{"id":802097,"date":"2026-07-15T15:37:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T15:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/802097\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T15:37:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T15:37:11","slug":"ferrari-f1s-three-lions-plus-deadline-looms-on-middle-east-race-rescheduling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/802097\/","title":{"rendered":"Ferrari, F1\u2019s Three Lions? Plus: Deadline looms on Middle East race rescheduling"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prime Tire Newsletter | This is The Athletic\u2019s F1 newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive Prime Tire directly in your inbox twice a week during the season and weekly in the offseason.<\/p>\n

Welcome back to Prime Tire, where today I\u2019m looking forward to Formula 1\u2019s Belgian Grand Prix this weekend and considering the curious, fluctuating form of Ferrari, the British GP winner.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m Alex, and Luke Smith will be along later.<\/p>\n

Flummoxing Ferrari: What next in a long title drought?<\/p>\n

Later this week, Luke and Madeline Coleman are going to explain their predictions for the upcoming race at Spa. But as Madeline covered in\u00a0our last PT edition<\/a>,\u00a0the drivers are heading there fearing it could be another strange weekend,\u00a0with the new engines continuing to behave counterintuitively at a fast and fearsome track.<\/p>\n

At Silverstone<\/a>, things ultimately weren\u2019t as bad as the drivers feared. But Spa, with its undulating layout and fickle Ardennes weather, is arguably more special in the minds and hearts of both drivers and F1 fans. So it will be strange to hear the depressing sound of super-clipping limiting top speeds on the long run up the Kemmel straight when watching driver onboards this weekend. But the\u00a0yo-yo racing style<\/a>\u00a0of the 2026 cars could make it interesting.<\/p>\n

Although if F1 in 2026 has taught me anything, it\u2019s that predictions are harder than ever.<\/p>\n

Enter Ferrari.<\/p>\n

The Italian team arrived at Silverstone after a chastening Austria weekend, one race removed from Lewis Hamilton\u2019s\u00a0sensational win in Spain<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ferrari\u2019s poor Red Bull Ring outing came down to its engine struggling at the Austrian GP track\u2019s relatively higher altitude. But it still shone at Silverstone when a Mercedes walkover appeared likely.<\/p>\n

OK, sure, Charles Leclerc needed Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli to break his\u00a0left-side wheel shield<\/a>\u00a0against the Copse exit curbs to win the main Silverstone race, after the Italian\u00a0dashed Hamilton\u2019s hopes<\/a> of a home win in the sprint event the day before.\u00a0But that was still some turnaround from Ferrari.<\/p>\n

Ferrari\u2019s car upgrades so far this season have made an impressive impact.\u00a0And both Hamilton and Leclerc have put in impressive performances \u2014 albeit after a lot of brake-related frustration for Leclerc.<\/p>\n

So, now the question is:\u00a0Can Ferrari win the 2026 world title?<\/p>\n

The team won\u2019t entertain such talk.\u00a0But Hamilton is just 32 points behind Antonelli\u00a0\u2014 who has 179 points\u00a0after the championship leader ended up scoreless in Silverstone\u2019s main contest \u2014 and seven points behind George Russell (154 points, second place).<\/p>\n

Antonelli\u2019s once-commanding standings lead is suddenly looking vulnerable,\u00a0especially with 13 races remaining this year (more on the fluctuating 2026 calendar below).<\/p>\n

And for Ferrari fans,\u00a0it\u2019s the hope that keeps them going<\/a>.<\/p>\n

OK, now bear with me \u2026 I\u2019m going to make one final football (aka soccer, for our American readers) analogy this summer (mainly because I can\u2019t be sure of the outcome of the FIFA World Cup semifinals and, if England lose to Argentina tomorrow, I just might not want to mention the tournament ever again).<\/p>\n

The Italian football team is enduring a World Cup title drought that will last at least 22 years after its failure to qualify for the current tournament.\u00a0But\u00a0Ferrari isn\u2019t most like Italy; it\u2019s most similar to England\u2019s football team.<\/p>\n

Hear me out, with some help from the\u00a0\u201cThree Lions\u201d song<\/a>\u00a0by David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and the Lightning Seeds. Let\u2019s apply those lyrics, about what it\u2019s like to be an English football fan, to the F1 Ferrari team, and what those fans endure:<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfb6 \u201cEveryone seems to know the score\u201d = see my point above about F1 predictions
\n\ud83c\udfb6 \u201cThey\u2019ve seen it all before\u201d = so many\u00a0botched Ferrari strategy calls<\/a>
\n\ud83c\udfb6 \u201cBut I know they can play\u201d = that run of five world title doubles I watched Michael Schumacher scoop up for Ferrari at the turn of the millennium
\n\ud83c\udfb6 \u201cThirty years of hurt\u201d = 19 years since Kimi R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen (pictured above) last won Ferrari an F1 drivers\u2019 title, and 18 since its 2008 constructors\u2019 triumph
\n\ud83c\udfb6 \u201cSo many jokes, so many sneers\u201d = every \u201cwe are checking<\/a>\u201d meme
\n\ud83c\udfb6 \u201cBut all those \u2018oh so nears\u2019\u201d = Fernando Alonso coming agonizingly in second for Ferrari in 2010 and 2012, plus Sebastian Vettel\u2019s near-miss in 2018
\n\ud83c\udfb6 \u201cThree Lions on a shirt!\u201d = the Prancing Horse logo on its field on Modena yellow, obviously
\n\ud83c\udfb6 \u201cI know that was then, but it could be again\u201d = whatever Hamilton and Leclerc can now do with the upgraded SF-26<\/p>\n

I guess what I\u2019m getting at is, much like that song implies for England,\u00a0Ferrari also has what it takes to succeed at the top level.\u00a0Yet with plenty of historical pedigree, Ferrari remains painfully stuck in a cycle of defeat largely of its own making.<\/p>\n

