Welcome to Thursday’s edition of the RaceFans round-up.
Has the standard of racing in Formula 1 improved since the start of the year – and has that been down to the changes to the rules, the nature of the recent tracks, or a combination of factors?
I was one of the many people criticising it at the start of the season, and there’s definitely still plenty I would change if I was able to, however I’ve enjoyed all the races this year so far. The racing doesn’t feel anywhere near as silly as it looked in the first couple of races, the championship is starting to open up a bit and the races themselves have been pretty eventful on the whole. There are still moments I wince slightly as a car comes towards the end of a straight and the revs start dropping, but if the cars can follow well, battle well and don’t look like absolute boats, that’s a trade-off I’m becoming happy with.
It’s not for everyone, it’s far from perfect (but when has F1 ever been perfect, let’s be honest), but I’m still finding it very enjoyable so far.
@F1alex
Social media and links
2026 Austrian Grand Prix Preview (FIA)
‘The pit wall at the beginning of the start/finish straight has been extended and the pit exit lights and speed limit sign have been moved 50 meters (anticipated). Four new pit garages have been constructed towards the pit entry end of the pit lane. As a consequence, the pit entry speed control line is 140 metres earlier.’
Pirelli plans to get more aggressive with F1 tyre options (Racer)
‘At the most recent race in Spain, a mixture of two-stop and three-stop strategies played out thanks to the levels of degradation seen amid high temperatures. With strategic variation targeted on all tracks, Pirelli’s head of motorsport business Dario Marrafuschi says the tyre supplier’s initial plan from the start of the season has already been revised to bring softer compounds as often as possible.’
Fifa urged to drop Saudi oil giant Aramco as activists target World Cup (The Guardian)
‘The protesters’ key target is (Formula 1 sponsorship partner) Saudi Aramco, the exclusive energy sponsor for this year’s tournament, which is also the world’s largest corporate carbon emitter. Players have for years called on Fifa to drop the company as a sponsor, and in May, a group of health, climate science and sports experts signed an open letter highlighting the organisation’s Aramco sponsorship, arguing that the ‘active promotion’ of fossil fuels creates ‘a conflict of interest with the protection of player welfare’.’
(Manufacturers): 2030 regs framework ‘exactly what we need’ (Sportscar 365)
‘When polled on which pathway they would take should its programs continue into 2030, BMW, Ford and McLaren all would likely remain with constructor-supplied chassis and the off-the-shelf hybrids, where LMH manufacturers Aston Martin and Peugeot would have to build cars from scratch.’
Welcome to my crib with Zak Brown (YouTube)
After many years at Sky I am moving on to exciting new ventures and looking forward to what comes next. I have left the Sky F1 team but F1 still has my heart & so I’ll still be involved in it. I’ll keep you posted, in the meantime see you at Silverstone!
— Rachel Brookes (@RachelBrookesTV) June 24, 2026
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