people realize before the weekend is over.

Connected: 5 stories to watch at the 2026 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix

Why Miami is the first test for F1’s 2026 regulation reforms

The five-week break between Japan and Miami was supposed to be a break. It turned into a work session. The FIA ​​used every week of its time to achieve this package – three separate meetings on 9, 15 and 16 April, followed by a vote on 20 April.

Miami is a sprint weekend, making it the most demanding potential test for the new rule changes. Teams don’t get the usual practice runway to figure things out. They will have to adapt their energy strategies, deployment maps and qualifying setups for both Saturday’s sprint and Sunday’s feature race simultaneously on a circuit they have not previously raced under these new rules.

If a team gets the new parameters wrong on Friday, they won’t have enough time to fix it before they pay the price on Sunday.

Will 2026 F1 rule changes actually improve racing in Miami?

That’s the only question that matters this weekend and the honest answer is: maybe some, not a whole lot.

Superclipping reduction will be the most visible change. Two to four seconds per lap instead of six to eight is a real improvement for anyone who sees a car going inexplicably slow. The corner deployment cap should clear up the closing-speed hazard that had both engineers and drivers nervous. Those two changes alone will bring the on-track product closer to what F1 fans have come to expect.

The start detection system and wet weather protocols are more invisible. You will only notice them if they work and definitely pay attention to them if they don’t work.

What these changes don’t fix: The basic architecture of the 2026 power unit. Cars still have a more complex energy balance than anything that came before them. Teams are still in a steep learning curve. The gap between Mercedes and the rest is still real. Miami will tell us whether regulation reforms produced better racing or made the energy management problem somewhere less obvious.

Watch the first lap carefully. If the initialization process changes, and the superclipping reduction persists, you will notice it almost immediately.

If you don’t – F1 has more work to do.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen

Formula 1 is back. After a five-week break after Japan – the longest mid-season break in recent memory – the circuit returns to Hard Rock Stadium this weekend for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix. It’s also sprint weekend. The rules have changed. The situation is wild. And the title picture of the most dramatic early season in years is about to get its first real test on American soil.

Here’s what to see Sunday at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.

Follow all the Miami Grand Prix action: Watch the race live on Apple TV+

1. Does Antonelli stay in the brightest light of the calendar?

Kimi Antonelli has won two races, led the championship, and broken Lewis Hamilton’s record as the youngest driver to top the standings. He’s done it all in Australia, China and Japan – circuits with serious racing pedigrees and relatively controlled environments.

Miami is different.

This is not a technical driver circuit with a respectable crowd. It draws 100,000 people, celebrity sightings, boat activations and a paddock that runs at full volume from Thursday morning. It is the loudest, most produced, most deliberate American event on the F1 calendar. Antonelli never finished a race weekend as the points leader. She’s never had to manage what this attention looks like in a city specifically designed to amplify it.

Antonelli, 19, has created a remarkable career so far. Miami will tell us something new about who she is.

2.McLaren comes out with a new car

Reigning constructor champion McLaren has had a nightmare start. Oscar Piastri could not start the first two races. Reigning driver champion Lando Norris is not on the podium. The MCL40 has been the third fastest car on the grid this weekend, 89 points behind Mercedes.

The Papaya team has spent five weeks fixing the car. Will it make a difference?

McLaren is expected to debut a significant upgrade package in Miami – described by multiple reports as close to an all-new car – featuring modifications to the floor, aerodynamics and rear suspension, designed to close the gap to the Mercedes and widen the car’s working window. Piastri almost achieved victory in Japan. With a full race weekend of upgrades and data, McLaren could be really dangerous here. Whether the package delivers or whether it’s another step in the right direction that still falls short of them, it sets the tone for the entire second leg of the season.

3. New rules hit Miami: Will racing really look different?

The FIA’s mid-season regulation package comes into effect at the end of this week. Following data from three races, F1 called an emergency meeting in which four unanimous changes were made: lowered super clipping limits to cut lift-and-coast times, limiting power deployment into corners to address dangerous closing speeds, a new race start detection system to improve safety, and updated wet weather protocols.

The goal is more flat-out driving and fewer moments where drivers are managing energy rather than racing. In theory, this should generate more wheel-to-wheel action. In practice, Miami will be the first real test of whether any of this works. The sprint format adds a complication – teams will have to adapt their strategies to the new parameters in both the Saturday sprint and Sunday’s main event.

Look carefully at the first few corners. If the startup process changes, you will know immediately.

4. George Russell needs to make a statement

George Russell wins the 2026 Australian Grand Prix. He is second in the championship, nine points behind, in the same car as the leader. On paper, it’s fine. In reality, Martin Brundle said it out loud in the quiet section: Russell needs to treat his 19-year-old team-mate like peak Lewis Hamilton or risk seeing the season slip away from him.

