Formula 1’s governing body has rated Red Bull as having the best power unit for the 2026 season, triggering engine upgrades for their rivals under a new development system.

The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) evaluated the pecking order of the sport’s five engine manufacturers as part of the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) scheme.

Every manufacturer apart from the Milton Keynes-based outfit will be permitted to improve their powertrains after performance findings were shared with the grid.

Mercedes and Ferrari handed development lifelines

Documents reveal that Mercedes are currently more than two per cent behind the benchmark set by the Austrian constructors.

The Silver Arrows will subsequently receive one upgrade allowance for this year and another for the 2027 campaign.

Ferrari, Audi and Honda are deemed to be trailing by over four per cent and will be granted two upgrade tokens across both seasons.

The verdict arrives as a notable triumph for Red Bull, who are producing their own bespoke engines for the very first time.

Hamilton acknowledges significant deficit

The findings have generated surprise in the paddock, particularly given that Mercedes have boasted the most competitive overall package across the opening six rounds.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton revealed that teams were formally notified of the ADUO results during the recent Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

“Red Bull have the most powerful engine, Mercedes second, and then we are behind,” the Ferrari driver stated.

“We’ve got now these tokens to try to develop and close the gap, but that’s like an eight-to-10-month project so it’s not something we can just do next week,” the British veteran added.

FIA insists system is not a magic bullet

The governing body has deliberately kept its measurement metrics secret to prevent manufacturers from manipulating their performance data to secure favourable allowances.

FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis emphasised that the ADUO framework functions strictly as a financial relief mechanism.

“A team or manufacturer will not suddenly get greater fuel flow rate or more or less ballast. It simply provides them with leeway to develop.”

The chief motorsport regulator clarified that manufacturers meeting the criteria still need to engineer a winning power unit.

“It’s not a magic bullet, or like the FIA is handing out brownie points to somebody who’s behind,” Tombazis concluded.

Denny Hamlin secured an emotional NASCAR Cup Series victory at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, tying his late teammate Kyle Busch on the all-time wins list.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver dominated the final stages of the 400-mile event to claim the 63rd victory of his illustrious career.

Waving a black flag bearing the number 18 out of his window, the veteran performed a poignant burnout down the straightaway to honour his former colleague.

An emotional tribute to a fallen teammate

Busch, who drove alongside the race winner for a record 523 races, tragically passed away last month.

The wider motorsport community has endured a devastating period, also grieving the recent losses of Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett and former driver Greg Biffle.

“Truthfully, I had to outlive him to tie him. He was an amazing teammate. He taught me so much at tracks like this. I just can’t say enough.”

Denny Hamlin

Surging from the back of the grid

Despite qualifying on pole position, Hamlin was forced to start from the rear of the field following a penalty for unapproved adjustments to his Toyota.

He patiently navigated through the pack, eventually seizing control with a daring three-wide pass on a restart with just 38 laps remaining.

Sweeping past Spire Racing duo Daniel Suarez and Carson Hocevar, the number 11 car never looked back.

He crossed the finish line 11.110 seconds ahead of the competition, marking the largest margin of victory at the Brooklyn circuit since June 1991.

“This Joe Gibbs team just keeps giving me amazing race cars. And at the last run there, it just hammered down.”

Denny Hamlin

Back-to-back triumphs

The commanding performance secures a second consecutive triumph for Hamlin, following a similar penalty-defying win at Nashville Superspeedway last week.

Fellow Michigan native Erik Jones claimed the runner-up spot after also overcoming a pre-race grid penalty.

“I don’t think anyone was going to contend with Denny at the end. He was flying.”

Kyle Larson

Michigan race top five

George Russell saw his Formula 1 championship hopes severely dented after a costly pit-lane penalty relegated him to 12th at Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, while Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli secured victory.

The British driver has slipped to third in the driver standings and now trails 19-year-old Antonelli by 68 points.

Russell had climbed as high as third on the iconic street circuit before a drive-through penalty abruptly ended his podium challenge.

The Mercedes driver was penalised for crossing the solid white line upon pit-lane entry, shortening the timing loop and triggering a speeding infringement.

A season of relentless frustration

Speaking after the race in Monte Carlo, the 26-year-old admitted his title campaign has been derailed by circumstances outside of his control.

He recently retired from the lead of the Canadian Grand Prix due to a mechanical failure and suffered terrible safety car timing while leading in Japan.

“I’m beyond frustration now,” Russell told the media.

“I’m just struggling to comprehend how this season has panned out.”

“I wish I could take some responsibility for the car breaking down in Canada or the penalties today, but it’s been completely outside of my control, and that is an incredibly difficult pill to swallow.”

