F1 2026 Season Reports
2026
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May 24, Ruby Tattersall reports on the Canada
G P. Read her full report here.
With the five lights shining on the horizon, it's a Mercedes front row lockout following an intense qualifying session in Montreal. The British driver and his teammate stole the front row from the McLarens in a seemingly neverending battle between the two teams.
Lights out
As the cars lined up on the grid, the conditions were a complete juxtaposition, being 21 degrees cooler than the session before– instead of dry conditions, the drivers were instantly met with the drizzly precipitation of Canadian rain.
Two delayed starts from the FIA, the first problem fell onto Arvid Lindblad. After the initial false start, the rookie was unable to get his car back into gear, developing into a DNS. His race ended before it started as he was rolled off of the grid.
With engines revving to life it was finally time to start the race. Luck sided with Norris as he sped past fellow British driver and pole sitter George Russell. Losing his advantage not only to car number 4– but his own teammate. And in a desperate attempt to regain the upperhand he tries to fight Antonelli, however ignorant to the seven-time world champion, Hamilton, nipping at his rear tyres.
A strategic call from the McLaren garage saw the likes of Piastri barrelling into the garage for a change of tyres on the first lap– soon followed by his teammate. This choice sent both papaya coloured cars out of the top ten, allowing Hamilton and Verstappen to take their place. However, will this decision allow for better results in the long term?
At the bottom end of the leaderboard, both Cadillacs sit at the back of the pack, trailing behind. This lack of competition from the team on their maiden season casts a grey cloud over their prospects.
Further ahead, the redemption run for both Mclarens in an attempt to get back into the top 10 is hindered by the likes of Albon and Alonso, who seem to strive on making their race that more difficult. Lap 13 saw the aforementioned Alex albon pushed into the wall by Oscar Piastri. The incident was soon noted by the FIA and handed Piastri a 10 second penalty. Unfortunately we see another driver out of the race.
Throughout the season Aston Martin have faced a plethora of issues. These problems strike again in Montreal, forcing the Spaniard to return to his garage due to issues with the seat and its lack of stability.
On lap 25, a nail biting back and forth between the two Mercedes drivers. On the final chicane Antonelli and Russell brushed wheels causing the younger driver to cut the corner. Team orders saw that Antonelli handed the pole position after he reentered the track. With a new found determination, the Italian was inching closer and closer to his teammates rear, a tactical selection that forced Russell to hug tighter to the curbs.
On lap 30, a mysterious issue was apparent in Russell's car as he went careening over the grass in a sudden loss of power. Russell was left standing on the side of the track staring at a detrimental loss of points that are vital to keep his driver championship hopes alive.
A virtual safety car was all the grid needed to induce the chaos of mid-race pit stops. Just less than half the grid sought to change their tyres, all of those apart from the McLarens. Their early tactic had paid off– after 30 laps both drivers were in the top half of the leaderboard and able to secure some sufficient points.
McLaren weren't the only team to have thrived from Mercedes misfortune. The Redbull of Isaac Hadjar found itself in the top five–fighting between the two Ferraris. At this point in time redbull would have gained the most points compared to any other race. However the relentless pace of Leclerc made it difficult for Hadjar to maintain a sufficient defence whilst not infringing on the rules by the FIA
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Lap 40, Lando Norris was abruptly stopped with the message of antistall on his steering wheel. A crushing sight for the current world champion whose race ended with suspected gearbox issues. Another problem, not shone by the camera operators, we see Sergio Perez enter the pitlane and a vital piece of his suspension fly off over his head, most likely a result of previous contact.
Heading into the closing laps, Leclerc almost spun out off the track, nevertheless he managed to keep it on the asphalt. Behind the Monagasque–Isaac Hadjar exits the pitlane after serving his first of two penalties, preserving his position of 5th place.
Late on the breaks, Hamilton executes a long awaited overtake on Verstappen. The seven time champion patiently waited behind the Dutch lion to preserve the energy he needed to swiftly overtake on the racing line. Kimi Antonelli was clapped through the finish line as he secured his fourth consecutive win alongside Max Verstappen's first podium of the year. How will McLaren and the silver arrows retaliate next race week in Monaco after such a regrettable race? Can Redbull and the prancing ferraris stick with the upward
The 2026 Monaco Grand Prix- the race that went wrong. By Ruby Tattersall
The 2026 Monaco Grand Prix can only be described in two words— complete pandemonium.