The five-week break was publicly framed as a reset. Personally, the pressure on Russell to go to Miami is real. Russell has so much F1 experience that no one on the grid would have expected Antonelli to compete with him any time soon. he has a car. He has a track record. Miami is an opportunity for him to re-establish himself as the championship favorite he was considered before the season started. A win here completely changes the story.

The result of finishing second behind Antonelli is the opposite.

5. Can anyone from outside Mercedes win this race?

Mercedes has won all Grands Prix in 2026. Russell and Antonelli have secured front row positions in qualifying in all three rounds. Ferrari has been competitive – Charles Leclerc is third in the championship, but has yet to score a win. The McLaren, as mentioned, comes with upgrades but with unproven pace.

Miami’s circuit characteristics may matter here. The 19-turn layout and Florida’s hot weekend tendency for tire degradation has historically rewarded teams that can manage tires late in the race. The new power unit rules have altered performance in ways that are not yet fully understood, and mid-season rule changes introduce variables for which no one has real-world data.

If any circuit on the calendar is going to produce F1’s first non-Mercedes winner in 2026, it’s it. Leclerc has the pace to challenge. The timing of McLaren’s upgrade is deliberate. And Verstappen – winless and frustrated – knows Miami. He has won here before also.

This trend will end at the end of this week, otherwise it will be very difficult to stop.

Watch all the action from the 2026 Miami Grand Prix: Watch Race Week on Apple TV+

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1…More about Scott Gulbransen

It took Kimi Antonelli 19 years, six months and 25 days to become the youngest driver in Formula 1 history to lead the world championship. He did so three weeks earlier at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. He arrived in Miami this weekend and is still on top.

Let that sink in for a second.

In three races in 2026, the child from Bologna has two wins, two pole positions and 72 points. He is nine points ahead of his teammate George Russell. The record he broke belonged to Lewis Hamilton – the man whose seat he took in the Mercedes. Hamilton led the championship for the first time at the age of 22. Antonelli did this at the age of 19. It’s not close.

WATCH: Miami Grand Prix, exclusively this Sunday on Apple TV+! Check it out!

Getting to Know Kimi Antonelli

Andrea Kimi Antonelli grew up in Bologna, located in the heart of Italy’s Motor Valley – Ferrari, Lamborghini and Ducati are all built within an hour of his hometown. His father, Marco Antonelli, raced professionally and first got him into kart racing at the age of three. Mercedes found him at the age of just 12 and included him in their junior program.

Because he was such a good driver at a young age, Antonelli left Formula 3 altogether. He moved straight from the regional series to F2, where he became the youngest multiple race winner in the series’ history. When Hamilton announced he was leaving for Ferrari, Mercedes handed the seat to a teenager who had not yet taken his road test.

He passed it six weeks before his F1 debut.

Another thing to know: His name is not an homage to Kimi Raikkonen. A family friend suggested it because it matches phonetically well with Andrea Antonelli. He simply shares the name with a world champion. The similarities keep finding him, whether he wants them to or not.

Kimmy Antonelli’s hot start in 2026

The season got off to a good start for Antonelli at the Australian Grand Prix as he had to retire early due to battery problems. He recovered, scored points and moved on. no play.

In Shanghai, Antonelli made a great debut and became the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history. He then won and became the first Italian Grand Prix winner in 20 years since Giancarlo Fisichella won the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2006. Fisichella won that race five months before Antonelli was born.

“When you think that Kimi wasn’t even born when I won 20 years ago, it’s fantastic. I’m happy for him and proud of him,” Fisichella told F1.com. “To be honest, it’s been a long 20 years to see an Italian driver on the top step of the podium again. He’ll get the chance to do it again, not just once, but many times.”

Fast forward to the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix: Antonelli makes bad start. A wheelspin off the line dropped him from pole to sixth. A safety car on lap 22 saved no one – except Antonelli, who had not yet pitted and made the free stop into the lead. He fell nearly 14 seconds short of his second consecutive victory. After China, he held the distinction of being the youngest championship leader in F1 history.

Nothing seems normal about this right now. But, that’s fine for the game’s new superstar.

Why has Antonelli excelled despite F1 regulation glitch?

The 2026 regulations are the biggest technical change F1 has seen in years. This included new power units, active aerodynamics, tires and fuel – it all changed at once. No one came into this season with any relevant experience. Each driver on the grid had to locate a completely new car from the start. It’s a mess, including early season amendments to these regulations.

Kishore was the first to discover this.

📰: Kimi Antonelli issued a bold warning to his 2026 F1 title rivals ahead of Miami, saying his back-to-back wins in China and Japan prove he is on top. “Experience is my biggest weakness compared to drivers like George [Russell]…but my victory showed that I can beat… pic.twitter.com/7mo5Mt5Bda

– F1 Naija (@f1_naija) 26 April 2026

Yes, Mercedes has the best energy recovery system on the grid at the moment. The car is fast. But Antonelli is doing something with it that no one else is doing. Four-time champion Max Verstappen is buried in the standings. Reigning champion Lando Norris could not even start the first two races. Lewis Hamilton – with almost two decades in F1 – is fourth.

The 19 year old youth is leading the way. Without a doubt, this has been the story of this year so far.

Connected: Formula 1 emergency meeting: 6 rule changes by Miami that could fix the 2026 season

Antonelli’s 2026: comparison with other great young drivers

Sebastian Vettel won his first title at the age of 23. Verstappen won his first title at the age of 23. He is the youngest champion in F1 history. Antonelli is 19 years old and the season is three races old. Can he become the first teenager to win a driver’s championship? This is a distinct possibility.

The Vettel comparison comes up most often and is probably the best overall. Both operated major machinery. Both were composed well beyond their years. But Vettel had stable rules to work with. Antonelli is doing so amid maximum technical chaos, in his second full F1 season, on a car that didn’t exist eight months ago.

2026 Miami Grand Prix Coverage: Watch exclusive content on Apple TV+

“His whole demeanor is very refreshing,” said former Austrian driver and F1 executive Helmut Marko. “He was already incredibly fast everywhere in the junior categories, and it’s good to see a young driver like that coming to the fore.”

That’s part of what makes the comparison small – and the story big. Yes, it’s still early, but the gravity of what they’ve done so far isn’t lost on those who follow the game closely.

What to expect from Antonelli at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix

This weekend will be different. Not because of circuits or strategy or championship math. This is unique as Antonelli has never performed as the points leader on a race weekend. He has never walked into the Hard Rock Stadium paddock with a target on his back, in the loudest, most produced, most celebrity-saturated event on the F1 calendar.

The city is designed to be grand. The question is whether it overcomes him.

Through three races, the 19-year-old from Bologna, who passed his driver’s test six weeks before his F1 debut, is leading the world championship. He broke Lewis Hamilton’s record in his old seat. He is still finishing his high school exams between sessions.

Miami is about to find out what he’s made of.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen

Formula 1’s 2026 energy management reforms have a tight deadline – and the clock is ticking. Three races. Two canceled Grands Prix. One driver is threatening to walk away from the sport he has dominated for half a decade. The big new era is not going according to plan.

The FIA ​​confirmed last week what most of the paddock already knew – the 2026 rules need to be worked on. Following the first round of meetings on 9 April, the governing body issued a statement acknowledging what it diplomatically called “a commitment to make changes to certain aspects of the rules in the field of energy management”. Two further meetings are scheduled on 15 and 16 April, before a high-stakes vote on 20 April, where team principals, FIA officials and Formula 1 management will determine what, if anything, changes will be made ahead of the Miami Grand Prix on 3 May.

What happens in that room matters a lot.

Problem in layman’s terms

Start with the basics. The 2026 power unit regulations shifted the power balance in these cars to approximately 50-50 between internal combustion engines and battery-electric power. The old MGU-H – the component that used exhaust energy and kept the battery running at high speeds – is gone. It has been replaced by a much more powerful electric motor and much more complex maneuvering.

Since teams cannot produce energy as before, drivers must now create their own opportunities to recharge the batteries. On straight lines, in the braking zone, wherever they can get a moment. The problem is that cars that do this look to anyone looking at them as if they are randomly losing speed for no reason. Super clipping, when the energy management system draws power while the driver still has the throttle pinned, is as strange as it sounds.

Charles Leclerc called it “Mario Kart”. Max Verstappen went further, calling it “Formula E on steroids”. Lewis Hamilton, whose credits stand out, says the racing is the best he has experienced in the last 20 years. Hamilton isn’t wrong about Sunday’s race. He is not entirely correct about the qualifying.

Qualification has been the most visible casualty. To manage the battery reserve the cars have to be lifted and parked. They cannot move around high-speed turns like they did before. Drivers are openly dissatisfied with the amount of energy-saving and energy-harvesting tactics required in qualifying the new cars – lifting and coasting, downshifting on the straights, super clipping. An unintended consequence is that they no longer push in high-speed corners. For anyone who grew up watching Schumacher and Senna pass Suzuka’s 130R, watching an F1 car slow down before a corner that it used to take without lifting is truly disturbing.

Bearman’s accident made it a safety issue

In Suzuka the abstract became very concrete.

Oliver Bearman’s Haas was perfectly positioned when Franco Colapinto’s Alpine, ahead of him, went into crop mode in mid-corner. When Colapinto’s Alpine touched that limit midway through the corner, Bearman faced a car that had effectively dropped anchor on the racing line. “It was a huge overspeed, 50km/h, which is real, you know, it’s a part of these new rules and I think we have to get used to it,” Bearman said.

He left with a badly injured knee. The impact was 50G. it could be worse.

Verstappen did not say anything about the reason.

“Basically, one guy is stuck completely without power, and then the other one uses mushroom mode. It could be a difference of 50-60 kilometers. Really big.”

GPDA President Alex Wurz called for immediate software-level intervention.

