Jean Todt publicly reassessed Michael Schumacher’s character and admitted on the High Performance podcast that Schumacher intentionally caused two on-track incidents that he said cost championships. Todt, who ran Ferrari from 1994 to 2009 and later served as FIA president, said people held a “completely wrong” perception of Schumacher and called “the biggest misconception” that he was arrogant. He said he had long defended Schumacher but on the podcast acknowledged he had seen Schumacher “cheat twice and badly,” a reversal of earlier public defenses.

Todt identified the first episode as the 1997 season finale at Jerez, when Schumacher turned into Jacques Villeneuve, became beached in the gravel and was ultimately disqualified from the championship, an outcome Todt said “cost him the championship.” The second was the 2006 Monaco qualifying session, when Todt said Schumacher deliberately stopped at La Rascasse, bringing out yellow flags that halted Fernando Alonso’s lap, drew a stewards’ penalty and forced Schumacher to start from the back of the grid. Todt said those actions contributed to Schumacher losing the 2006 title to Alonso.

Todt described both incidents as emotional, impulsive errors made in the heat of racing rather than calculated malice and urged some indulgence in judgment. He balanced his reassessment with a reaffirmation of Schumacher’s sporting legacy, citing seven world championships, a run of five consecutive drivers’ titles with Ferrari and 72 Grand Prix victories. Todt recalled personal details that contrasted with Schumacher’s on-track intensity, describing him as fragile, shy and generous, and he recounted a private half-day test at Fiorano Schumacher requested to reassure himself he remained competitive. Todt also noted Schumacher’s charitable giving after the 2005 Asian tsunami. His comments revised parts of the long-standing public narrative by acknowledging self-inflicted errors while defending the broader achievements of his former driver.

Toto Wolff said he had considered dismissing both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg during Mercedes’ heated 2016 intra-team rivalry, even calling Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche to propose making the drivers redundant. He said he sent internal emails that would effectively remove the pair, briefly removed them from the squad by email, and warned that any repeat of the on-track clashes would cost one of them his seat. Wolff cited a sequence of avoidable incidents, including the opening-lap collision and double-DNF in Spain and a final-lap collision in Austria, as the flashpoints that prompted his contemplated action and his warning that “one has to go.”

Wolff framed the contemplated double-dismissal as a last-resort measure to protect the team rather than a personal vendetta, saying the rivalry threatened the Mercedes brand and the livelihoods of about 2,500 factory workers. He acknowledged that assigning sole blame could be difficult, saying “incidents can be nuanced or 50-50,” and that uncertainty led him to step back from sacking the drivers. He described the period as the “Silver War.”

The immediate crisis eased after Nico Rosberg won the 2016 world championship and then retired, while Lewis Hamilton remained with Mercedes.

Toto Wolff said he had considered dismissing both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg during Mercedes’ heated 2016 intra-team rivalry, even calling Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche to propose making the drivers redundant. He said he sent internal emails that would effectively remove the pair, briefly removed them from the squad by email, and warned that any repeat of the on-track clashes would cost one of them his seat. Wolff cited a sequence of avoidable incidents, including the opening-lap collision and double-DNF in Spain and a final-lap collision in Austria, as the flashpoints that prompted his contemplated action and his warning that “one has to go.”

Wolff framed the contemplated double-dismissal as a last-resort measure to protect the team rather than a personal vendetta, saying the rivalry threatened the Mercedes brand and the livelihoods of about 2,500 factory workers. He acknowledged that assigning sole blame could be difficult, saying “incidents can be nuanced or 50-50,” and that uncertainty led him to step back from sacking the drivers. He described the period as the “Silver War.”

The immediate crisis eased after Nico Rosberg won the 2016 world championship and then retired, while Lewis Hamilton remained with Mercedes.

Oliver Bearman suffered a reported 50G impact in a high-speed crash at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Bearman closed about 50 kph faster than Franco Colapinto into Spoon Curve, and took avoiding action that sent his Haas across the track and through gravel before it struck a barrier. Marshals assisted him and X-rays cleared him of major injury apart from a badly bruised knee.

