Gravel F1

⚡️ Comments by Damon Hill in an interview with @SkySportsF1: - Ferrari won’t win if Leclerc battles Lewis so aggressively. - Lewis has worked through all the pain of his defeat in Abu Dhabi in 2021. He’s an outstanding person. The team needs to resolve this political issue. #F1

⚡️ We have received information regarding the extension of Oliver Bearman’s contract for the 2028 season. However, Bearman is guaranteed to continue at Haas in 2027, there are bigger questions being asked about his place in Ferraris longterm plans. #F1 #Haas

🚨 Guenther Steiner Questions Oscar Piastri’s Long-Term McLaren Future, Points to Lawson and Bearman as Potential Replacements Former Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner believes McLaren CEO Zak Brown could look to replace Oscar Piastri ahead of the 2028 season if the Australian fails to adapt to the current generation of Formula 1 machinery next year. Speaking on McLaren’s driver outlook, Steiner suggested that two young talents could emerge as prime candidates should the Woking-based outfit decide to make a change: Liam Lawson: Expected to be on the market once his current Racing Bulls tenure concludes ahead of 2028. Oliver Bearman: A potential option if a full-time seat at Ferrari does not materialize for the 2028 campaign. Steiner dismissed the idea of a reunion between Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, noting that Brown’s recruitment strategy favors younger, cost-effective prospects: "Zak will look for someone younger. We all know Zak is quite good at finding young talent—and he likes to buy them cheap. Broader Context Around Piastri Steiner’s remarks come amid heightened scrutiny surrounding Piastri’s position at McLaren. Following the São Paulo Grand Prix, it was announced that Piastri had parted ways with longtime manager Mark Webber after a seven-year partnership. Reports suggest the split stemmed from friction over how McLaren handled the closing stages of last season, alongside a mutual sense that the arrangement had run its course.While Piastri remains under contract with McLaren through the end of 2028—and was previously linked with Red Bull over the summer—his long-term stay will likely hinge on both on-track performance and internal team dynamics over the coming seasons. #F1 #Piastri

⚡️ Here is how the proposal works - and why it’s currently hitting a legislative roadblock ahead of Monday’s talks A proposal spearheaded by Williams Team Principal James Vowles to grant lower-ranked Formula 1 teams a higher spending cap has hit a legislative roadblock, with backing remaining stalled at four teams one month after initial reports by The Race. The Vowles Proposal and Current StandingsVowles’ initiative aims to help trailing constructors close the performance gap by scaling the cost cap inversely with championship position—the lower a team finishes, the larger the additional spending allowance it receives. The Supporters: Alongside Williams, the proposal currently has the backing of Cadillac, Alpine, Aston Martin, and Audi. The Opposition: Haas opposes the measure as it has not yet reached the existing spending ceiling, while Racing Bulls Sporting Director Alan Permane has also expressed disapproval. Top-tier constructors remain firmly against the plan. To take effect next season, the initiative requires approval from the FIA, FOM, and six of the 11 teams. However, securing support from four teams outside of Williams keeps the door open for a potential 2028 introduction—aligning with preparations for the next major regulation overhaul anticipated in 2030 or 2031. Growing Momentum Around Staff Salaries and the Cost CapWhile the sliding-scale spending cap remains deadlocked, broader discussions regarding financial rule modifications are gaining traction, driven by concerns over talent retention. Top teams have raised alarms that the current limits hinder their ability to retain skilled engineers and technicians, who are increasingly drawn to higher-paying roles in the tech sector and rival racing series. Consequently, growing support has emerged for restructuring the cost cap to separate car development expenditures from personnel salaries. Currently, only a team's three highest-paid employees are excluded from the cap. Mercedes previously advocated for greater flexibility regarding salary expenditure—particularly for junior personnel and early-career specialists—to allow teams to offer more competitive entry-level compensation. Although the FIA ultimately rejected that specific push, Toto Wolff emphasized that the proposal focused strictly on raising employee wages rather than increasing development budgets for car parts. #F1

🚨 Mercedes F1 Team Principal Toto Wolff revealed he has handed in his resignation on multiple occasions. According to Wolff, Mercedes-Benz Group CEO Ola Källenius has repeatedly turned down the requests, insisting that he remains at the helm of the team. #F1

⚡️ Daily Mail Reportedly Boycotting Final Formula 1 Races Over Jonathan McEvoy’s Accreditation Ban The Daily Mail has reportedly decided to boycott Formula 1 coverage for the remainder of the season in protest against the suspension of its motorsport correspondent, Jonathan McEvoy The move comes after McEvoy’s paddock accreditation was revoked for the final three Grands Prix of the year following controversial remarks directed at Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur. According to reports, the British publication will halt on-site coverage until McEvoy’s credentials are reinstated next season. #F1 Neither Formula 1 nor the Daily Mail has released an official statement regarding the boycott.

🚨 Daily Mail Journalist Jonathan McEvoy Claims F1 Accreditation Was Revoked Following Ferrari Criticism Veteran Daily Mail motorsport correspondent Jonathan McEvoy has stated that his Formula 1 media accreditation was suspended for the remainder of the season, alleging that Ferrari Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur lobbied the FIA for the decision. The dispute stems from McEvoy’s post-race column following the Mexican Grand Prix, in which he sharply criticized Charles Leclerc’s on-track battle with Lewis Hamilton, referring to the Ferrari driver as a "sneaky little bastard." In his latest piece addressing the suspension, McEvoy accused Vasseur of pushing the governing body to revoke his paddock access until next season. While defending his earlier remarks as a "semi-humorous idiom," McEvoy further escalated the situation by describing Vasseur in print as a "fat nobody." Neither Ferrari nor the FIA has issued an official comment regarding the status of McEvoy’s credentials. #F1

🚨 F1 has a new commercial king — and it’s not Lewis Hamilton. Charles Leclerc just took the crown as Formula 1’s most marketable driver in SportsPro’s new ranking, breaking into the global top 10 at #9. To build the list, researchers analyzed 3,000+ brand partnerships over the past year (July 2025 – June 2026). Leclerc’s personal brand alone ranked 2nd out of 247 athletes worldwide, praised for its luxury appeal and strong narrative. Meanwhile, Hamilton took a noticeable hit. Being 41 (tied with Ronaldo and LeBron as the oldest names on the list) naturally lowers his future commercial trajectory score, while his public backing of Gaza also drew attention as a factor behind his drop. #F1 #Ferrari

At Monza Audi filed an appeal against the stewards decision not to penalize Yuki Tsunoda following an incident during the race in which an additional formation lap was ordered due to his incorrect grid position. The FIA International Court of Appeal will hear this case on November 25 in Paris. #F1 #RedBull

👀 The FIA and Formula 1 teams have allowed their employees to opt out of flying to Qatar and Abu Dhabi for the final races. However, a minimum number of staff must be present, so a selection process will be conducted in any case. #F1

🇮🇹 Kimi Antonelli received a state award from the Republic of San Marino - the Order of Saint Agatha, Commander Class. This award is given to foreign citizens who have made a significant contribution to the life of the republic or have achieved outstanding accomplishments in sports, culture, politics, and other fields. #F1

🚨 BREAKING: Racing Bulls extend Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad's contracts. Not Today, Tsolov… #F1

⚡️ The 2027 Japanese Grand Prix has secured a most unusual founding partner! Organizers announced that next season’s F1 race in the Land of the Rising Sun will be sponsored by Cygames—the developer of the popular mobile anime game *Umamusume: Pretty Derby* (“Pony Girls: The Glorious Derby”). As part of the collaboration, the famous 130R turn will be temporarily renamed Umamusume 130R, and all sorts of themed events will be organized for fans. #F1

🚨 @GeorgeRussell63 with his new GR63 Academy #F1

👀 F1 recently has officially confirmed that the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix will proceed as scheduled, despite growing concern in the paddock over regional security. The championship’s leadership points to several factors supporting the decision: MotoGP successfully held its round in Lusail last weekend without incident, no direct strikes have been reported in Qatar or the UAE since May, and significant season-finale hosting agreements are in place. However, safety concerns remain prominent after factory Yamaha withdrew from the Qatar MotoGP round, paddock personnel were issued emergency shelter protocols, and drivers were reportedly advised to refrain from public criticism. While sentiment across the grid remains cautious, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff openly backed the organizers' stance: "When drivers speak up — people who, from a geopolitical standpoint, have no idea what's going on, yet have an audience listening to them — it just creates media noise. If you want to race, you go. If you don't want to, you don't go. It's simple — maybe that's just an opportunity to give someone else a chance to step in." With substantial commercial commitments tied to the final two rounds, Formula 1 faces a delicate balance between contractual obligations and ongoing security assessments. #F1 #QatarGP

🔴 Valtteri Bottas is the unluckiest driver of the 2026 season. Let’s take another look at what happened at the São Paulo Grand Prix. As it turned out, Bottas was prevented from starting by a wheel nut that wouldn’t turn and became completely jammed. Bottas’s car was brought back to the pits, where it took the Cadillac mechanics six hours to finally remove the wheel. “It’s a shame we couldn’t start today,” Bottas said. “Before our formation lap, we tried to change the tire set, but we couldn’t unscrew the nut on the right rear wheel. We’re not sure what caused it, but we’ll learn from this and, hopefully, won’t run into this again. At least we had some decent pace at times during qualifying. We’ll regroup ahead of the final races and focus on ending the season on a high note.” Although this kind of failure is rare, this isn’t the first time Bottas’s race has been cut short. In 2021, the Finn retired from the Monaco Grand Prix: during a pit stop, a wheel nut seized onto the hub of his Mercedes. “The nut was so damaged that it was impossible to remove it, so we simply had no choice but to shut down the car,” Mercedes’ chief race engineer Andrew Shovlin explained at the time. #F1

🚨🚨 Honda has once again encountered engine reliability issues. This could affect the current racing season as well as the 2027 season. In Brazil, Lance Stroll retired from his second consecutive race due to battery problems. The malfunction occurred twice over the weekend, and Lance didn’t even complete half the race distance. In 2026, Stroll managed to finish only 6 out of 20 races. That’s incredibly low for an F1 driver However, in recent races, Aston Martin has miraculously come back to life. Alonso scored points in Malaysia, showed good pace in Austin despite underbody damage, and in Brazil advanced to Q3 for the first time this season—but new technical issues arose: In Mexico, Alonso had a cooling system failure, and in Brazil, as already mentioned, battery issues marred the weekend, despite Fernando advancing to Q3 Shintaro Orihara said they are trying to identify the root cause of the failures: We need to identify the true root cause of this failure by next year. Otherwise, we’ll continue to face the same problem The most concerning thing is that reliability has deteriorated significantly compared to the middle of the season. Back then, the cars were finishing races more often: Alonso completed as many as five races in a row without retiring, Lance finished two out of three races before the summer break, and now the team is once again facing malfunctions There are speculations that some of the problems may be related to component wear or attempts to increase the load on the engine to boost performance. But regarding the battery issue that arose in Brazil, it’s still too early to say what caused it. Adding to all these problems is the fact that Honda has yet to achieve the expected progress in powertrain performance. The internal combustion engine still lags significantly behind competitors in terms of power, despite updates throughout the season. Therefore, the decline in reliability without a noticeable increase in speed creates additional pressure and scrutiny. All of this is hindering preparations for 2027, as Honda needs to improve both the engine’s performance and reliability. Investigating the causes of breakdowns takes time and resources, limits testing capabilities on the test bench, and eats into the budget. First, there was the cooling system issue in Mexico—whatever its exact cause—and now a battery-related malfunction: all of this is distracting Honda from its planned development path, along which the company ideally should have already progressed much further. #F1 #AstonMartin

😂 In 2012, the Lotus Formula 1 team offered Kimi Räikkönen a contract under which he would receive €50,000 for every point he earned that season These days, that seems rather unusual, but at the time, the team believed that Kimi would either score no points at all or no more than 30–35 points, and that his total earnings would not exceed €1,500,000. By the end of the season, Kimi Räikkönen had scored 390 points, earned €19,500,000, and nearly drove Lotus into bankruptcy. Not all businessmen are businessmen #F1 #Kimi

🇦🇺 @OscarPiastri may have considered leaving McLaren, but Mark Webber was unable to find him a suitable alternative Red Bull and Mercedes were mentioned among the possible destinations However, Oscar’s contract runs until 2028, and McLaren are happy with their current line-up. Rumours of the driver’s interest in other teams had been circulating even before the summer break, but there is no confirmation of this #F1 #McLaren