EA Sports has confirmed that there will be no F1 26 video game, opting instead for a paid expansion for the existing F1 25 game. This will be the first year without an installment in the F1 video game franchise, which was started by Codemasters in 2009. EA Sports has been the publisher of the franchise since 2021. The paid upgrade will feature the 2026 cars, teams, and regulations, although EA Sports did not confirm whether the game would feature the new Madring circuit, which will make its debut in 2026. With no 2026 installment of the game, Codemasters is working on completely revamping the game for 2027 to ensure it “looks, feels, and plays differently, delivering more gameplay choices.”
Felipe Massa’s lawsuit against the 2008 season will head to trial following the conclusion of a court hearing. Massa, who lost the 2008 World Championship title by only a point to Lewis Hamilton, sued Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One Management, and the FIA for £64M in lost earnings and sponsorships. The crux of the issue revolves around the “Crashgate” scandal, in which Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed to help Renault teammate Fernando Alonso win the Singapore Grand Prix. The FIA did not investigate the issue until 2009, at which point the 2008 results were set in stone. However, in a 2023 interview, Bernie Ecclestone claimed that the late FIA president Max Mosley knew about the controversy in 2008 but kept quiet to prevent damage to the sport’s public image. Both parties presented their arguments during a hearing at London’s High Court in October, with Justice Robert Jay now refusing to dismiss the lawsuit, saying that Massa has a “real prospect of success”. That said, the court still does not possess the power to overturn the results of the 2008 season.
Max Verstappen may change his car number from 33 to 3 for next season. For 2014, F1 allowed drivers to pick a permanent car number to be used throughout their career, replacing the previous system of assigning car numbers based on the team’s championship position. The selected number cannot be changed, except when the driver wins the World Drivers’ Championship, which allows him to use the number 1 for the following season. Verstappen was the first driver to take advantage of this after winning his first championship title in 2021. If he cannot secure the championship this season, Verstappen will return to number 33, which he selected because now-retired driver Daniel Ricciardo was already using number 3. But an upcoming rule, which was approved by the F1 Commission, could allow drivers to change their car numbers, potentially allowing Verstappen to claim the now-vacant number 3. However, the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council still has to approve the new rule, which could be implemented as early as next year.
Drivers will be forced to make two pit stops at next weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix due to tyre wear concerns. Pirelli has mandated that no tyre compound be run more than 25 laps after analyzing last year’s race. Pirelli found that the left front tyres used at last year’s event had reached maximum wear, causing safety concerns over this year’s race. With this race set to run for 57 laps, this will force teams into the two-stop strategy, although it will not impact the sprint race, which is only 19 laps. The formation lap, laps to the grid, and laps after the chequered flag will not count towards the total life of the tyre. The Losail International Circuit has a history of tyre concerns, with a tyre life limit also having been mandated for the 2023 race due to damage from the circuit’s kerbs.
The FIA’s head of aerodynamics Jason Somerville will leave the organization. Somerville has worked for the FIA since 2022, having previously worked for F1 management, Williams, Toyota, and Lotus. In a press statement, the FIA confirmed that Somerville will continue to work with the organization during his notice period, although he will be shifted to “non-sensitive, non-F1 projects” and his access to confidential information has been adjusted. He will also be required to serve a gardening leave after leaving the FIA, which is expected to run until the Spring of 2026. It’s believed that Somerville will be joining an F1 team during 2026, potentially Alpine or Cadillac.
Toto Wolff has sold part of his holding company to CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz. The deal, which was reported in last week’s edition of the Weekly F1 Recap, is for 15% of the holding company, which owns a third of the Mercedes F1 Team. Ownership of the team is evenly split between Wolff’s holding company, Mercedes-Benz, and the chemical company Ineos. Although the management structure of the team remains unchanged, Kurtz, a motorsport enthusiast himself, will join the team’s steering committee to advise the team on its technical strategy. With the team valued at £4.6B (~$6B), it has become Formula One’s highest valued team.
McLaren has expanded its Driver Development Programme, signing two karting drivers to the lineup for next year. The first driver was British karting driver Ella Stevens, who will also become part of the F1 Academy in a second McLaren-backed car. McLaren currently runs Ella Lloyd with Rodin Motorsport, which will expand to feature two McLaren cars next year. The second driver added to the programme is Ella Häkkinen, who is preparing to make her single-seater debut in 2027. At 14 years old, she is the programme’s youngest signing. She is the daughter of two-time F1 champion Mika Häkkinen, who is also a Mclaren alumn. This news comes just a week after McLaren announced it was dropping three drivers from the programme.
Oscar Piastri landed himself in hot water after reposting a quote from Bernie Ecclestone accusing McLaren of favouritism for Lando Norris. The post was made on Piastri’s Instagram account, but was swiftly deleted. “I don’t know,” the Australian explained when asked about the post. “I woke up this morning and saw it, so I don’t know. Maybe I accidentally did it, obviously it was not intentional, but yeah, I didn’t know what had happened, so I don’t know.” However, it’s unlikely the post was made by Piastri. His social media accounts, like many other drivers’ on the grid, are likely managed by a team of people.
