{"id":578513,"date":"2026-04-03T01:04:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T01:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/578513\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T01:04:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T01:04:13","slug":"f1-today-extra-races-added-after-saudi-arabia-cancellation-kelly-piquets-mother-defends-verstappen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/578513\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 Today | Extra races added after Saudi Arabia cancellation, Kelly Piquet’s mother defends Verstappen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Extra races have been added to the racing calendar after the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix. Also, Max Verstappen<\/a> has been defended by Kelly Piquet<\/a>‘s mother, and a radical solution to super clipping has been posed After tensions in the Middle East saw Bahrain and Saudi Arabia cancel their respective Grand Prix weekend, holes were left in the F1<\/a> Academy schedule.<\/p>\n

However, to make up for the cancelled rounds, the all-female category will introduce a three-race weekend format at the Canadian and United States Grands Prix – rounds 2 and 5 of the calendar, respectively – restoring the planned 14-race schedule.<\/p>\n

The additional race, labelled as the \u2018Opening Race\u2019, will complement both the Reverse Grid and Feature races and \u201cwill be set using each driver\u2019s second fastest Qualifying time, adding a tactical element to the sole 30-minute Qualifying session, where drivers must deliver not just one perfect lap, but two.<\/p>\n

Along with that, Formula 2 are also set to have new rounds added to its calendar, with the Miami and Canadian Grands Prix set to host extra weekends for the junior formula<\/a>.Make GPblog your preferred source on Google and see our content first in Google Discover<\/a> and Google News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Max Verstappen’s mother-in-law, Sylvia Tamsma, snapped back at former F1 World Champion Damon Hill on Instagram.<\/p>\n

After the 1996 World Champion had a few more comments pointed towards the Dutchman regarding his thoughts on the 2026 regulations and his hints at retirement, Verstappen’s mother-in-law had some comments of her own.<\/p>\n

“Seems you’re too old to understand that it is not only Max, but that all the drivers are complaining. Singling out Max is quite nasty, don’t you think?” said Tamsma.<\/p>\n

\"verstappen-rb22-japan\"\/<\/p>\n

Max Verstappen currently sits P9 in the Drivers’ Standings – Photo: Race Pictures<\/p>\n

The issues surrounding super clipping have been stark after the first three Grands Prix of the 2026 season, but Spanish engineer and pundit Toni Cuquerella has proposed a simulation aimed at completely eliminating the super clipping phenomenon in Miami.<\/p>\n

The former Ferrari and Sauber employee shared a simulation on his X profile, suggesting that Formula 1<\/a> could address many of the issues that revolve around a series of targeted adjustments to the power unit parameters<\/p>\n

According to the simulation, the changes would deliver a top speed of around 328 km\/h just before braking – compared to the 338 km\/h currently expected under the existing rules.<\/p>\n

Follow GPblog on social media to stay updated on all Formula 1 news: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> and TikTok<\/a>.Listen to or watch the GPblog.com<\/a> video podcast. In the F1 Paddock Update, Jim Kimberley and Ben Hunt discuss the latest Formula 1 news. New episodes are available every Monday and Thursday on YouTube<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, or your favourite podcast app.