McLaren’s Monaco practice was dominated by reliability and setup headaches after Lando Norris suffered an electrical shutdown that left his MCL40 stranded at the Nouvelle Chicane, costing him roughly 45 minutes of running and a 19th-place classification. McLaren confirmed the stoppage was caused by an electrical fault that engineers had not yet isolated, and Norris watched the remainder of FP2 from the pit wall, saying, “The car simply turned off.” The stoppage forced Oscar Piastri to be McLaren’s sole runner for much of the session and prompted a brief Virtual Safety Car period.

The running exposed a roughly one-second pace deficit to the frontrunners. Oscar Piastri finished seventh in FP2, about 1.0 to 1.062 seconds behind the session benchmark of 1:13.026 set by Lewis Hamilton, after the team said it had trimmed an earlier gap of around 1.5 seconds. McLaren reported the MCL40 looked more competitive through sectors two and three but struggled in the first sector, a shortfall the team linked to tyre warm-up and temperature. Chief technical officer Rob Marshall and Piastri said they were optimistic about finding overnight improvements, but Piastri also said the squad had “no great ideas” for an immediate fix. McLaren listed diagnosing the electrical fault and fine-tuning temperature and balance as immediate priorities, and the team brought a six-piece upgrade package to Monaco, including a radical rear winglet.

The session underlined how much work McLaren faces before qualifying, as Ferrari set the pace on Friday with Hamilton’s 1:13.026 and Charles Leclerc 0.111 seconds adrift, and running was repeatedly interrupted by incidents including Sergio Perez’s front-right brake fire and crashes that sent other cars to the garage. The team also carried recent reliability concerns into Monaco after Andrea Stella said separate overheating and gearbox failures had forced Norris out in Montreal, and McLaren said it would focus on repairing the electrical issue and extracting performance from the upgrade package ahead of the decisive sessions.

Charles Leclerc set the pace in first practice for the Monaco Grand Prix, posting a 1:13.978 to give Ferrari a 1-2 in a crash-hit FP1. Leclerc’s time was 0.226 seconds quicker than teammate Lewis Hamilton, with Max Verstappen a further 0.513 seconds back in third. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli ran fourth and George Russell was fifth, with Lando Norris and Nico Hülkenberg also inside the top seven, providing an early read on the pecking order around the tight Monte Carlo street circuit.

The session was interrupted twice by heavy incidents that curtailed running. Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar lost control exiting the Swimming Pool chicane and struck the barriers nose-first, ripping off bodywork and prompting a red flag; Hadjar radioed that the car was “undrivable.” Fernando Alonso later clipped the wall at the Nouvelle/harbor chicane and shed part of his front wing, triggering another stoppage and a brief virtual safety car for debris. Leclerc himself locked up at Mirabeau and brushed the barriers, and several drivers ran into run-off areas as teams struggled with tyre degradation and the new-generation cars on Monaco’s slow-speed sections.

Teams said they would analyse the curtailed running and use Free Practice 2 to refine setups and assess race-day potential, after many drivers switched to medium tyres in the closing stages. Stewards opened probes into multiple incidents, including an alleged impeding between Leclerc and Liam Lawson, a separate impeding allegation against Arvid Lindblad for blocking Oscar Piastri, and an inquiry into Lawson leaving the pit exit on a red light. Observers noted that Ferrari’s SF-26 and team setups appeared well suited to Monaco’s low-speed corners, but commentators stressed that track evolution and tyre choices could still change the competitive balance across the weekend.

Formula 1 confirmed a new 10-year extension that will keep the Las Vegas Grand Prix on the calendar through 2037. The agreement was reached with local partners including Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc., Clark County and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, replacing a previous deal due to expire in 2027. The extension locks in a November race weekend, with practice on Nov. 19, FP3 and qualifying on Nov. 20, and the race on Nov. 21, and gives promoters, teams and local stakeholders long-term scheduling certainty. Formula 1 has also made major infrastructure investments in central Las Vegas, including roughly $500 million to buy land and to build a new pit building and paddock.

Since the event returned in 2023 the Las Vegas Grand Prix has become one of Formula 1’s most high-profile U.S. fixtures and generated an estimated $3.2 billion in cumulative economic impact for Southern Nevada through 2025. All three editions from 2023–2025 sold out. The 2025 race produced $43 million in state and local tax revenue, with $15 million earmarked for K‑12 education. The Las Vegas Grand Prix Foundation has contributed more than $2 million to local nonprofits and education programs. Grand Prix Plaza, a 39-acre multi-use fan complex, was recognized at the 2026 Green Sports Alliance Summit for environmental innovation.

