The World Motor Sport Council rubber-stamped new regulations aimed at preventing a team’s non-F1 staff from working on F1-related projects. Some larger teams that do business outside of Formula One or in other motorsport series have been able to leverage staff and facilities that were assigned to other projects, essentially bypassing the budget cap. Additionally, staff were previously allowed to work part-time on Formula One, having only a portion of their salary counted towards the budget cap. As part of the new regulations, a team’s F1 facilities will be off-limits for non-F1 staff, and F1 staff will not be permitted to work with other divisions, in an effort to segregate the F1 programme from other areas of the business. To avoid loopholes, team members who leave an F1 team must wait one year before rejoining and staff transferring to the F1 programme from another department must undergo a three-month gardening leave. The rules are set to be introduced for 2027.
Leonardo Fornaroli will retain his position as McLaren’s F1 reserve driver for 2027, but will join McLaren on a new venture. The 2025 Formula 2 champ will join McLaren’s World Endurance Championship programme for its new McLaren Hypercar Team.
F1’s former fuel flow meter supplier is suing its replacement for patent infringement. The British company Sentronics was the sport’s sole fuel flow meter supplier from 2018 to 2025, losing out to the German company Allengra from 2026 to 2030. The fuel flow meter measures how much fuel reaches the engine, allowing the FIA to ensure teams are complying with the fuel flow limits defined in the regulations. Sentronics has filed a lawsuit and is seeking a jury trial in the United States courts. Sentronics alleges that Allengra’s meter is violating its US patent, which it insists was confirmed by its own lab testing at the end of 2024. The lawsuit does not impact the remaining races in the season, as it will have to make its way through the legal process.
Charles Leclerc set the pace in the first free practice session of the United States Grand Prix weekend, but by only 0.084s over Max Verstappen. Lando Norris was third fastest, outpacing the Mercedes duo led by George Russell. Leclerc led the session early before the field switched to soft tyres for performance running at the halfway point. He improved his time before most of the field changed to fuel simulations and long runs at the end of the session. Colton Herta was present for the session, taking over Sergio Perez’s Cadillac and setting the second-slowest time. Alex Albon was the slowest driver of the session by a significant margin, as Williams primarily focused on data collection.
Charles Leclerc again claimed the top spot in the second free practice session, narrowly outpacing Kimi Antonelli by 0.042s. It was another relatively orderly session at the Circuit of the Americas. George Russell caught the attention of the stewards for forcing Leclerc off the track, but the stewards later agreed that no further action was required. Other drivers struggled to keep their cars within the track limits, having multiple lap times deleted throughout the session. Max Verstappen was the third fastest, getting within 0.189s of Leclerc’s pace. Lewis Hamilton was fourth fastest, but was 0.615s off the pace of his leading teammate.
Ferrari secured a clean sweep of the weekend’s practice sessions, but this time with Lewis Hamilton in the top spot. It was a quiet start to the session, with only a few cars leaving the garage when the green light came on. Again, everyone was relatively well behaved, managing to complete the session without any red flags or major incidents. Max Verstappen was the second fastest, ahead of Charles Leclerc. The Mercedes duo, led by Kimi Antonelli, rounded out the top five. Nico Hulkenberg impressed to get his Audi into P7 between the two McLaren drivers.
Kimi Antonelli proved to be fastest when it mattered most, claiming pole position in Q3 of qualifying. Lando Norris was quickest in Q1, beating the earlier pace set by Charles Leclerc. Leclerc set the top time in Q2. It turned out that Antonelli’s first run in Q3 would prove to be the quickest of the session, with no one able to improve beyond the Italian as the session ticked to a close. Track limits came into play for Norris, who dropped to P8 after having his time deleted. Max Verstappen claimed a grid slot alongside the championship leader, with Isack Hadjar going third fastest ahead of the Ferrari duo. George Russell earned P6, as he looks to keep his championship chances alive.
Kimi Antonelli retained the top spot at the end of 56 laps of racing around the Circuit of the Americas. He was able to earn an early lead as Max Verstappen suffered a poor start from the front row of the grid, briefly dropping behind Charles Leclerc on the opening lap before regaining the position. George Russell caught the eye of the stewards, earning himself a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage with a relatively minor infraction on the opening lap. Verstappen and the two Ferrari drivers locked themselves into the two-stop strategy early, while both Mercedes drivers went for the one-stop. In the closing stages of the race, three cars battled for P2, with Charles Leclerc claiming the spot as the best of the rest ahead of Verstappen and Norris, who had a frustrating race. A P4 for Lewis Hamilton and P8 for George Russell meant that the championship title remains undecided going into the next race. Click here to read a full summary of the United States Grand Prix.
Next on the calendar is the Mexican Grand Prix on the weekend of November 1. Five races remain in the season, although the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are still yet to be officially confirmed. The FIA remains confident that the races will go ahead, but tension in the region may still lead to these final rounds of the season being cancelled.
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.
