ANALYTICAL: CAN OSCAR PIASTRI OVERCOME FP1 LOSS TO WIN F1 TITLE
Oscar Piastri's F1 title hopes face a hurdle as he must sit out FP1 in Abu Dhabi due to rookie rules, giving rivals an edge. McLaren confirms free racing with Lando Norris.
Oscar Piastri might face a small disadvantage in the Formula 1 season's final race. He'll be stepping aside during a practice session in Abu Dhabi to let a rookie driver take the wheel.
Last weekend in Qatar, Piastri had a good shot at closing the gap with Lando Norris in the Drivers' Championship. A bad strategy from McLaren, which chose not to pit during a safety car period, cost him a spot on the podium.
Max Verstappen was able to get ahead, and Piastri couldn't catch him, finishing second. Norris ended up fourth after a difficult race. It wasn't the best result for Piastri. He was quick all weekend and could have gone into the Abu Dhabi race with a good chance of winning the title.
He still has a chance, but it will be harder because he has to sit out FP1 due to F1 rules. At the Mexico Grand Prix, Norris and eight other drivers gave up their seats to a young replacement.
F1 rules say a team must have a rookie driver in the car for two practice sessions a year—two for each car. Norris did this one last time in Mexico.
Piastri still needs to give up a practice session. It will be at the Abu Dhabi GP. The timing isn't great since Piastri is still in the title race.
Pato O'Ward replaced Norris in Mexico and will now replace Piastri. The Mexico event is good for rookie drivers because it's a track with no sprint events.
The same is true for Abu Dhabi, but it doesn't seem to help Piastri. It gives his rivals a practice session to get used to the track. Neither Norris nor Verstappen has to give up their seat.
Seven other teams still need to have a rookie driver in FP1 at the final event. If a team starts the season with a rookie driver, they only have to hand over one car twice.
Fans feel bad for Piastri. McLaren said the drivers can race freely in the final race. Verstappen could still finish as champion in 2025, even though it didn't look like it halfway through the season. He's 12 points behind Norris and four ahead of Piastri. If Norris doesn't get a podium finish and Verstappen wins, he'll take the title.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris can race without team orders.
This has led to questions about whether McLaren will ask Piastri to support Norris during the race. But McLaren boss Andrea Stella said their approach won't change for the final race.
Our approach will not change, he said after Qatar. We will let both Oscar and Lando compete.
Stella brought up the time three drivers were in the running to win, only for an unlikely winner to appear. It happened with Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 and Sebastian Vettel in 2010.
Oscar can win the title, Stella said. We've seen a third driver win before.
We saw it in 2007 and 2010, and Oscar is fast. He deserves to perform well. We will let the drivers race each other. It's important for us that we can beat Verstappen with one of our drivers.
FERNANDO ALONSO CONFIRMS ZERO PERFORMANCE UPGRADES FOR ASTON MARTIN BEFORE SUMMER BREAK
Fernando Alonso warns fans of zero performance upgrades for Aston Martin until autumn as cockpit vibrations ruin race pace.
Fernando Alonso doesn’t see things getting any better for Aston Martin until the back half of the season. The start of their 2026 F1 run has been downright rough.
Their fresh partnership with Honda just isn’t clicking. Both drivers can’t get out of Q1 in qualifying, and points? Forget it. After four rounds, Aston Martin and Cadillac are stuck at the bottom of the standings with zero points.
It’s not just a lack of speed, either. Alonso and Lance Stroll have been fighting nasty car vibrations all year, so bad that team boss Adrian Newey said after Australia, both drivers were worried about permanent nerve damage in their hands and feet.
Miami didn’t offer any relief. Alonso and Stroll both finished a lap down, 15th and 17th. At 44, Alonso accepts this might be the new normal for a while.
When someone asked if Canada might bring some improvement, Alonso shut it down quickly. "No. Maybe we’ll get a little better on drivability, but not on performance," he said. "We just have to stick together. It’s going to be a tough race.”
He knows these weekends will get repetitive. "We have to face the media every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday," he said, and when a journalist apologised, Alonso just shrugged it off: "You’re just doing your job. We drive fast, but the message is the same every week."
Aston Martin doesn’t have upgrades coming until after summer break. Alonso expects Canada and Austria to look just like Miami, and keeping everyone’s frustration in check is the new challenge. Still, he figures the team is staying calm and focused on having a stronger finish to the season.
Looking further ahead, Alonso said last month he’s open to sticking around F1 after his current contract ends. The two-time world champion, who took his titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006, will be close to 450 grands prix by the end of this season.
GEORGE RUSSELL ADMITS ANTONELLI IS "EXCEPTIONALLY QUICK" BUT REFUSES TO CONCEDE TITLE
Kimi Antonelli secured his 3rd straight F1 win in Miami, leaving George Russell 43 seconds behind and 20 points down in the title race. (130 chars)
George Russell isn’t flinching. He’s not ready to let go of the story, even as Kimi Antonelli keeps grabbing headlines. Antonelli’s been tearing it up this season – three straight wins, all from pole – and it’s got people talking. Miami was rough for Russell; he finished fourth, over 43 seconds behind Antonelli. That gap isn’t just big; it’s glaring, and it’s putting some real heat on their rivalry at Mercedes.
Russell isn’t pretending things are fine, but he’s not throwing in the towel either. He gets what Antonelli’s doing and gives props where they’re deserved. “He’s a fantastic driver, and he’s been fast since day one,” Russell said. “You don’t win all those championships as a kid if you’re not quick.” He means it, but he’s also drawing a boundary. Russell still believes in himself, and he’s not giving up on the championship.
“I’ve still got confidence in myself, and I haven’t forgotten how to drive,” he said with a little smile. “It’s just a tricky patch, but we’re only four races in; there’s a lot more to come. We’ll sort things out over the next few weeks.”
That “tricky patch” doesn’t just mean some tough luck; it includes a 20-point deficit and a teammate who won’t stop rewriting history. Antonelli’s winning streak has changed the vibe at Mercedes, at least for now.
Russell knows all about momentum and how it doesn’t always stick around. “He’s got momentum right now; he’s flying,” Russell admitted. “But I’ve won championships myself, and I know momentum swings back and forth all year.” He actually doesn’t seem bothered by the points gap. “Honestly, I’m not even thinking about it,” he said.
It’s a calm answer from a guy who’s been here before, leaning on experience while Antonelli rides his hot streak. Russell keeps saying 'big picture, patience, not panic'.
“I just want to get back on top of the podium,” he said. “I had the pace for the first three races, but this weekend I was nowhere close. It could have gone very differently these last few weeks, and this weekend could’ve just been a blip. But some races in Japan and China didn’t go my way. That’s how F1 goes sometimes.”
Still, confidence doesn’t erase a 20-point gap, not if Antonelli keeps cruising. If Antonelli keeps piling up wins, Russell’s going to have to fight more than just the stopwatch. Losing to your teammate over and over starts to mess with your head. Russell began the season as the guy to beat, but the longer this keeps up, the tougher it gets to grab hold of the story again.
He’s holding firm, for now. But F1 doesn’t wait for anyone. What does Russell call “just a tricky run”? Well, if momentum doesn’t swing his way soon, it could become a whole lot more than that.