Charles Leclerc set the pace in the first free practice session of the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, beating Alex Albon. The Monegasque driver was fighting with Max Verstappen early on for the top spot, although the Dutchman finished the session in P4 behind teammate Yuki Tsunoda. It was a relatively orderly session, although there were plenty of moments as drivers pushed to find the limits of the circuit. The heavy braking zone at turn 12 saw the most action, with multiple drivers locking up and running deep through the session.
Lando Norris climbed his way to the top of the second free practice session. It was a slow start to the session, as many teams hesitated to put their cars out on track, with a sprinkle of rain having dampened the circuit. This, coupled with cold conditions, made the circuit slippery, although conditions improved as the session progressed. The session was not without its issues, mostly revolving around a loose manhole cover. The session was red-flagged with 20 minutes remaining after a marshal noted a potential issue with a manhole cover at turn 17. After a track inspection, the session resumed, only to end under a second red flag for the same cover. Eager not to have a repeat of the 2023 incident that heavily damaged Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari at the inaugural race, the FIA inspected and repaired all manhole covers overnight. Charles Leclerc parked trackside between the two red flag periods with a gearbox issue, although he set a time worthy of P3 behind Kimi Antonelli, who missed out on P1 by just 0.029s. Nico Hulkenberg impressed with a P4 performance ahead of both Racing Bulls led by Isack Hadjar.
George Russell led the third free practice session, which was held in mixed conditions. Earlier rainfall made for a damp circuit, forcing drivers to start the session on intermediate tyres. Lando Norris was the first driver to venture out on slick tyres, despite warnings that rain should return in the closing half of the session. The improving conditions made for a busy close to the session, as the drivers rushed to set times on slick tyres. Max Verstappen finished P2, while Alex Albon was the only other driver to finish within a second of the pacesetter. Both McLaren drivers were at the bottom of the timing sheets, suffering from technical issues.
Rain produced a chaotic qualifying on Friday night, seeing Lando Norris clinch pole. Q1 necessitated full wet tyres for the first time in the weekend, but drivers still struggled to keep their cars out of the barriers. Alex Albon hit the barrier on the exit of turn 16 while attempting to advance to Q2 in the closing minutes. Oliver Bearman was lucky to have narrowly made it to Q2 in P15, only to hit the wall in the turn 14 runoff area. Kimi Antonelli failed to make it out of Q1, as did Lewis Hamilton, who was slowest in the field, with the Ferrari appearing to struggle in the conditions. Lance Stroll was the only driver brave enough to try the intermediate tyres in an unsuccessful last-ditch effort to advance into Q3. All ten drivers were confident enough to take the intermediate tyres for Q3. Carlos Sainz led the session early on but was beaten by Max Verstappen. Norris secured pole position by the end of Q3, despite nearly hitting the barrier on the exit of turn 16.
Max Verstappen converted a front-row start into a race victory, while a double disqualification for McLaren brought the championship title closer within the Dutchman’s reach. Lando Norris had an aggressive start, blocking Verstappen on the short run into the first corner. In doing so, he ran wide and dropped to P3. Oscar Piastri had a close call with Liam Lawson, who made wheel-to-wheel contact with the championship contender in the opening corner. Further back, Gabriel Bortoleto misjudged the braking into the first corner, slamming into Lance Stroll and bringing out the virtual safety car for debris a couple of laps later. A second VSC was deployed after Alex Albon ran into the back of Lewis Hamilton when trying to overtake in the slipstream. Piastri judged the end of the VSC to perfection, overtaking Isack Hadjar. George Russell lost a position to Norris after the pit stops, nursing a steering issue, while Norris had an issue of his own in the final laps, preventing him from trying to chase down Verstappen. Kimi Antonelli, who had pitted on the second lap, did an excellent job to hold off Piastri to take P4, although he dropped to P5 due to a jump start. Click here to read a full summary of the race.
Things turned sour for McLaren after the race, as both cars were disqualified for failing the post-race scrutineering. Both cars had excessive wear to the rear portion of the plank on the floor of the car, exceeding the amount permitted under the regulations. This suggests the teams set up the cars to run too low during the race, leading to a disqualification. This critical loss of points now makes the three-car battle for the championship much closer, with Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen both just 24 points behind current leader Lando Norris.
Las Vegas was just the first stop in the final triple-header of the season. Next up is the Qatar Grand Prix, which is a sprint weekend, before the season concludes in Abu Dhabi. The action will get underway in Qatar on the weekend of November 30.
It can be challenging for even the most avid fans to keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One. The Weekly F1 Recap is a series published each Monday that breaks down the action, both on and off the circuit, into bit-sized pieces. It's perfect for casual and experienced fans alike.
