Adam Cooper

It's been a long journey for Lando Norris and McLaren - and some crucial lessons made the difference on the way to the title: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a696620...

Lewis Hamilton is keen to move on: "At the moment, I'm only forward just to the break, just disconnecting, not speaking to anyone. No one's going to be able to get hold of me this winter. I won't have my phone with me. I'm looking forward to that. Just a complete unplug from the matrix..."

Charles Leclerc on a first F1 World Championship for Lando Norris: "I think that's why I love sport so much, it's the emotions, and no matter how much you want to beat your opponents, to see someone's face as happy as Lando's is something that is beautiful to see."

Andrea Stella suffered a "painful" title defeat with Fernando Alonso in Abu Dhabi 15 years ago. Now he has a shot at redemption with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri:

www.roadandtrack.com/news/a696515...

I've been to all F1's final round showdowns since my first in Adelaide in 1994 (585 races ago!). The one in which I had the most personal connection involved my pal Eddie Irvine, who lost out to Mika Hakkinen at Suzuka in 1999. Here we are post-race with his boss Jean Todt:

Toyota will join Audi, Cadillac and Ford on the F1 grid in 2026 - albeit by proxy via a higher profile involvement with Haas. What does the deal mean for the team?: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a696465...

After 24 race weekends the F1 World Championship reaches a conclusion in Abu Dhabi on Sunday - and history suggests that even third man Oscar Piastri still has a chance: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a696342...

With Moneygram departing Toyota Gazoo Racing will step up to become title sponsor of Haas in 2026 under the TGR Haas F1 Team name as the Japanese manufacturer takes another step towards fully embracing F1. The livery will be unveiled on January 23.

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both referenced a lack of development on the SF-25 after a difficult Qatar GP. However Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur says other factors came into play last weekend: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a696058...

Great to hear that Dutch F1 photographer Peter van Egmond, who sadly lost his battle with cancer in January, will be remembered via a contest to celebrate the best work by his accredited colleagues. Supported by the FIA, it will be partly judged by a public vote, so keep an eye open for info:

No big surprises in the 2026 Racing Bulls line-up as 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad is fast-tracked into a Faenza race seat alongside Liam Lawson. He's done well in FP1 running but it's still a huge ask for a rookie to jump in amid all the rule changes, and with the new Ford PU to be sorted.

F1's worst kept secret is finally made official - Isack Hadjar is moving to Red Bull Racing in 2026 to become Max Verstappen's seventh team mate there in 11 years, after RIC, GAS, ALB, PER, LAW and TSU. We know he's quick and ultra determined, but how will he fare against VER?:

It's now official - F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli has joined the McLaren driver development programme, along with Richard Verschoor and 2025 FIA Karting European Champion Christian Costoya.

Fornaroli finally lands an F1 deal as he follows Bortoleto's path New F2 champion has caught the attention of F1 teams

New FIA F2 champion Leo Fornaroli already has an F1 testing deal - with sources suggesting that it's with McLaren:

adamcooperonf1.substack.com/p/fornaroli-...

Max Verstappen has been a relentless force all season, keeping the pressure on McLaren. Will it pay off at the Abu Dhabi F1 finale?:

www.roadandtrack.com/news/a695865...

Carlos Sainz encouraged Williams to try an "experimental" setup approach for the Qatar GP: "So far we've been very solid. A point in the sprint, a position better now in quali, and a top seven going into the race. If you would have told me before the weekend, I would have not believed it."

Charles Leclerc on a big spin and P10 in Qatar GP qualifying: "I just took a stupid amount of risk, just like I do on every single corner in Q3, to try and get P8/P9. It was a little bit too much. Then I brought it back for Q3 run two, and that was just fine, and it was a really good lap."

The F1 World Championship battle is finely poised with the three contenders in the top three on the Qatar grid - and McLaren's first priority is to ensure that Max Verstappen is no longer in the fight heading into the Abu Dhabi finale:
www.roadandtrack.com/news/a695826...

Lando Norris on P3 in sprint qualifying: "The pace was there. I just made a mistake in the last corner on my first lap and didn't put it together. It's impossible to overtake, so I'm probably going to finish P3, but if I can at least get George off the line that's probably the most I can hope for."

Charles Leclerc on Qatar sprint qualifying - and getting stuck behind Carlos Sainz: "I think he was taking quite a significant gap to the car ahead just before safety car line two. And then obviously it puts all the guys behind under stress. He has the right to do that, but it's very annoying."

George Russell on the Qatar sprint: "I don't want to put a downer on it, but Turn q is probably going to be where we end up, really. We briefly spoke about it this morning in the driver's briefing, about why the DRS hasn't been extended. I hope maybe after the sprint they can adjust it if needed."

Max Verstappen frustrated with P6 in Qatar sprint qualifying: "Not good from the first lap, just really bad bouncing and very aggressive understeer that would shift into oversteer at high speed. So just not what you want to go faster. Then you're locked in."

Honda in late bid to secure Tsunoda's F1 future at Racing Bulls The paddock consensus is that Tsunoda won't have a race seat but Honda is still trying

It's widely assumed that Yuki Tsunoda is will be without a race seat in 2026 - however Honda is still trying to push his cause with Red Bull: adamcooperonf1.substack.com/p/honda-in-l...

My 600 GPs: A life on the road in Formula 1 This weekend's race in Qatar represents something of a personal landmark

This weekend’s Qatar GP is the 600th F1 race that I’ve attended with a media pass - a crazy number that the younger me could never have imagined. Here’s the story of how it happened:

adamcooperonf1.substack.com/p/my-600-gps...

McLaren knew from early in the Las Vegas GP plank wear would be an issue - but couldn't stop it The team tried to address porpoising to protect the plank, but it didn't work

Andrea Stella has given new insight into McLaren Las Vegas GP plank woes - and he insists that the team wasn't pushing the limits to find performance:
adamcooperonf1.substack.com/p/mclaren-kn...

Just a few weeks after Mercedes boss Toto Wolff called his Monza performance "underwhelming" Kimi Antonelli had strong weekends in Brazil and Las Vegas. Are we finally seeing signs of the rookie's true class?: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a695582...

Gabriel Bortoleto on Turn 1 contact with Lance Stroll in Vegas: "Misjudged a little bit the braking point, I think five metres earlier I would have probably stopped the car. I'm sorry for Lance, it was my fault. I don't have much to say, it just ended up so early, the race. A shame."

Pierre Gasly on Vegas: "Just got spun around, and my diffuser got smashed at the back. A long f**king flight to end up spun around Saturday and get another unlucky race in Vegas. For me, it's been three years in a row where I have very strong quali, and it doesn't really translate into the race."

How a nightmare double disqualification for McLaren in Las Vegas has given Max Verstappen a chance: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a695188...

Liam Lawson on P6: "I think we had a quick car. These conditions normally help us. Honestly, I feel like we even had more more in the tank today, we missed the last lap by one or two seconds. With how the session had been going at to that point, I felt pretty confident we could have improved."