Author Archives: PressBox

Red Bull’s lineup around Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar is being viewed as a healthier challenge for the team, with team principal Laurent Mekies creating a more supportive environment that may be helping Hadjar extract more from himself. Will Buxton said that shift has helped ease Red Bull’s long-running second-seat problem after several drivers rotated through the role in recent seasons.

Mekies has said it would be a “good problem to have” if Red Bull ever had to decide between Verstappen and Hadjar on team orders, and he wants more races like the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. In Baku, Hadjar pushed Verstappen for the first half of the race, was frustrated at being held behind on softer tires, and finished third in his first race back from a wrist injury. Verstappen’s pace improved after a tire compound switch and he finished just 0.196 seconds behind winner George Russell, while Mekies described Hadjar’s drive as outstanding.

That theme continued in Sepang, where Hadjar was second in practice and Verstappen fourth before Red Bull went on to score its first double podium since 2024. Mekies said team orders were less likely to be a factor in Malaysia because Hadjar carried an engine penalty, and he described the race as a survival test because of the heat, rough surface and heavy tire degradation.

Apple TV is offering free live coverage of every session from the relocated Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix weekend in Malaysia for U.S.-based viewers, with no subscription or trial required. The free stream runs from Friday practice through Sunday’s race at Sepang International Circuit and includes 4K video, 5.1 surround sound, Multiview and a dedicated data channel. Apple said the offer is similar to what it provided for the Austrian Grand Prix earlier this year.

The race is being staged in Malaysia on Bahrain’s behalf after the original April date was canceled because of the conflict in the Middle East. Formula 1 returns to Sepang for the first time since 2017, and the event is scheduled for Oct. 2-4. Friday’s program includes two practice sessions, with free practice 1 set for 12:30 p.m. MYT and free practice 2 at 4:00 p.m. MYT. Rain is a significant possibility on Friday, and temperatures are expected to top 32C.

Viewers in the United States will get Apple TV’s full coverage features, while fans in the United Kingdom still need a Sky Sports or Now subscription to watch live, with Sky Sports holding exclusive live coverage there. Motorsport.com will provide live updates during the weekend. Entering the event, Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads Mercedes teammate George Russell by 66 points in the drivers’ championship.

Sepang was expected to hinge on tire wear, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc saying the dirty, slippery, low-grip track would keep changing through the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend. Team principal Fred Vasseur said Ferrari had focused more than usual on degradation and needed to stay ahead of the evolving conditions, while Leclerc said the team was quick but not the benchmark. He also pointed to Red Bull’s strength and warned against underestimating Mercedes after a difficult FP2 for George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.

Ferrari had a mixed Friday. Leclerc was fourth in FP1 before topping FP2, while Lewis Hamilton finished sixth in FP1 and fifth in FP2. Leclerc said Ferrari had been strong in both qualifying simulations and long runs, and Vasseur said the team was prioritizing race pace after having to compromise setup at lower-degradation tracks such as Monza, Madrid and Baku.

Red Bull set the early pace as Max Verstappen led FP1 by 0.383 seconds, and his car was checked later in that session for rear-end issues and possible overheating. He then finished fourth in FP2. Mercedes struggled after debuting a major upgrade package, with Russell second in FP1 before a mistake dropped him back in FP2, while the updated floor edge, sidepods and rear diffuser were masked by tire wear. McLaren recovered after a poor opening session, Aston Martin had its best Friday of the season, and Williams stayed near the back as teams said the hot, abrasive conditions made the race picture hard to read, even if some found wear more manageable than expected.

Formula 1’s cost cap has created financial stability but has not delivered closer racing, Williams boss James Vowles said at Sepang, arguing that it has widened the gap between the top four teams and the rest. Vowles called it a “two-tier championship” and said the leading four teams have taken 83% of the points in the cost-cap era, up from the 70s before the rule came in. He also said non-top-four podium finishes have fallen to 5% from 10% before the cap, while smaller teams are forced to spend tens of millions on basic infrastructure instead of car performance.

Vowles said Williams and other midfield teams are trapped by the cap because rebuilding from a low base requires heavy spending on core systems, leaving less room for car development. He said Williams had made winter mistakes and gone backward this year, and also carried an overweight car during the season. He did not call for the cap to be scrapped, but said the system should be changed so all teams can compete with the same tools, with a simpler mechanism tied to championship position or points to help slower teams catch up over time.

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur defended the cost cap as protection against bankruptcies and a way to keep teams in the sport, saying the pre-cap era left several teams near collapse. He also pointed out that Formula 1 already uses a sliding-scale system for aerodynamic testing. Alpine’s Flavio Briatore backed a budget cap too, but said the current system is too complex and wanted all costs, including drivers, included in one budget.