Supporting Ferrari can feel very frustrating, as big hopes give way to big disappointment. And I know this can apply to many worthy footballing countries and F1 teams, but that song is just stuck in my mind during these sunny days in London, while Team England is still alive this World Cup.<\/p>\n

Going back to Ferrari, it has lost more than it has won in its long F1 history, which goes back further than any other team, to the second race of the inaugural world championship season in 1950. (Ferrari\u2019s mercurial eponymous founder Enzo Ferrari refused to enter the first race\u00a0at Silverstone<\/a>, as he deemed the race appearance and prize fees too low.)<\/p>\n

But it has also been\u00a0so good\u00a0over\u00a0certain\u00a0stretches\u00a0the past 76 years, it always feels like Ferrari is on the cusp of rediscovering the old Alberto Ascari, Niki Lauda or Schumacher magic. Let alone that of the six other drivers to have won the title in red.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s two races to go until F1\u2019s August break. If Ferrari can add to its 2026 win tally against the mighty Mercedes in that time,\u00a0it\u2019s game on for a multi-team title battle this year.<\/p>\n

And, if not, put this analogy down to some hot summer fever dreams.<\/p>\n

Over to Luke to return this newsletter to more serious territory.<\/p>\n

Inside the Paddock with Madeline Coleman: F1 needs to make a rescheduling decision<\/p>\n

F1 wants to get at least one of its\u00a0canceled races<\/a>\u00a0in Bahrain or Saudi Arabia\u00a0back onto the 2026 calendar<\/a>, having called off both events that were slated for April following the conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0ceasefire agreement<\/a>\u00a0made last month has unravelled in the last couple of weeks, with the number of attacks in the region increasing.\u00a0F1 has continued to closely follow events, staying in close contact with not only the race organizers in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, but also local governments and authorities.<\/p>\n

Whenever F1 makes a call, it will be well-informed.<\/p>\n

But time is ticking on a decision, especially as the conflict is appearing to re-escalate.\u00a0The mooted spot for Bahrain to be reinstated was Oct. 4, between races in Azerbaijan and Singapore. The next couple of weeks are likely to be vital to judge what is viable for rescheduling the race in that slot.<\/p>\n

F1 still has Middle East races scheduled in Qatar (Nov. 30) and Abu Dhabi (Dec. 6) to close out the season, but the deadline for any decision on these is months away.\u00a0It wouldn\u2019t be until early October that teams would need to know how the end of the season may look.<\/p>\n

Back to you, Alex.<\/p>\n

Magnussen Magic: Dane gets first post-F1 win in WEC race<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been rather\u00a0Kevin Magnussen-heavy<\/a>\u00a0in PT of late, but the Dane created such a legacy across nine full F1 seasons and 185 grands prix that we can\u2019t help but keep track of what he\u2019s up to.\u00a0Especially in a race we covered\u00a0on our site<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Our latest round of\u00a0World Endurance Championship stories<\/a>\u00a0culminated in my report of the series\u2019 6 Hours of S\u00e3o Paulo race last Sunday, when Magnussen and his co-drivers Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor won for BMW WRT. Ferrari took second place with its No. 51 car, and Cadillac\u2019s No. 12 car placed third, despite showing the race\u2019s strongest pace.<\/p>\n

Although there was plenty that could disrupt the race over the four hours that followed Magnussen\u2019s opening two-hour stint in the lead BMW,\u00a0his key work set up the victory.<\/p>\n

Unlike his poor start\u00a0at Le Mans last month<\/a>, Magnussen gained spots quickly and early on at Interlagos \u2014\u00a0the same venue<\/a>\u00a0that hosts F1\u2019s Brazilian race each year \u2014 including a feisty pass on Earl Bamber in the No. 38 Cadillac car.
\nThere was plenty of rubbing and bumping on what was a cold, damp track, but Magnussen pulled off the ultra-aggressive move with aplomb \u2014 exactly what you\u2019d expect from his time in F1.
\nMagnussen then paired speed with good fuel efficiency to keep the lead on what emerged as the \u201corthodox\u201d race strategy, while both Cadillacs hit trouble at their first pitstops.<\/p>\n

You can read my full report\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 including Vanthoor overcoming sickness in the BMW cockpit to hold on for the win \u2014 but Magnussen was certainly pleased with the result.<\/p>\n

After all, it marks his first win after 1 1\/2 WEC seasons, and his first win post-F1.\u00a0It\u2019s also his first win in any category since the Detroit IMSA race in 2021, and it came on the same track where he took\u00a0a popular F1 pole in 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe strategy was perfect, the pit stops too \u2013 everything just worked,\u201d Magnussen said in BMW\u2019s post-race news release. \u201cMy two teammates did an excellent job. That\u2019s why I\u2019m overjoyed to have finally achieved this victory.\u00a0It took a long time, but now, we\u2019ve finally done it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Congrats, K-Mag.<\/p>\n

Outside the Points<\/p>\n

\u2757 Sticking with WEC updates, I explained\u00a0how safety systems work in endurance racing<\/a>, with events and fields much bigger and therefore more complex than in F1.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfce Lando Norris drove the\u00a0McLaren Hypercar<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0Goodwood Festival of Speed<\/a> in the UK.<\/p>\n

\u203c\ufe0f And a report from dailysportscar.com suggests the rescheduled WEC races in Bahrain and Qatar\u00a0could be canceled again<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb Love Prime Tire? Check out The Athletic\u2019s other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Prime Tire Newsletter | This is The Athletic\u2019s F1 newsletter. Sign up here to receive Prime Tire directly…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":802098,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,813,816,85],"class_list":["post-802097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=802097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/802098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=802097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=802097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=802097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}