Stefano Domenicali said he changed his mind about the planned 2026 rules after seeing the incident, and fans reacted angrily, accusing officials of not taking driver safety seriously. Some drivers and commentators cited the crash as confirmation of earlier warnings from drivers such as George Russell that cars built to the 2026 regulations “would be like planes.” The debate centers on whether the 2026 technical direction needs adjustments to reduce closing speeds and mitigate launch risk in wheel-to-wheel incidents.

The FIA concluded that high closing speeds contributed to the Bearman and Colapinto crash and said it will consider potential changes during April. Cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix have given F1 an unexpected window to evaluate the 2026 rule package, and drivers, teams and fans are expected to watch that review closely because any tweaks could alter the series’ safety and technical trajectory ahead of 2026. Drivers’ representatives proposed concrete fixes, with Grand Prix Drivers’ Association president Alex Wurz urging changes to power-unit software, a ban on sudden deployment spikes at top speed and a standard software solution that factors speed and distance to prevent abrupt energy deployment and so-called “super clipping.” Wurz linked the concern to this season’s shift toward a roughly 50/50 combustion-electric split and increased battery harvesting, which he and others say has produced dangerous closing-speed deltas. The incident has intensified scrutiny and raised questions about potential reputational and regulatory pressure on the FIA and F1.

Martin Brundle announced he will cut his on-site Sky F1 commentary commitments to a fixed slate of 16 races for the 2026 season, formally stepping back from full-time commentating while remaining on a regular but limited schedule. The 16 races are two fewer than the 18 rounds he attended in 2025, and Brundle confirmed he will return to the commentary booth for the Miami weekend in May 2026.

Brundle, 66, began commentating in F1 in 1997 after TV rights moved from the BBC to ITV, where he worked alongside Murray Walker. He joined Sky in 2012 and has built a 29-year broadcasting career in the sport, becoming known for memorable lines such as “Is that Glock?” and other signature remarks.

He has been gradually cutting back his trackside appearances, attending the 2025 season opener in Australia but missing the China and Japan rounds, where his customary grid walk was absent. On The F1 Show podcast and the Sky F1 podcast Brundle said he tends to skip races that fall in the very early hours for him and that he was “a bit sad” to miss Suzuka. He described the change as a personal scheduling reduction rather than a wholesale contractual shift. Sky declined to comment on whether Brundle’s reduced 2026 schedule resulted from contractual changes or from the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, which have reduced the 2026 calendar to a maximum of 22 rounds and produced a five-week midseason gap that Brundle expects the Miami Grand Prix to relaunch.

Reports say Gianpiero Lambiase will leave Red Bull at the end of 2027 to join McLaren in 2028. Lambiase has been Max Verstappen’s race engineer for years and is credited as a central technical and strategic figure across Verstappen’s four drivers’ championships and Red Bull’s 2022 and 2023 constructors’ wins. Multiple reports say he has agreed to a McLaren contract described by some sources as “astronomical” or “huge,” reportedly many times his current wage, and that he told reporters he will not serve as a race engineer for another driver.

Media outlets reporting the move say McLaren beat rival interest from teams including Aston Martin and Williams and would reunite Lambiase with former Red Bull colleagues Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay. De Telegraaf reported Lambiase recently received a promotion to head of racing at Red Bull and that he turned down an Aston Martin team principal role. Some coverage says McLaren could install Lambiase in a senior leadership post, raising questions about Andrea Stella’s future and prompting reports linking Stella with a possible switch to Ferrari.

The planned departure has been placed in the context of a wider senior-level exodus from Red Bull, with reports noting moves such as Adrian Newey to Aston Martin and Jonathan Wheatley to Audi, and references to the exit or dismissal of Christian Horner and mentions of Helmut Marko. Coverage and social-media reaction have prompted intense discussion about Verstappen’s future and McLaren’s leadership, with many outlets framing the move as a potential trigger for Verstappen to consider leaving Red Bull or retiring. At the time of publication, neither Red Bull, McLaren nor Max Verstappen had issued formal statements and the reports remain unconfirmed.

Reports say Gianpiero Lambiase will leave Red Bull at the end of 2027 to join McLaren in 2028. Multiple outlets credited Lambiase as a central technical and strategic figure across Max Verstappen’s four drivers’ championships and Red Bull’s 2022 and 2023 constructors’ wins, and say he has agreed to a McLaren contract described by some sources as an “astronomical” or “huge” sum, many times his current wage. Sources also report Lambiase told reporters he will not serve as a race engineer for another driver.

