As the F1 Spring Breakn has gone on, many talks have been underway with drivers, teams and other stakeholders in relation to some key concerns that have been brought up as a result of the first 3 rounds of the Formula One 2026 season.
Today, the FIA met with all teams and came to a conclusion that the following changes will be made:
Qualifying: The maximum reduction from 8MJ to 7MJ with an aim at reducing the excessive harvesting and encouraging more consistent flat out.
Peak superclip increased to 350kW in order to reduce the time spent recharging and in order to reduce the driver workload on the energy management. This will also happen in races.
Race: The maximum power through boost mode has been capped at 150kW limiting the sudden performance differences.
The MGU-K is maintained at 350kW in key zones but will be limited to 250kW in other zones.
A new “low power start detection” has been developed for the starts so it is easier to identify cars with a low acceleration after clutch release.
An automatic MGU-K deployment will be triggered in these cases to ensure a minimum power of acceleration and to mitigate any start-related risks without any advantage.
A new visual warning system has also been introduced for activating flashing lights on the affected cars.
A reset of the energy counter at the start of the formation lap has also been introduced in order to correct an issue.
Wet Conditions: The tyre blanket temperatures for intermediate tyres will also be increased following driver feedback.
ERS deployment has been reduced for these conditions to limit torque and improve car control.
The rear light system will also be simplified with more visual consistency to improve visibility and reaction time.
All changes will be presented to the FIA World Motorsport Council with a view to implement them before May 3rd which is the Miami Grand Prix apart from the race starts will be tested and alaysed during the weekend.
Ash Sutton took his second win of the day in round three at Donington Park. Having won race two, Sutton started eighth and made his way through the field to take his 49th BTCC win and leave Donington Park with an 18 point championship lead.
Polesitter Ricky Collard, reigning British GT champion, made a good start while Dexter Patterson, who started second, fell behind the two WSR BMW’s who both flew off the line. Series debutant Lewis Selby was tapped coming out of Redgate and lost plenty of time.
By lap two Sutton was third already, while up front Charles Rainford dived down the inside of Collard at the Old Hairpin, taking the lead. On the start of the following lap Collard made an audacious move on Rainford into Redgate. The pair battled down the Craner Curves before retaking the lead at the same place he lost it a lap prior.
Sutton was tapped by Patterson going into the final chicane, powersliding his way through it and hunting down the top two.
Further down the order, Gordon Shedden and Daryl DeLeon made contact, both put into half spins. Josh Cook and Tom Chilton were collateral damage, both suffering race ending damage.
Just as Sutton had in race one, Tom Ingram fought from last on the grid through the field, running seventh by lap seven.
Lap eight and Sutton was hounding Collard for the lead, both drivers showing incredible race craft. Heading into Redgate on lap nine, Collard went wide, with Sutton capitalising and taking the lead.
Behind the pair, Dan Cammish was lurking in third, and while he was trying to emulate teammate Sutton by passing Collard, Ingram caught up, making it a three way fight for second.
The reigning champion passed Cammish for third and was soon past teammate Collard for second, but it would be the best he can do with Sutton far down the road.
Track limits were the downfall of Plato Racing’s Dan Rowbottom in race one, and in race three it was the turn of Cammish, suffering a ten second penalty for multiple offences.
Sutton cruised to the win, showing imperious form, and that NAPA Racing had managed to make the transition from the Focus hatchback to saloon look almost effortless.
Despite the best efforts of Iker Lecuona and Sam Lowes – as well as some rain in Race 1 – Nicolo Bulega continued his winning ways in World Superbikes at the 2026 Pirelli Dutch Round.
Race 1
Bulega was beaten to the first corner not by Sam Lowes from 2nd but his teammate Lecuona starting in 3rd. This move set the tone for the race as Lecuona did everything in his power to disrupt Bulega’s winning run.
The start also saw Tommy Bridewell pushed out wide by Lorenzo Baldassari and Danilo Petrucci jump-starting and being hit with a double long-lap penalty. On the first of these he misjudged his breaking and ended up running through the gravel effectively ending his race.
Bulega caught Lecuona lacking near the end of the second lap, after which things settled down. Sam Lowes was able to keep the aruba.it Ducati’s in his sights while Alvaro Bautista and Alex Lowes consolidated fourth and fifth places.
Just after the halfway point, rain started to fall but not by enough to force the riders to change bikes or race direction to stop proceedings. The rain caught out Bulega and at the final chicane he made a mistake, kickstarting a six-lap showdown with Lecuona watched closely by Sam Lowes behind.