Antonelli dominates in opposite garage

While the senior driver struggles with misfortune, his teenage stablemate is making life at the summit of motorsport look incredibly straightforward.

Antonelli’s triumph in the principality marked his fifth consecutive race win of the 2026 campaign.

The Italian prodigy comprehensively outperformed his more experienced garage neighbour across the weekend.

Despite the mounting deficit, 16 rounds still remain on the calendar for the championship momentum to potentially swing back.

However, overtaking on the narrow streets of Monaco proved near-impossible after an early delay trapped the number 63 car behind Isack Hadjar’s ailing vehicle.

“I don’t ever really believe in good luck or bad luck, but when I look at the season as a whole… there’s not a lot I can do.” George Russell

Seven-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has claimed the 100th victory of his career by winning the Hungarian Grand Prix at Balaton Park.

The 33-year-old fought off fierce pressure from KTM rider Pedro Acosta to cross the line 1.5 seconds ahead of his younger compatriot.

Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia completed the podium by securing a solid third-place finish in an action-packed race.

This historic triumph marks the veteran Spaniard’s first Grand Prix win since his success at San Marino in September.

Milestone victory follows injury struggles

Starting from pole position, the legendary rider achieved this feat just weeks after recovering from complex surgeries on his foot and shoulder.

His 2025 campaign was ended prematurely following a severe shoulder injury sustained in a prior collision with Marco Bezzecchi.

“Expensive win because after last year it changed everything,” said the emotional race winner, who celebrated by standing on his bike while flying a red flag bearing the number 100.

A hard-fought road to redemption

“But the sport is like this,” the seven-time world champion continued.

“From one day to the other, one can change everything.”

He noted that he previously learned this harsh lesson in 2020, referring to a devastating broken arm that forced his withdrawal from that season’s opening round.

First-lap chaos impacts title race

While the Hungarian Grand Prix victor celebrated at the front, severe drama unfolded behind him affecting the overall standings.

Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi was forced to retire on lap one after Aprilia team-mate Jorge Martin triggered a massive crash involving four riders.

Despite Sunday’s devastating early exit, the championship leader still managed to extend his overall advantage to 20 points over Martin.

This critical points gap was heavily influenced by Saturday’s sprint, where the eventual race winner led from flag to flag ahead of Acosta, leaving Martin to settle for sixth.

The Monaco Grand Prix was suspended with five laps remaining after Charles Leclerc crashed his Ferrari due to a deteriorating track surface.

The historic street circuit was brought to an abrupt standstill following fears that sections of the asphalt were rapidly breaking apart.

The Monegasque driver was on course for a podium finish at his home race before ploughing into the barriers at the final corner.

Unexpected pothole hazard

Race control initially deployed the safety car before swiftly upgrading the intervention to a full red flag.

Replays quickly highlighted a fresh pothole at turn 19, which the local hero had driven directly over prior to his heavy impact.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll had suffered a remarkably similar accident in the identical location just a few laps earlier.

Former driver and co-commentator Martin Brundle described the bizarre sequence of events as “highly unusual” during the live broadcast.

Track inspection and repairs

Fragments of the road surface were visibly tearing away and adhering to the tyres of passing vehicles.

An FIA spokesperson confirmed the stoppage was “for inspection of track break-up at turn 19”.

Race director Rui Marques immediately travelled to the final corner to personally assess the compromised tarmac.

Track marshals equipped with sweeping brushes were deployed to clear chunks of loose debris from the racing line.

Monaco’s tight confines and unforgiving barriers already make it one of the most perilous fixtures on the Formula 1 calendar, leaving zero margin for sudden surface failures.

Governing body officials are currently deliberating whether it is physically safe to resume the final stages of the event.

Richard Childress Racing owner Richard Childress has revealed he was preparing to announce a contract extension for Kyle Busch at Michigan International Speedway before the two-time Cup Series champion’s sudden death in May.

Childress addressed the media on Saturday for the first time since the 41-year-old died on 21 May.

The legendary driver passed away after severe pneumonia rapidly progressed into sepsis.

His death certificate later cited hemorrhagic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation as the official causes.

Echoes of a past tragedy

For the 80-year-old team owner, the loss brings back devastating memories of the 2001 Daytona 500.

Childress previously had to navigate his NASCAR organisation through the fatal crash of seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt.

“You lose two of the greatest drivers that’s ever driven a car in NASCAR and to have to go through it again,” Childress said.
“I just feel so bad for the family and the employees and everybody. But yeah, I mean, I haven’t slept very good lately.”

Final conversations and future plans

The veteran motorsport boss explained he had spoken to the experienced driver the night before his sudden hospitalisation.