The Grand Prix is run on the 3.8-mile (6.2 km) Las Vegas Strip Circuit and features a night-time layout with a roughly 2 km straight down the Strip, long straights and heavy braking zones. Drivers regularly exceed 200 mph and have been recorded above 322 kph as they pass landmarks such as the Bellagio and Caesars Palace. The event has delivered memorable on-track moments and multiple victories, with Max Verstappen winning in 2023 and 2025 and George Russell winning in 2024, a year that produced 113 overtakes and saw Verstappen secure his fourth consecutive World Drivers’ Championship. Formula 1 chief Stefano Domenicali said the sport was “thrilled” to continue racing in Las Vegas and framed the extension as evidence of the sport’s long-term commitment to the U.S. market, a point echoed by local officials who described the race as a signature global event for the city.

The FIA opened probes after reigning world champion Lando Norris and home driver Charles Leclerc arrived late to Thursday’s official drivers’ press conference at the Monaco Grand Prix, causing the session to start a short time late. The pair had been scheduled to appear alongside Gabriel Bortoleto and were named, together with McLaren and Ferrari representatives, in a referral to the stewards under Article B10.1.1.a of the F1 regulations.

A hearing is scheduled for Friday, with one report giving the time as 10:10 local. The stewards listed for the case are Derek Warwick, Garry Connelly, Tanja Geilhausen and Jean‑Francois Calmes. The referral concerns compliance with mandatory media obligations rather than any on‑track incident.

The FIA described the inquiry as procedural and no findings or penalties have been announced. FIA officials and the stewards indicated they were unlikely to impose a sporting punishment. The summons was unusual because it came before either driver had taken to the track.

Reports noted past precedents, including Lewis Hamilton’s late arrival at the 2023 British Grand Prix press conference, which drew no penalty, and earlier FIA interventions over media conduct in 2024. Coverage emphasized the FIA’s enforcement of media rules, including the requirement that drivers not selected for the main session take part in a separate session that does not clash with FIA activities.

F1 teams exploited the rear-wing actuator housing loophole at the Monaco Grand Prix to add fixed winglets after the FIA banned active aero and straight mode for the weekend. With movable aero unavailable for an entire race weekend for the first time since DRS was introduced in 2011, teams turned the small rectangular actuator housings into packaging zones for fixed aerodynamic elements aimed at recovering downforce on the tight, high-downforce Monte Carlo layout.

Teams replaced or reworked conventional rear-wing actuators with clusters of small winglets and cascading elements that fit inside FIA-defined legality boxes, effectively reusing the actuator housing to regain some aerodynamic control while remaining lawful. Mercedes and Red Bull led visible examples: Mercedes removed its actuator and fitted a radical arrangement that included a mainplane-mounted pylon with a trio of cascading winglets, additional banks of winglets and Gurney flaps, while Red Bull retained its actuator pod and modified it to carry two winglets enclosed by endplates. Cadillac removed the actuator entirely, Racing Bulls converted the housing into a single tab with an added Gurney flap, and McLaren deployed a comparable approach. Reports vary on Ferrari’s role, with some accounts saying it had not yet taken advantage of the actuator-housing area and others listing Ferrari among teams with cascading elements.

The added winglets were intended to produce cleaner incoming airflow and increased upwash, enlarging the low-pressure field and, when linked to the diffuser, increasing suction and underfloor airflow to boost downforce. Because Monaco’s low cornering speeds reduce the drag penalty, teams chased so-called “dirty downforce” to improve traction and acceleration. Technical commentators framed the work as classic marginal-gain engineering: a tactical, rapid response to a one-off rule change that exploited permitted packaging zones and actuation points rather than a wholesale rewrite of aerodynamic rules. PlanetF1 described the installations as aerodynamic workarounds prompted by the temporary ban, and teams across the grid adapted quickly to optimize lap time for Monaco’s low-speed, tight-circuit environment.

Adrian Newey is expected to return to the Monaco Grand Prix paddock this weekend, a development that Aston Martin framed as a near-term resumption of his visible leadership after an extended absence. The 67-year-old technical chief and team principal was due to arrive in Monaco on Thursday evening and rejoin team activities during the race weekend. Aston Martin has said Newey will not attend every round and has already delegated most trackside team-principal duties to chief trackside officer Mike Krack, who said, “I think we’ll see him this weekend.” Team owner Lawrence Stroll publicly reaffirmed Newey’s team principal and Managing Technical Partner role in March, and PlanetF1 reported Newey would attend additional events later in the season.

Newey had been absent from the paddock since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in March and remained at the Aston Martin factory working on debugging the AMR26 during that time. His prolonged absence prompted varying reports about his health, with widespread coverage suggesting a stress-related illness, some reports saying the illness required hospitalization, and the Daily Mail claiming he had been hospitalized with pneumonia. Aston Martin declined to confirm the Daily Mail report, saying it does not comment on personal matters. The team has described the Monaco visit as a short-term return to trackside rather than a definitive full-time comeback.

The timing of Newey’s return carries performance and leadership implications for Aston Martin. Newey has taken a prominent presence in his new role since his appointment ahead of the 2026 season and has led the search for a long-term technical successor, with Jonathan Wheatley identified as the prime candidate. Aston Martin and new engine partner Honda struggled early in the season with severe vibrations and lack of pace; Honda introduced countermeasures that eliminated the vibration issue and helped the team finish at least one car in each of the last three races. Krack said Newey’s experience and past success at Monaco could offer useful advice, but the update does not settle questions about the underlying illness reports or Newey’s long-term attendance plans.