“From a safety point of view, we should simply prevent sudden increases in power output at top speed,” he said. “This will require software that is the same for all teams.”

McLaren’s Andrea Stella had been warning for weeks before Bearman hit the wall that this exact scenario was coming. Haas boss Ayao Komatsu said immediately after the accident: “We can’t ignore it.” They won’t be able to.

What F1 rule changes are really on the table

The April meetings are Formula 1’s best attempt to push for meaningful energy management reforms for 2026 before the season goes away entirely.

The most straightforward solution: Increase how much power can be produced during super clipping. Right now, drivers are limited to 250kW when doing this, with 350kW available from lift and coast. If super clipping were increased to the same 350kW limit as Lift and Coast, it would become the preferred route, at least reducing the prevalence of Lift and Coast.

There is also a specific solution to qualify the under discussion, even if it seems counterintuitive. Strict recharge limits are also on the table. Qualifying currently allows nine megajoules of energy recovery per lap. Suzuka was dialed back to 8MJ at the last minute. Some discussions have centered on reducing it to 6 MJ, which would cost lap times but eliminate the frantic energy management scramble that is turning qualifying into a math problem.

Active aero zones are also under discussion. Adjusting where and when Straight Mode can be activated will reduce the speed difference that makes Suzuka dangerous.

What may not be coming yet is any change to the basic 50-50 power split. This is a hardware conversation that engine manufacturers (notably Audi and Honda) who have built their power units around the current regulations will aggressively oppose. Any change in that range is discussion for 2027 at the earliest.

verstappen variable

None of this happens in a vacuum. There is no negligible chance that Max Verstappen will leave Formula 1 in the near future – and Red Bull’s collapse is not the main reason. The four-time world champion has been one of the most vocal critics of F1’s new rules, particularly energy management, and he has made it clear he is not having fun right now.

We’ve written about this before – there is real merit in the criticism, even if Verstappen is the wrong messenger for it, and the contract clause that could have let him leave Red Bull altogether has not gone away. The April 20 vote is as much a technicality as it is a Verstappen retention decision, whether Formula 1 wants to frame it that way or not.

Helmut Marko, who is now a Red Bull Ring ambassador rather than the man running Red Bull’s driver program, put it clearly this week. “The current rules are overly focused on energy management – ​​this only works in conjunction with software engineers. The driver has been deprived of his key role.”

Hamilton admitted that he did not expect much from these meetings, as drivers often feel that they are not heard enough in regulatory discussions. “I hope they make big changes. We drivers don’t have a say and we don’t have any power.”

That quote from the seven-time world champion – the one who praised racing more eloquently than anyone – is one the Formula 1 leadership should consider ahead of April 20.

Good news (yes, there is some)

Formula 1 is not in freefall. Sunday’s racing has been really entertaining. There were 149 officially recorded overtaking moves in the first three Grand Prix races – significantly more than the 63 passes in the previous year’s Melbourne, Shanghai and Suzuka competitions. The race day action is real. The problem is that qualifying — the part that determines what fans watch on Sunday, the part that decides who starts where, the part that used to be appointment television — has become a chore.

Determine eligibility. Eliminate the closing-motion threat that put Bearman in the medical center. Let Sunday’s race breathe. This is the work.

The last date is the meeting of 20th April. The test is on May 3 in Miami. Formula 1 has faced difficult tasks in a short period of time. But the game will need the best rooms in that room, not the most cautious rooms.

Drivers telling you what’s broken. Suzuka’s data tells you what’s dangerous. the window is open.

use it.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen

The 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka had it all on Sunday – start chaos, a 50G crash, safety car drama, and a teenager rewriting the record books. The stories of the three races in 2026 are already writing themselves.

Here’s who has advanced and who is seeing the season end.

Watch: Be sure to watch all the Formula 1 action on Apple TV+ this season!

Winner: Kimi Antonelli | mercedes

Kimi Antonelli got off to a bad start. A wheelspin off the line dropped him from pole to sixth before the first corner sequence was over. Under normal circumstances, that’s how you lose the race at Suzuka.

Nothing seems normal about Kimmy Antonelli right now.

When the safety car came out on lap 22 due to Oliver Bearman’s heavy crash, Antonelli – who had not yet pitted and was temporarily leading – made a free stop to turn the race into the lead. From there, he just didn’t survive. He pulled. He crossed the line by almost 14 seconds over Oscar Piastri, his second consecutive victory.

Here’s the part that will leave you cold: At 19 years, 6 months and 25 days old, Antonelli is now the youngest driver in Formula 1 history to lead the world championship.He broke the record of Lewis Hamilton, whom he replaced at Mercedes. Hamilton first achieved the top spot in 2007 at the age of 22. Antonelli did this work at the age of three years.

He Having completed three races out of 22, he is nine points ahead of his teammate George Russell. The season is long. But the child is real.

Winner: Oscar Piastri mclaren

The start of the season was not exactly good for Piastri. A Accident in Australia. A mechanical failure in China. His first race of 2026 started on Sunday.

He calculated it. Piastri made a great start from third to take the lead into Turn 1, running at the front for most of the afternoon, and finished second – McLaren’s first podium of the campaign.

He now sits sixth in the championship despite not spinning a single wheel in the competition until Suzuka. This is truly a remarkable situation. The pace was there. The hunger was obvious. When McLaren gets all its pieces in order, Piastri is going to be a factor in this thing. Sunday was a reminder.

Winner: Charles Leclerc | ferrari

Third place doesn’t always feel like winning. For Charles Leclerc, given the circumstances, it makes sense.

he had to Hold off a charging George Russell in the closing laps to hold on to the final podium position. Russell had the pace, Ferrari had the pressure and Leclerc held firm. He admitted afterwards that he wasn’t completely satisfied with third, which honestly tells you how much the mentality has changed at Maranello.

it’s a ferrari Still second in the constructors’ standings, 45 points behind Mercedes after three races. The loss is real. But the car is not disappointing, and Leclerc continues to perform well. This is why Ferrari is still in the news.

Loser: George Russell mercedes

Russell started from the right place on the grid. Then, as the race started, he was no longer in the right place. He was running third when Oscar Bearman crashed, given that he had already pitted and the safety car was of no benefit to him.

Russell publicly stated that a margin of one lap would probably have resulted in victory. He is not wrong. He is not even leading the championship. Antonelli has now regained that distinction, and the intra-team dynamics at Mercedes have become more interesting in Miami.

Loser: Max Verstappen red Bull

Max Verstappen crashed out in Q2 and finished 11th at the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix – an unfamiliar place for a driver who usually cares about the circuit. In a race where strategy and starting position matter so much, this was already a significant hole to dig out of. He managed to reach 8th place, but was held off by Pierre Gasly in a long battle for 7th place.

Verstappen is now 9th in the drivers’ standings – behind both Bearman and Gasly. Red Bull has 16 points after three rounds. The four-time champion has already raised the possibility of walking away from F1 at the end of the season if conditions do not improve. Whether it’s a statement of frustration or an actual threat, the car is clearly not close. Miami can’t come fast enough. For Red Bull, and those who enjoyed watching Verstappen actually race at the front, let’s hope they figure it out.

The five-week break before Miami gives each team time to regroup. For Antonelli, it is five weeks from becoming the youngest championship leader in Formula 1 history. There are worse problems at age 19.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , More about Formula 1… Scott Gulbransen

Through two races, Ferrari is the second best team in Formula 1. This is good news. The bad news is that the second one is not particularly close to the first.

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished on the podium in the opening two rounds, but Mercedes won both races with one-two finishes each time. The Scuderia remained fast enough to keep things interesting in the early stages, then saw Russell and Antonelli slip away while the red cars sorted out their problems. It’s a familiar sting dressed up in new rules.

What’s different this year – really different – ​​is what’s happening between the two drivers.

Internal rivalry could pose a big problem for Ferrari

Last year was a wasted opportunity for Ferrari. The car was never good enough to put Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in a position to actually race each other, so the rivalry everyone paid to see never materialized. China distributed it. The two continued back and forth through Shanghai for most of the afternoon. You had overtakes, re-overtakes, a brief moment of contact that Hamilton called “just a kiss” and only separated when Hamilton made a decisive move on lap 40 and went clear.

Russell, who trailed behind them for a significant portion of that battle, said it was some of the most aggressive racing he had seen in some time. High praise from the man who won the race.

hamilton China started looking like itself again – fast on the brakes, comfortable trading pants, quick to count. Lewis Hamilton’s showing at Ferrari is significant after scoring zero podiums in the 2025 season. The seven-time champion is not fading. he is awake.

But Ferrari cannot let that internal battle become every Sunday’s story. Charles Leclerc later admitted that the team probably did not optimize their race as both drivers opted to capture the podium rather than manage the deficit to Mercedes.

“I enjoyed the battle and the only big negative I would say is the gap to Mercedes, who on days like this, we can see they are a big step ahead of everyone else, so we have to work harder.”

Both drivers made the call immediately, and neither one was wrong. But Mercedes crossed the line 25 seconds earlier. That difference does not reduce on its own.

Ferrari needs Suzuka to be fruitful

The Suzuka Circuit is going to offer a valuable lesson for Ferrari, and it is one they are keen to learn. With its fast, flowing layout, this track prioritizes mechanical balance, and Ferrari’s SF-26 has already demonstrated its raw speed. while the team is Introducing a revised rear wing and updated halo winglets for the weekend, it’s holding off on the full upgrade package until Miami. This is no high-risk gamble for Ferrari; It’s like a complete reconnaissance mission.

Due to the upcoming event the results of Round 3 will be more far-reaching than usual. With the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix canceled in the wake of the Middle East conflict, the Japanese Grand Prix of Suzuka marks a significant pause in action, with the next event not on the calendar until May. As a result, whatever results Ferrari achieved in Japan would remain the only point of reference for over a month – a long period to grapple with any outstanding questions or concerns about their performance.

The 2026 Formula 1 season offers Lewis Hamilton “the perfect opportunity to change it” at Ferrari, according to his former teammate Jenson Button. 🗣️🔴 pic.twitter.com/DXTjL5ooLx

– Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) 17 February 2026

The ideal weekend looks something like this: both drivers finish on the podium, Ferrari keeps Mercedes honest for longer periods of time than in Melbourne and Shanghai, and the team walks away with data it can actually use. The Nightmare Edition is another entertaining Hamilton-Leclerc battle in which both of them waste time while Russell and Antonelli race to the front without any interruption.

Through two rounds, Hamilton has at least caught up with Leclerc. Given Charles Leclerc’s position in the sport right now, it says a lot about Lewis Hamilton’s form. The competition between them is real and worth watching. Ferrari just needs to create weapons aimed at Mercedes, not each other.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen

We’re only two races into the 2026 Formula 1 season, and Ferrari has the best race starts on the grid, a driver lineup that most teams would sell internal organs for and a car that’s capable of beating Mercedes on a good day. Scuderia Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur also spent part of his post-race media session in Shanghai drawing a line in the sand over the start procedure controversy. And for once, the Ferrari team principals are completely right to do so.

Backstory matters here. A year ago, Vasseur came to the FIA ​​and said the 2026 start process would be a problem.

“A year ago, I went to the FIA,” Vasseur said in China. “I raised my hand early in the process and said, ‘Guys, this is going to be hard.’ The answer was clear that we had to design the car fitting with the regulation, not replace the regulation fitting with the car.”

Ferrari did exactly that. He created a smaller turbo that spun more efficiently, built a power unit to meet the new regulations, and showed off in Melbourne, with Charles Leclerc going from fourth to first at Turn One. Lewis Hamilton did basically the same thing from the second row in China. Rivals noticed, were outraged, and immediately began lobbying for changes, with George Russell even calling Ferrari “selfish” for preventing further changes in the process.

“We designed the car fitting with the regulation, the five-second change, the blue light story, didn’t help us at all,” Vasseur said, “but I think at one level enough was enough.”

Asked if the case was closed, he didn’t hesitate: “For me, yes.”

Good. This should be stopped. Ferrari identified a problem, raised it through the proper channels, asked for it to be dealt with, and then went and dealt with it better than anyone else in the paddock. Penalizing competence because your competitors didn’t do their homework is not supposed to be the way sporting rules work, and the FIA ​​would now embarrass itself by bowing to that pressure.

Vasseur and the Ferrari project selective outrage

But the thing is, being right about this particular battle doesn’t mean that Ferrari’s relationship with regulation drama has suddenly become healthy. It’s not like that.

The Scuderia has spent the better part of two decades treating the rule book as both a weapon and a crutch, depending on which way the wind is blowing. When the rules are in their favor it’s a matter of integrity of the game. When the rules don’t do it, it’s a political conspiracy. The fact that Vasseur has a legitimate complaint right now doesn’t erase the pattern and it’s hard to miss the pattern when you’re watching it play out in real time.

Mercedes is still ahead. Ferrari is still lagging behind in straight-line performance which matters most at the start. Vasseur candidly acknowledged the deficit, saying the team was “eight tenths off in Melbourne, six tenths off on Friday in China, four tenths off on Saturday” and needed to work on the chassis, tires and engine to close that gap – not just on one parameter. It’s honest self-assessment, and it’s the kind of conversation that shows Vasseur understands where the real work lies.

Ferrari and this cultural malaise

The problem is that in the broader culture of Ferrari there is a gravitational pull toward lateral performance. Hamilton and Leclerc are two of the best drivers alive, there’s real speed in the car, and Japan is coming in 10 days with a circuit that could highlight Mercedes’ straight-line advantage in a way it didn’t in Shanghai. There are legitimate reasons for optimism in Maranello. None of this has anything to do with the politics of the initiation process.

Ferrari’s best path to the championship – their first since 2008 – runs directly through improving Mercedes over the course of the season, not by blocking rule changes that help rivals catch up. Vasseur knows this.

“Racing hasn’t changed,” he said. “All components of the demonstration are still on the table.”

This is the correct framing. Beginners are a weapon right now and there is nothing wrong with using them. Turning them into a season-long narrative, however, is a distraction Ferrari can’t really afford.

Win the argument at the start line. Win the season in the wind tunnel. They are not the same thing.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen

Max Verstappen has called Formula 1’s 2026 rules “like playing Mario Kart”, declared them “fundamentally flawed”, and told anyone who actually enjoys yo-yo racing that they “don’t really know what racing is” – and the disturbing thing is, he’s not wrong.

The 2026 tech overhaul produced something really strange. The new power units run on an almost 50-50 split between internal combustion engine and electric power, meaning battery management now drives the race as much as driving talent. The Overtake Mode button gives the driver a surge of power to propel ahead – but doing so burns the charge, leaving them sitting on the next straightaway. Exchange of posts. The fight continues. The lap counter has stopped and no one has really gone anywhere.

Verstappen illustrated it clearly this week.

“You boost past, then on the next straight your battery drains, and they boost you again,” Verstappen said. This is not a hot take. This is a mechanical description of what the spectators saw happen in Melbourne and Shanghai. The Australian opener made 75 more overtakes than in last year’s race on the same circuit. Impressive numbers. Almost meaningless in context.

An overtake which reverses after two corners is not an overtake. It is a position exchange, operated by a button. And presenting it as close racing is exactly the kind of thing F1’s marketing department loves and race engineers quietly despise.

So yes – there is merit in the criticism. The problem is that Max Verstappen is the least reliable man in the paddock making it.

Verstappen’s complaints are selective

Max Verstappen is eighth in the championship with eight points after two rounds. Red Bull is nowhere to be found. The car he is driving hits the front window. Verstappen retired from sixth in Shanghai while trying to keep pace with Oliver Bearman in the Haas. This is the context of this crusade. And context matters.

Toto Wolff said candidly: “Obviously, for a guy like Max to lift and coast for a qualifying lap, who is completely aggressive, it is difficult to cope and digest. But I would say it is a car-specific issue that exacerbates the problem.”

Wolfe is also not wrong. Verstappen has a habit of linking his complaints to his results. This is the same driver who had nothing but contempt for him until he won the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The same driver who, during four years of Red Bull dominance, told fans struggling to connect with procession racing that they were not properly appreciating greatness. He was still enjoying the gatekeeper, from the other direction.

When pressed on his selective outrage, Verstappen was, well, Verstappen.

“If I was winning the race I would say the same, because I care about the racing product.”

Perhaps. But the line would be even more difficult to draw if he had not spent the last several years with absolute ease, with critics calling his era boring.

Charles Leclerc, who is actually in dispute, offered a different reading.

After China he said, “I enjoy it and from inside the car it doesn’t seem so artificial.” He finished second in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race, watched Lewis Hamilton climb to the podium in the race, and walked away with a car that looked like a genuine championship contender. His stance on regulations doesn’t detract from his results, but at least he’s taking an honest look at what the new formula actually produces instead of trying to demonize the whole thing.

F1’s real issue isn’t Max Verstappen

The real problem facing Formula 1 here is not Max Verstappen’s state of mind. It’s their underlying argument – ​​that manufactured position swaps are not the same as earned overtakes – is a conversation the game needs to have seriously, and can’t have seriously because the loudest voice making the case is the one with the obvious ax to grind.

When the person who has the most to gain from a change in a rule is the one shouting the loudest for that change, it spreads poison. Valid criticisms get filed under sour grapes. Fans who might otherwise engage with the nuance dismiss the entire argument. And F1’s leadership, already financially comfortable with the current direction, gets to do exactly what Verstappen accused them of doing – count the engagement numbers and move on.

He is not wrong about what the rules produce. He is just a wrong messenger. And in Formula 1, those two things are equally important.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen

There comes a moment in every young driver’s career when the story around them either comes true or breaks under the weight of expectation. For Andrea Kimi Antonelli, that moment came on Sunday afternoon at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, 56 laps around one of the most demanding circuits on the Formula 1 calendar, in front of a global audience to see if the teenage Mercedes bet on its future could actually deliver results.

He delivered.

Antonelli wins in Shanghai – and makes history by doing so

Antonelli won the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix with a performance that was graceful and intelligent – ​​up to a genuinely terrifying moment with four laps remaining – almost spectacularly undone by a huge lockup at Turn 14 that sent him deep into the runoff. He collected it, maintained the gap and finished 5.5 seconds clear of teammate George Russell to become the second youngest race winner in Formula 1 history.

Only Max Verstappen, who won his first Grand Prix at the age of 18 in Spain in 2016, has achieved the feat at a younger age. Antonelli is 19 years old. He has now started two Formula 1 Grand Prix and finished on the podium in both.

A weekend that was a statement for Kimi Antonelli

The Chinese Grand Prix weekend alone told you everything about where Antonelli stands as a driver at the moment. On Saturday, he became the youngest grand prix polesitter in the history of the sport, breaking Sebastian Vettel’s record from 2008.

When the lights went out on Sunday, he briefly lost the lead to Lewis Hamilton, who launched brilliantly from third on the grid and overtook both Mercedes into Turn 1. What Antonelli did next revealed more about him as a racing driver than the pole position. He didn’t panic. He did not cross the line, overtaking Hamilton. He raced cleanly, finding his way back to the front before the end of the second lap and managed the rest of the afternoon with a composure that drivers twice his age sometimes lack in the heat of the real battle.