The American had become unresponsive while testing in a Chevrolet racing simulator in North Carolina.

Despite enduring a 105-race winless streak in the Cup Series, the former champion was highly optimistic about his racing future.

A recent crew chief change had sparked an upturn in form, culminating in a season-best eighth-place finish at Watkins Glen.

“He said, ‘You give me cars like you gave me the last three weeks, I will make The Chase this year,'” Childress noted.

Safeguarding a family legacy

In the wake of the tragedy, RCR has switched to using the number 33 car.

Austin Hill has taken over driving duties for the past two events and will retain the seat for the remainder of the campaign.

“We don’t want to put a burden back on everybody trying to go from one driver to the other,” Childress explained.

The iconic number eight has been respectfully set aside for the potential future Cup career of the late driver’s 11-year-old son, Brexton.

Childress has recently spent time with the grieving family, reflecting on the hunting trips and dirt track racing they all shared.

“The many things that we all could have done together, that was probably the toughest part of this whole thing,” he added.

The heartbroken team owner concluded by calling for his former driver to be immediately inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Haas teammates Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman engaged in an expletive-laden radio exchange after repeatedly impeding each other during Friday practice for the Monaco Grand Prix.

The narrow streets of Monte Carlo are notoriously difficult to navigate when multiple cars are attempting flying laps.

Traffic management proved to be an insurmountable issue for the American outfit during the weekend’s opening sessions.

Ocon fumes at track blockages

The 21-year-old Briton found himself inadvertently blocking his teammate on multiple occasions while pushing for consecutive quick laps.

Despite driving for the same garage, the older Frenchman did not hold back when broadcasting his anger to the pit wall.

“He doesn’t have to f*** my laps twice as well, you know, on the fast laps,” the Evreux native complained to his race engineer.

Bearman responds to aggressive overtake

The 29-year-old then aggressively overtook his younger counterpart approaching the tight Anthony Noghes corner.

However, the furious reaction was far from one-sided after the abrasive track manoeuvre disrupted the British driver’s rhythm.

“What an idiot, man. That was so stupid from Esteban,” Bearman fired back over his own communications channel.

Championship disparity adds to tension

The on-track squabble highlights a growing pressure within the Haas camp amid contrasting fortunes in the 2026 campaign.

The rookie currently sits ninth in the drivers’ standings with 18 points, keeping him firmly in the midfield fight.

Conversely, his more experienced stablemate languishes down in 16th place, having secured just a single point so far this season.

Antonelli secures pole on unforgiving circuit

Beyond the inter-team drama, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli mastered the 3.337-kilometre track to claim pole position for Sunday’s race.

Securing the front of the grid is traditionally crucial in the Principality, where the sheer width of modern machinery makes overtaking almost impossible.

The historic street circuit remains a beloved but heavily scrutinised staple of the calendar, featuring on every schedule since the inaugural world championship in 1950.

NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and legendary broadcaster Ned Jarrett has died peacefully of natural causes at his home in North Carolina aged 93.

The two-time Cup champion secured 50 race victories during a remarkable career that peaked with top-tier titles in 1961 and 1965.

His second championship was particularly extraordinary, as the motorsport icon won 13 times and finished in the top five in 42 of 54 races despite breaking his back in a mid-season crash.

Early retirement and broadcasting fame

The North Carolina native chose to step away at the pinnacle of his profession aged just 34, retiring during the 1966 season after Ford withdrew their manufacturer support.

Following his driving days, he transitioned into a beloved media figure with extensive broadcasting stints across national radio and television networks.

One of his most enduring moments behind the microphone occurred at the 1993 Daytona 500, where he famously abandoned journalistic neutrality to cheer his son Dale across the finish line ahead of Dale Earnhardt.

Both men are now enshrined in the Hall of Fame, representing only the second father-son duo to capture championships at the sport’s highest level.

Tributes paid to ‘Gentleman Ned’

His family released a heartfelt statement on Thursday confirming his passing and paying tribute to his exceptional character.

“Our father was a devout Christian and a devoted, loving family man,” the Jarrett family said.
“While we mourn his passing, we celebrate the remarkable life of an amazing man and truly the best father anyone could have wished for.”

Often referred to affectionately as ‘Gentleman Ned’, the revered competitor was officially inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame in 2011 as part of its prestigious second class.

NASCAR chief executive Steve O’Donnell praised his enduring legacy both on and off the racetrack.

“Despite his calm demeanor, ‘Gentleman’ Ned Jarrett was as fierce a competitor as NASCAR has ever seen,” O’Donnell stated.
“Ned was an outstanding ambassador for the sport for more than six decades, and he will be dearly missed.”