Following an intense qualifying, Max Verstappen found himself on the podium for the first time this season. Finally, an opportunity for RedBull to redeem themselves and provide the team with a more competitive stance. Lining up for the formation lap, there are whispers of engine issues coming from the Dutch driver. With warm tyres and anxious hearts, the race begins— and immediately ends for the four time world-champion. It became apparent that the odd sounding engine was a bigger issue than initially thought, leading to a power-unit issue.
A swift end for a driver who was appearing to be a strong contender.
The next victim was Valtteri Bottas. Similar to former rival, Verstappen, Bottas failed due to a mechanical issue— the exact component which caused the termination of his race is yet to be confirmed by the team.
Moving onto Lap 28, the first British driver to retire was Oliver Bearman. With both Haas cars heading through the Fairmont Hairpin, Ocon was just ahead of his younger teammate when the car in front slowed down. The sudden change in speed and direction from Ocon caused quite the fright for Bearman— who was alongside his teammate on the outside— compromising his race as his front wing collided with the rear end of the Frenchman.
Perplexing pit lane problems first claimed Lewis Hamilton, who was served with a +5 second time penalty for speeding as he sought to change his tyres. This wasn’t the first incident. The next driver to be penalised for the exact same reasoning was George Russell— only six laps later was Colapinto accused. Ensuring that the FIA is busy; Pierre Gasly and Oscar Piastri were their next targets.
Lap 44 saw the end of Norris’ race. Throughout the weekend, McLaren had already experienced electrical issues leading to an extensive repair list. It seemed to go from bad to worse for the current reigning champion, with his engineer telling him to retire the car. Mirroring Verstappen's issues of a power unit failure.
On the other side of the leaderboard, Lance Stroll was heading towards the final corner on lap 57 when cameras revealed his racing green Aston Martin in the barriers. Reports vary on the reasoning behind his crash, Stroll himself stating that it was mainly due to a reoccurring handling issue, whereas others seem to think that the vast amount of marbles had a significant impact with the grip on the road.
A mirage of pit stops ensued by all teams, Ferrari proceeded to make a tactical decision with a double stack— whether or not it was a successful one is to be questioned.
Soon after, the yellow flag was put away and green was waved…
…then the yellow flag made another appearance.
The homegrown hero, Charles Leclerc, was inspired by Stroll's racing line and soon found himself buried in the same barriers. Many questions were asked pertaining the similarities of both incidents. Allegations were thrown around and quickly denied by the Monegasque who blamed a major break problem that saw him careening off the track.
With ten laps left, the FIA handed out even more penalties for the likes of George Russell, Hamilton, Gasly and Hadjar. However, both Hamilton and Hadjar were later cleared of any accusations of breaching the guidelines— placing a newfound pressure on Antonelli as they were slowly chasing the Italian down.
In hopes to get the race restarted, the final decision was for a standing start. As the lights went out for a second time, Hadjar seemed to fall down the standing by being overtaken by two cars. As Russell attempts to bunch up the pack of cars behind him, Hulkenberg seeks an opportunity and goes down the inside and overtake a number of drivers— though not without fault— hitting the side pod of Carlos Sainz forcing him to retire as well as ending the Spaniards consecutive point scoring record in Montecarlo.
The final lap inches closer and it looks like Gasly is set to finish in his highest position this year. The Alpine crosses the line with all but a lick of success when he is rapidly demoted back down to fourth due to some unfortunate time penalties. Yet it gives false hope for Hadjar as he himself soon faces the jaws of judgement from the FIA.
The only driver that seemed to have any form of success was Kimi Antonelli, who led the race for 78 consecutive laps, finished first place in five consecutive races, all without receiving any penalties— unlike the rest of the grid.
An astonishing achievement for the teenage sensation, it leaves fans and teams alike wondering if he can be bested.
Marbles- small pieces of Rubber, shedded off by the tyres
Standing Start- A procedure used to restart a race following a red flag.
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