The two factory Ducati riders swapped places three times in three laps, before with three laps to go Bulega finally sealed the deal to retake and stretch his lead in the closing laps. Sam Lowes had to settle for third while Tarran Mackenzie sadly dropped back a couple of places having run as high as sixth while Andrea Locatelli and Miguel Oliveria capitalised.
Race 1 Results
Image Credit: WorldSBK
Tissot Superpole Race
Xavi Vierge was the biggest mover at the start of Sunday morning’s 10-lap affair while Alex Lowes went the other way. The top three held positions throughout the race as Bulega made it 12 race wins in a row.
Alex Lowes had work to do after his poor start and he recovered for a thrilling fight for fourth with Bautista in the closing laps. Vierge fell back behind those two into sixth, but his teammate initially running in seventh would be the source of lots of action in the lower top-10 positions.
Locatelli fell backwards allowing Petrucci to capitalise as Baldassari, Remy Gardner and Yari Montella all had stints inside the crucial top nine positions which set the grid for Race 2. After being penalised on the last lap, Locatelli had to cede ninth to Gardner but got back past in the nick of time.
Tissot Superpole Race Results
Image Credit: WorldSBK
Race 2
Still chasing his maiden WorldSBK victory, Sam Lowes got off to a flier in Race 2. However, after just three of the 21 laps around Assen the dream was over as the factory Ducati duo bullied him back into third.
Lecuona lead for around half a lap after passing the satellite Ducati rider before Bulega then passed him and rode off into a controlled victory by three seconds. Meanwhile, Bautista and Alex Lowes continued their battling for fourth as Vierge started to get swallowed up by the horde of Ducati’s in the top-10.
The next non-Ducati’s were 2025 Assen winner Locatelli and Petrucci as the other BMW of Oliveria made a mistake at the final chicane that dropped him as low as 14th at one stage. A disgruntled Alex Lowes fell back and fought with Mackenzie for 10th while Oliveira finished only 11th after his Portimao podiums.
Unusually for WorldSBK, all the riders finished the race under overcast conditions in Assen. Ultimately though, no one could tame Bulega who romped to a Razgatlioglu-equalling 13 race wins on the trot.
Ash Sutton’s resurgent Sunday continued with victory in round two of the British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park.
From second on the grid, Sutton surged into the lead and never lost it. Dan Cammish made it a NAPA Racing one-two, and a first win for the new Ford Focus Saloon. Gordon Shedden rolled back the years for third.
The drama began before the race started, with Tom Ingram putting on the end of the formation lap with an alternator issue with his car. His weekend going from bad to worse following his race one disqualification.
Rainford sprung off the line from third to pass Sutton and Doble for the lead. Sutton moved into second and on the exit of Redgate he nudged Rainford wide and took the lead. The Safety Car’s 100% appearance record continued with Nicholas Hamilton out in the gravel at Redgate. Tom Chilton went wide at the Craner Curves and almost collected team mate Ricky Collard on re-entry.
Dan Rowbottom pulled in during the Safety Car period and retired from the race, another driver whose weekend wasn’t going according to plan.
On the restart Sutton kept his lead, Cammish was up to third as race one winner Mikey Doble’s descent down the grid began. Shedden was past the beleaguered Audi driver on lap seven, not before a nudge from fellow Scot Aiden Moffat going into the Old Hairpin.
Lap eight saw Adam Morgan, Daryl DeLeon and PMR teammate Dexter Patterson pass Doble, with his car clearly suffering. Back up front Sutton was nursing a 1.6 second lead, untroubled in the lead.
Behind him Cammish was hounding Rainford for second, the Yorkshireman passed the WSR driver into Redgate, before going side by side down the Craner Curves, with Cammish finally making the move stick at the Old Hairpin. Shedden was now on Rainford’s tail.
Three laps from the end Shedden made the move for third on Rainford, with Moffat passing too as Rainford dropped from third to fifth in the blink of an eye.
Sutton took his 48th win of his career with Cammish following behind in the sister Focus. Shedden was third. Moffat was fourth with DeLeon squeezing past Rainford for fifth. Patterson finished seventh with Ricky Collard recovering from race one retirement for eighth. Adam Morgan was the lead Mercedes driver in ninth with Josh Cook taking tenth after ending race one in the gravel.
Aron Taylor-Smith took 11th with Chris Smiley, Tom Chilton, Mikey Doble and Lewis Selby rounding off the points.
Ingram and Rowbottom ruing car issues and losing early ground on Sutton.
It was a debut win for Power Maxed Racing’s new Audi S3 Saloon as Mikey Doble inherited the opening win of the season after a disqualification for reigning champion Tom Ingram.