Media reports say McLaren beat rival interest from teams including Aston Martin and Williams to secure Lambiase, and that the team would reunite him with former Red Bull colleagues Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay. De Telegraaf reported Lambiase recently received a promotion to head of racing at Red Bull and that he turned down an Aston Martin team principal role. Some coverage speculates McLaren could install Lambiase in a senior leadership post, and that the move has raised questions about Andrea Stella’s future, with reports linking Stella to a possible switch to Ferrari.

The planned departure has been cast in the context of a wider exodus of senior Red Bull figures, with reporting naming moves such as Adrian Newey to Aston Martin and Jonathan Wheatley to Audi, along with the exit or dismissal of Christian Horner and references to Helmut Marko. The timing and reported financial terms prompted a strong social media reaction, with fans and commentators interpreting the news as having major implications for Verstappen and team dynamics. At the time of publication, neither Red Bull, McLaren nor Max Verstappen had issued formal statements and the reports remain unconfirmed.

Juan Pablo Montoya publicly urged Audi to hire “somebody like Christian,” praising Christian Horner’s record and warning that “people may underestimate what Horner achieved.” Sources credit Horner with eight drivers’ championships at Red Bull, and reports vary on his number of constructors’ titles (some outlets say six, others seven). Horner was sacked in July 2025 and replaced by Laurent Mekies after the British Grand Prix. He has publicly sought a comeback to F1 and is reportedly evaluating options, including buying the 24% Alpine stake controlled by Otro Capital. He has said he would only consider a role with full control and shareholding and is reluctant to relocate.

Jonathan Wheatley stepped down between the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix after roughly a year overseeing the former Sauber/Audi operation and is reportedly set to join Aston Martin. His departure left Audi with an immediate leadership vacuum. Mattia Binotto, Audi’s project head, has taken interim team principal duties and said he will keep the role for now but needs extra support at race weekends while he focuses on a factory transformation program. Montoya argued Audi will still need a senior, hands-on leader to support Binotto.

Sources describe several possible routes for Horner’s return, including buying the Otro Capital stake, a target also said to interest Mercedes, and say Horner insists on full control and shareholding as part of any leadership role. He faced controversies in 2024–25 that he denied and was twice cleared of. Audi has presented leadership clarity and organizational alignment as immediate priorities as it aims to compete for world championships by 2030. The team has also flagged early-season power-unit issues and recorded a points finish on its Australia debut.

McLaren said it accelerated the testing and development of 21-year-old Italian Leonardo Fornaroli after he did not secure a 2026 race seat, signing him over the winter as a reserve driver for 2026. Fornaroli, the reigning FIA Formula 2 champion who won consecutive FIA F3 and F2 titles without prior backing from an F1 junior program, will share reserve duties with IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward. Regulations require teams to give rookies two FP1 sessions, and McLaren expects Fornaroli to make his official F1 debut later in 2026.

Fornaroli completed his first on-track F1 tests in McLaren’s 2023 MCL60 recently at Barcelona and Silverstone, covering more than 900 kilometers in total, with 112 laps (512 km) at Barcelona and 68 laps (393 km) at Silverstone. McLaren described the Silverstone outing as a full-day session and an evolution of the earlier program. The tests focused on long stints with lower fuel and evaluations on hard and soft tire compounds to simulate race conditions; Fornaroli said the sessions helped him try different setups and build comfort with F1 machinery, and he reported noticeable improvements after the longer runs and setup work. McLaren noted the Silverstone run included 16 more laps than F1 drivers managed at last year’s British Grand Prix.

The team called the outings part of a structured Driver Development Program that pairs on-track work with simulator sessions at McLaren’s Woking base and trackside exposure, including attendance at the Japanese Grand Prix. Sporting director Alessandro Alunni Bravi said Fornaroli “made fantastic progress throughout” and showed consistency and a quick ability to learn. McLaren said he will have additional track outings across a variety of circuits and will support the team both trackside and in the simulator, providing significant seat time and data on how he adapts to the MCL60 under varied fuel and tire conditions.