Ferrari announced on the eve of Charles Leclerc’s home Monaco GP in 2025 that the 28-year-old has signed a multi-year contract extension that will keep him at Maranello “for the coming seasons.” The team framed the timing as a sporting and symbolic vote of confidence, and media reports, including PlanetF1, said the deal may run beyond 2030. Ferrari said the extension formally binds the eight-time Grand Prix winner, ends speculation over his future and removes a major element of uncertainty for its driver-roster decisions.

Leclerc joined Ferrari’s driver academy in 2016 and made his F1 debut in 2018 with Sauber (the Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo team), earning promotion to Ferrari after one year on the grid. Since joining Ferrari full time he has won eight grands prix and finished in the top three in the drivers’ championship on three occasions. He is Ferrari’s second-most capped driver and ranks second for pole positions at the team behind Michael Schumacher. He sits third in the 2026 World Championship standings behind Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

Leclerc called Ferrari his “second family” and pledged to give “absolutely everything” to bring the World Championship back to Maranello for the tifosi. Team principal Fred Vasseur described the renewal as “very natural,” praising Leclerc’s talent, determination and fit with the team. Ferrari said the extension signals continuity in its driver lineup and underscores the team’s long-term commitment to Leclerc and its championship ambitions. The new deal follows a 2024 agreement that included an exit clause and a January 2025 arrangement that had been described as covering “several more seasons.”

Ferrari enters this year’s Monaco Grand Prix with the clearest technical upside for the street race. The SF‑26’s strong low‑speed performance, notably its traction out of slow corners, a smaller turbocharger and features such as an exhaust‑blown element and a rear winglet that paddock observers have highlighted, suits Monaco’s short straights and low‑to‑medium‑speed corners.

This season’s rule changes have reduced the importance of outright straight‑line power. They include the removal of straight‑line mode areas, lower overtake‑mode energy and reduced high‑speed deployment, a shift of electronic power to 50 percent, narrower cars and a return to a normal one‑stop tyre rule. Those changes have made battery management less constraining and improved low‑speed energy recovery. That should tighten qualifying and play to Ferrari’s strengths, even though overtaking around Monaco will remain difficult.

That should boost expectations for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at Monte Carlo. Leclerc, the 2024 Monaco winner who has three poles from seven appearances and a strong qualifying record at the principality, remains a leading candidate for pole and race pace; he called his Canadian weekend “the most difficult” of his career. Hamilton, who moved to Ferrari in 2025 and finished second in Canada, said he was “convinced” he could finally mount a genuine challenge for his first Ferrari win at Monaco and stressed the need for careful setup work in practice. He and others note that, if development programmes such as ADUO narrow Ferrari’s engine gap, the team could contend even more strongly.

Still, rivals and circumstances temper expectations of a Ferrari runaway. Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull remain threats, and some pre‑race assessments still name Mercedes the favourite after the team’s strong qualifying form this season and an overall qualifying advantage over Ferrari. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, 43 points clear, called Ferrari the “team to beat” and pointed to the rear winglet as evidence of how finely matched the weekend could be. Monaco’s history of crashes, miscued yellow flags or a little rain means surprise results remain possible despite the SF‑26’s low‑speed strengths.

Nico Rosberg reflected on his intense rivalry with Lewis Hamilton, saying the on-track clashes that marked their Mercedes years were “probably more my fault than his.” Rosberg said he deliberately became tougher on track, training with meditation and visualization to “hold his ground” in wheel-to-wheel battles and acknowledged that his tactics and refusal to yield contributed to several crashes, singling out the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix collision as the most infamous example. He credited those confrontations as factors that helped him secure the 2016 Drivers’ Championship, said the 2016 fight strained a relationship that began in childhood, and noted he retired immediately after that season because the battle had taken a lot out of him.

Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, Rosberg praised Hamilton’s longevity and professionalism and said he was “amazed” Hamilton was still competing a decade after Rosberg retired. Rosberg noted Hamilton’s sustained excellence, including four consecutive championships that made him a seven-time world champion by 2020, and he described Hamilton in the piece as a “genius.” Rosberg said he hoped the 41-year-old could add an eighth world title but expressed doubt that Hamilton could secure it, arguing that the Ferrari car “isn’t good enough” and that Hamilton’s level “is not quite there yet,” while qualifying that Hamilton “would deserve it.” Rosberg predicted Hamilton would still win at least one race this season, pointed to an improved sophomore year at Ferrari highlighted by a P2 in Canada, and said the 2026 regulations and two podiums so far had helped Hamilton respond strongly after a difficult 2025. Rosberg also warned that intra-team dynamics, notably a strong Charles Leclerc, would be decisive in any title bid. Kimi Antonelli echoed the view that Ferrari were favourites and suggested Hamilton could win at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend.