Formula 1 resumes this weekend with the Miami Grand Prix after a month without racing, but the sport has kept itself busy off-track throughout April.

Having welcomed an 11th team to the grid this year, F1 could be poised to expand to 24 cars, with Chinese auto giant BYD confirming interest in the sport.

Former race director Niels Wittich has dredged up the highly contentious 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to defend predecessor Michael Masi’s legacy.

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And has the time away allowed a feud to brew between the two top teams in the midfield over culpability for a monster 50g crash in Japan.

CHINESE AUTO GIANT BYD INTERESTED IN F1 ENTRY

Chinese auto manufacturer BYD is in discussion with Formula 1 about becoming the sport’s 12th team.

BYD was founded in 2003 but has rapidly become one of the world’s most prolific car makers. In 2025 it was the sixth-best-selling brand in the world, with 4.6 million sales, and it was also by far the most popular electric car brand, with more than twice as many sales as Tesla. It’s the third largest manufacturer by market capitalisation.

Formula 1 expended to 11 teams only this season with the introduction of Cadillac to the grid, but the regulations allow for up to 12 constructors, and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has previously expressed a desire to see a Chinese squad join the sport.

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BYD vice-president Stella Li told SportMediaset that she was a Formula 1 fan and was actively considering participating.

“Yes, it’s something we are discussing,” she said when asked if joining the sport was a concrete possibility.

“We met Stefano Domenicali in Shanghai. We are always close and in contact.

“I like Formula 1 because it’s passion, culture and people dream of being in Formula 1.”

The process of joining Formula 1 is long and complex and requires approval from both the FIA and F1 itself.

Cadillac, in its guise as Andretti, was given FIA approval in October 2023 on technical and competence grounds but was knocked back by F1 in January 2024 because the sport believed it would be a commercial and competitive drag.

It was only when the bid was taken over by General Motors and TWG that F1 reversed course, with the entry granted in March 2025.

Li said joining Formula would be “a real possibility to test our technology”, with the brand produced a range of hybrid vehicles.

However, SportMediaset notes that the brand could yet choose to join Formula 1 as a sponsor or engine supplier rather than as a works operation.

Alex Marquez wins as Marc crashes out | 01:40

FORMER AUSSIE RACE DIRECTOR DEFENDED AFTER 2021 CONTROVERSY

Former Formula 1 race director Niels Wittich has risked opening a can of worms by defending predecessor Michael Masi’s handling of the highly controversial 2021 title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

One of history’s most infamous races, Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to the world championship after a last-lap safety car restart many believed was contrary to the regulations.

Hamilton was comfortably leading Verstappen when Nichoals Latifi crashed out of the race with six laps remaining. Hamilton’s buffer wasn’t big enough to pit for new tyres without losing position, but Verstappen was able to make a brief stop for fresh rubber while holding second place.

Removing Latifi’s wrecked car took almost the remaining duration of the race, but on the penultimate lap Masi allowed only the five cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves — leaving other lapped cars in place — to put the title contenders line astern on the track.

The rules normally require another lap behind the safety car to allow those drivers unlapping themselves to reach the tail of the field, but because this would have meant the race ending under caution, Masi declared the grand prix would restart on the final lap.

Hamilton’s old tyres were no match for Verstappen’s fresh rubber, with the Dutchman taking the lead to win the race and the title.

A subsequent internal investigation found that Masi had made a “human error” but had acted “in good faith”, and the Australian was dropped from the position for 2022.

Wittich replaced Masi as part of a two-person race director team, but both were replaced by the end of 2024 by Rui Marques, who is still at the helm today.

Speaking to Formel1.de, Wittich lamented that Masi had been scapegoated by an FIA that offered insufficient support for its race directors.

“After the investigation following Abu Dhabi, the conclusion seemed to be that Michael had to go — essentially finding a scapegoat,” he said.

“What was really disappointing for me and many colleagues was the lack of support from the FIA for Michael. That’s something that needs to be clearly criticised. Everyone knew that in extreme situations you’d be left on your own.

“In the past, under [former race director] Charlie Whiting, there was always backing from FIA leadership. Max Mosley stood firmly behind him. That support wasn’t there anymore. It still isn’t. That’s one of the reasons I’m no longer a race director in Formula 1.

“Whatever happened, there was no proper discussion, no backing for employees, and that’s the worst takeaway from that whole situation.”

Wittich added that Masi’s actions at the title-deciding race were justifiable.

“Michael didn’t do that much wrong,” he said.

“One key factor was that teams, FIA, and Formula 1 had all agreed over many meetings that races should, if possible, finish under green flag conditions. Nobody wanted a race ending behind the safety car.

“He essentially did what everyone had agreed upon: create one final racing lap. It produced a spectacular finish, an overtake, a winner and a runner-up. It could have gone the other way just as easily. That’s sport.”

Marc Marquez goes off in a HUGE crash | 00:39

BEARMAN BLAMES COLAPINTO FOR SUZUKA SHUNT

Oliver Bearman has blamed Franco Colapinto’s “unacceptable” driving for causing his monster 50g crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Bearman crashed out of the race at Suzuka after leaving the road at 308 kilometres per hour while duelling with Colapinto on the run down to Spoon.

The Haas driver had noted that the Alpine car was regularly harvesting energy through the flat-out right-hand bend following the hairpin and chose to deploy maximum power with the boost button to launch an overtake on lap 22.

The closing speed differential was around 50 kilometres per hour when Colapinto drifted defensively to the middle of the road. Bearman, without the time to react, veered left and onto the grass, from where his car slid out of control into the barriers.

The massive difference in speed is a corollary of the new engine regulations, under which the car can lose half its total power output depending on whether the battery is charged or being replenished.

But Bearman said Colapinto had broken an agreement between the drivers that the defending car would not change lines if they were down on battery power.

“It was something we spoke about on Friday, which makes it even more frustrating,” Bearman told the Up to Speed podcast.

“We said among all the drivers, ‘We need to give each other a bit more respect, move to defend your position a bit earlier, because the speed deltas are much higher than we’ve ever had in our sport’.

“Then two days later that happens, which for me was unacceptable.

“He saw me coming and moved. Last year it would have been fine; this year he sees me coming too late. I’m arriving with such a speed delta that at that point it’s too late to move.

“I saw him look in his mirror and go left, which is not good.

“We need to sort these things out between drivers, have a bit more respect between us, because I was really not happy with what he did.”

The stewards took no action against either driver during the race, but the FIA has since tweaked the regulations to minimise the chance of such massive differences between drivers starting from this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.