That composure is what really separates special drivers from just fast drivers. F1 has no shortage of fast drivers. There are very few who can handle the chaos of a race at the front of the field – tire management, energy deployment decisions, pressure from teammates hunting for clean air – without making the kind of mistake that ends the race. Antonelli made a mistake late, locking up at Turn 14, and he absorbed it. The distance was quite big, the mind was quite calm. He got back on track and completed the job.

Mercedes made the right decision in replacing Hamilton with Antonelli

Mercedes knew what they were doing when they put Antonelli in the seat vacated by Lewis Hamilton after 11 years. The scrutiny that accompanied that decision was enormous, and not entirely unreasonable: Paddock’s choice to replace the most decorated driver in the history of the sport requires a certain kind of vindication before accepting it.

In two races, Antonelli has 19 points, one race win and is the second youngest winner in the record books. Russell leads the drivers’ championship by one point. Both of them are already preparing for what could become one of the most compelling inter-team rivalries this sport has seen in years, and the season is barely two weekends old.

For those fans in the United States who are new to F1 and still building their mental map of who matters in this sport, you need to understand this: Antonelli is going to be one of the defining figures of this era.

The regulation reset that 2026 brought with it created a level playing field that doesn’t come around often, and Antonelli is thriving on it in a way that shows this is not a hot start that cools off once it takes hold. When he crossed the finish line in Shanghai and came on the radio, he said he was about to cry. He thanked his team. He said he promised himself he would bring Italy back to the top tier and, for the record, he is the first Italian race winner since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006.

He is just 19 years old and meant every word. Pay attention to this child.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1…More about Scott Gulbransen

The 2026 Formula One season got off to a great start, with George Russell taking first place at the Melbourne Grand Prix. Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished second, while Charles Leclerc completed the top three. There’s the Chinese Grand Prix next up, so make sure you have a way to watch.

Apple TV is taking over Formula One streaming in the United States, so dedicated viewers need to find the best plan for them. You can stream every practice, qualifying, sprint and grand prix session via Apple TV, and it all starts from the 2026 season. Find out how to watch Formula One on Apple TV here, and never miss your favorite driver or team.

Sign up for Apple TV

Signing up to watch Formula One on Apple TV is easy. Just follow these steps, and you’ll be all set to watch the latest races:

• Open the Apple TV app on an Apple device, smart TV, or streaming device or visit tv.apple.com
• Select the “Sign Up” or “Free Trial” button
• Sign in with your existing Apple account
• Confirm your billing information and subscription preferences
• Start watching your favorite Apple TV content!

apple tv subscription

The platform offers several subscription options to choose from, including standalone plans or an Apple One subscription. Apple One includes features like Apple TV+, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Fitness+, and iCloud Space. The platform has a seven-day free trial for the standalone service, a three-month free trial with new Apple device purchases, or a one-month free trial with Apple One.

Which devices are compatible with Apple TV?

You can stream F1 on Apple TV through a variety of devices including iPhones, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Hisense Smart TV, Roku, Android TV, and PlayStation 4. Check out the full compatibility list of devices below:

• iPhone
• ipad
• ipod touch
• mac
• Apple TV
• samsung smart tv
• Year
• amazon fire tv
• amazon fire tv stick
• tcl tv
• philips tv
• Hisense Smart TV
• panasonic smart tv
• nvidia shield tv
• android tv
• comcast xfinity
• google tv
• lg tv
• Playstation 4
• playstation 5
• sony smart tv
• vizio smart tv

formula one 2026 schedule

Watch this year’s Formula One on Apple TV schedule so you can stream your favorite drivers:

• 8 March, Australian Grand Prix (George Russell – winner)
• March 15, Chinese Grand Prix @3 AM ET
• March 29, Japanese Grand Prix @ 1am ET
• April 12, Bahrain Grand Prix @ 11am ET
• April 19, Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, 1 pm ET
• May 3, Miami Grand Prix, 4 p.m. ET
• May 24, Canadian Grand Prix @4pm ET
• June 7, Monaco Grand Prix @9am ET
• June 14, Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, 9am ET
• June 28, Austrian Grand Prix @9am ET
• July 5, British Grand Prix @10am ET
• July 19, Belgian Grand Prix, 9am ET
• July 26, Hungarian Grand Prix @9am ET
• August 23, Dutch Grand Prix @9am ET
• September 6, Italian Grand Prix @9 AM ET
• September 13, Spanish Grand Prix @9am ET
• September 26, Azerbaijan Grand Prix @ 7pm ET
• October 11, Singapore Grand Prix @8am ET
• October 25, United States Grand Prix @4pm ET
• November 1, Mexico City Grand Prix @ 3 p.m. ET
• November 8, Sao Paulo Grand Prix @ 12pm ET
• November 21, Las Vegas Grand Prix @ 11pm ET
• November 29, Qatar Grand Prix @ 11am ET
• December 6, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix @ 8pm ET

questions to ask

Alexandria is a news editor, writer, and reader of all things literary. She graduated from the State University of… More about Alexandria Wyckoff