PodiumPress

F1 content, news, rumours and opinions

[PodiumPress @PodiumPress_]

🚨 BREAKING: FIA responds to Oliver Bearman's terrifying 50G crash at the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix, admitting high closing speeds from new power unit regs played a key role.

The governing body has issued an official statement acknowledging the incident and confirming urgent April meetings with teams, manufacturers, drivers & FOM to review energy management and potential refinements — stressing safety remains priority, but no knee-jerk changes yet.

Bearman walked away with a knee contusion (no fractures) after swerving to avoid Franco Colapinto, hitting massive speed delta never seen before in F1.

GPDA director Carlos Sainz warns: "We warned the FIA this would happen... Imagine this on the walls in Baku, Singapore or Vegas. Racing is not OK."

Bearman added: Drivers had flagged the risks — this was an "unfortunate result" of the regs.

#F1 #JapaneseGP #F12026 #OllieBearman

[PodiumPress @PodiumPress_]

🏆 What a race at Suzuka! 🇯🇵

Kimi Antonelli delivers back-to-back wins in the 2026 Japanese GP, storming to victory from pole in the Mercedes!

Podium: 1. Antonelli 2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

Close behind: George Russell P4, Lando Norris P5, Lewis Hamilton P6, Pierre Gasly P7 & Max Verstappen fighting back to P8. 🔥

The teenage sensation is unstoppable!

#JapaneseGP #F1 #Antonelli

[PodiumPress @PodiumPress_]

@efilda55

[PodiumPress @PodiumPress_]

🇯🇵 2026 Japanese Grand Prix - Starting Grid!

Qualifying is done and dusted at Suzuka! Here's how the field lines up for tomorrow's race:

Top 10:
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – Pole! 🔥
2. George Russell (Mercedes)
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
9. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
10. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)

The rest of the grid:
11. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
12. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
13. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
14. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
15. Franco Colapinto (Williams)
16. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
17. Alex Albon (Williams? wait, standard order follows)
... down to the back with Bottas, Alonso, Stroll, etc.

Mercedes locks out the front row in dramatic fashion, while Red Bull and Verstappen will have work to do from further back. Can Antonelli convert pole into his second win of 2026? Or will the Ferraris and McLarens fight back?

Race tomorrow – who are you picking for the podium? 🏆

#F1 #JapaneseGP #Suzuka #F12026

[PodiumPress @PodiumPress_]

😂 Alex Albon said “screw the engineer, let me speak to my teammate directly” vibes at Suzuka!

Albon on radio:
“Where was I slow to Carlos?”

Engineer (brutally honest):
“You probably don’t want to know… but you can probably guess.”

Albon:
“Yeah, I’ve been complaining for 3 races straight that something’s wrong… but sure, it’s definitely just my driving style 😭”

Bro was out in Q1 while Sainz made Q2 and immediately started the internal investigation. The Williams pain is palpable.

#F1 #JapaneseGP #Suzuka #AlexAlbon #CarlosSainz #WilliamsRacing #TeamRadio

[PodiumPress @PodiumPress_]

😂🍣 MAX VERSTAPPEN OUT IN Q2 AT SUZUKA?!

The four-time champion who used to own this track like it was his personal playground just got yeeted in Q2 by a rookie!

Arvid Lindblad knocking out the "undriveable" Red Bull while Max is on the radio crying about the car...

2026 regs really said "no more Verstappen domination" 😂

Is this the beginning of the end for Mad Max, or just Red Bull being allergic to the new rules? FIA, you happy now?

Pole fight is WIDE OPEN, boys.

#JapaneseGP #F1 #MaxVerstappen #SuzukaDrama #RedBullCrisis

[Atlassian Williams F1 Team @WilliamsRacing]

A Suzuka sakura special in 2025 🌸🇯🇵

[PodiumPress @PodiumPress_]

Q1 at Suzuka is full of surprises already! 🔥

Leclerc and Antonelli are trading fast laps at the front, while the Mercedes duo looks strong through the high-speed sections.

Verstappen and Red Bull seem to be struggling with balance and pace so far — not the start they wanted on this tricky track.

Classic Suzuka drama with the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Who advances cleanly to Q3?

#JapaneseGP #F1

[Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team @MercedesAMGF1]

Presenting… our Japanese GP livery 🐺

[PodiumPress @PodiumPress_]

@the_lollipopman @guppebek

[PodiumPress @PodiumPress_]

🚨 McLaren's Chinese GP nightmare: Double DNS heartbreak, yet a surprising silver lining on the Mercedes power unit front!

Team Principal Andrea Stella didn't hold back after both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri failed to even start the race due to separate (but suspiciously similar) electrical failures on the Mercedes PU side.

“What happened is quite exceptional and uncharacteristic — two terminal problems pretty much at the same time on the same component, the electrical side of the power unit,” Stella explained.

The team swapped ECUs, tried fixes, but nothing worked. Both drivers sat helplessly in their cars on the grid/garage while the rest raced on.

Stella called it a “disappointing day” and “quite frustrating,” stressing: “We go racing to be on track, and today we saw two McLarens in the garage while the other cars were racing.”

But amid the pain, he highlighted real progress:

“I think we are learning quite rapidly. With what we have learned in Australia and in the Sprint, we think we are actually in a good position now — especially in terms of exploiting the power unit.”

He admitted the new 2026 Mercedes PU is “very complex” with “unique sensitivities” unlike anything he's seen before — and as a customer team, McLaren is still ramping up understanding and cooperation with HPP (High Performance Powertrains).

On the championship picture? Brutal honesty:

“The most detrimental aspect is the loss of points in the championship. These points could have been important at the end of the season.”

While Mercedes appears “in their own category” right now, Stella sees McLaren “a little closer to Ferrari” — but insists the team races with big ambitions and hates losing ground.

He also regretted the hit to fans, partners, and the team's momentum: “It is quite regrettable and disappointing for our fans, and for our partners from a commercial and technical point of view.”

More data from the race would’ve helped, but the biggest sting? Zero points on the board.

McLaren already planning deep reviews with Mercedes — optimism remains that they're closing the exploitation gap fast.

A tough weekend in Shanghai, but signs the PU puzzle is finally coming together? 👀

#F1 #McLaren #ChineseGP #F12026

[PodiumPress @PodiumPress_]

😂😂😂😂

#f1 #mclaren #piastri

[PodiumPress @PodiumPress_]

🚨 Guenther Steiner fires shots at Toto Wolff over Kimi Antonelli's China win:

“It was total self-promotion. Make sure everybody knows I didn't do anything wrong... The guy won. You don't need to explain it now, Toto. Everybody believes it. You can see it, you can feel it. You don't have to tell everybody.”

“And in the end, Kimi did it – not Toto. We always have to respect that.”

Steiner on The Red Flags Podcast 😬 Very Harsh what do you think?

#F1 #KimiAntonelli #Mercedes

[PodiumPress @PodiumPress_]

LATEST:

Potential rule tweaks: F1 could adjust 2026 regs as early as Japan (late March) after China feedback there are ideas to fix "energy-starved" cars (up to 5 proposals floating). Larger PU changes eyed for 2027 if needed.

#f1 #formula1

[MV33Racing🏎 @MV33Racing]

The livery 🤩

[Lewis Hamilton @LewisHamilton]

Til next time ✌🏾🇨🇳

[PodiumPress @PodiumPress_]

🚨 HUGE BREAKING: Aston Martin CONFIRMS Jonathan Wheatley as new Team Principal! 🔥

Adrian Newey steps down from interim TP role to go FULL BEAST MODE on technical/car development 🎯

Wheatley arrives straight from Audi – personally hand-picked & recommended by Newey himself. The Red Bull dream team reunites at Silverstone! 🏎️💨

This move just got a LOT more interesting...

#f1 #astonmartin #audi

[PodiumPress @PodiumPress_]

@McLarenF1 Please fix the car