Ingram secured victory in the first round of the 2026 British Touring Car Championship season leading from near lights to flag. He passed Dan Rowbottom off the line and led the rest of the way. But after the race it was found that Ingram’s Hyundai had over boosted, meaning a disqualification from the results.
Mikey Doble finished second on the road in a thrilling opening race while Ash Sutton came from 21st on the grid to finish fourth. Fourth initially became third though as Rowbottom suffered a ten second penalty for track limits offences – unable to repeat his Saturday heroics. It then became second after Ingram’s exclusion.
The new-for-2026 qualifying race on Saturday saw thrills and spills as Tom Ingram led from pole, being hunted down by Sutton and Rowbottom. Lap two saw Sutton and Ingram touch, with the former spinning out of the race, meaning he started 21st and last for Sundays race one.
The drama didn’t end there, as Ingram was handed a five second penalty for being marginally out of his grid box at the start. He showed scintillating pace trying to bridge the gap between himself and Rowbottom in second. The last lap saw Ingram just over four seconds ahead, he put in an incredible lap but it wasn’t enough, he lost the win to Rowbottom by just 0.024 seconds.
Rowbottom was on pole for race one, and gave Jason Plato and his new team the ideal start.
However off the line for race one, Rowbottom bogged down, seeing Ingram, Cook and Rainford leapfrog the Mercedes driver. Ingram burst free from the pack and was leading by the end of lap one by 1.5 seconds. Rowbottom’s recovery began by overtaking Rainford for third into the final chicane.
Speaking of recoveries, Ash Sutton surged up from the back of the grid to be 11th by the end of lap two. Cook and Rowbottom were chasing down Ingram, but the reigning champion was holding them at bay.
There were plenty of exciting battles in the midfield pack, with Gordon Shedden getting his elbows out in his Laser Tools Racing Toyota. He was battling the likes of Tom Chilton and Aiden Moffat. Sutton made his way past the Scotsman and was seventh by lap eight when the Safety Car made its first appearance of the season.
Going into the final chicane Josh Cook’s Toyota, running in second, suffered a left rear puncture, spinning him off and into the gravel trap, beached and not moving any time soon. After three laps the race resumed.
Doble made his way up to third on the restart with Sutton now fourth. Ricky Collard’s return to the BTCC ended prematurely as he suffered a puncture and damage, retiring from the race.
By lap 17 Doble was on the tail of Rowbottom, with the Audi man having more boost available to him. He managed to get past a lap later and made second his own. Behind them Rainford and Sutton were fighting for fourth. Rainford got past but was soon dispatched by the four time champion. Adam Morgan was close behind in the second Mercedes.
Sutton cleared Rainford and was hunting down Rowbottom in third – Morgan passed Rainford as an exciting battle was reaching its climax.
The final lap saw Rowbottom hit with a ten second penalty for track limits offences, dropping him from third on the road to 12th.
Ingram took the chequered flag, his 41st win of his career before being excluded. Doble won with Sutton finished fourth but inherited third then second, an incredible drive from the NAPA man.
Morgan was fourth but suffered a five second penalty for a separate infringement, finishing tenth, with Rainford now third. Dan Cammish finished fourth ahead of Shedden in fifth. Power Maxed pair Aiden Moffat and Dexter Patterson finished sixth and seventh respectively with Aron Taylor-Smith taking eighth.
Tom Chilton was ninth with Rowbottom finishing 12th once the penalty was applied. Daryl DeLeon was 11th, James Dorlin and Sam Osborne finished in the points with Lewis Selby taking 15th and a single point on his BTCC debut.
Onto Saturday’s action then and once again the crews had eight stages with a slightly reduced quantity of 116 kilometres action. Oliver and Elliott plus Elfyn and Scott returned to the action and would be the first two crews into the stages.
First up then was SS9 Platak 1 and it was a stage win for Oliver who was fastest by over seven seconds from Elfyn, whilst rally leader and the final driver through the stage Sami was third fastest. Meanwhile Jon and Shane continued to show good pace with the fifth best time which was only 1.4 seconds behind Thierry and Martijn.
Onwards then to SS10 Ravna Gora – Skrad 1 and once again Oliver was fastest, this time from Takamoto with Elfyn third. Takamoto’s pace took him back into second overall which was positive. There was some drama for Josh and Eoin who suddenly had smoke coming into the main part of their car cabin. They stopped and Josh pulled out the fire extinguisher to deal with the smoke and flames in the car. They lost about four minutes dealing with this but did at least finish the stage.
Next up the third stage of the day, SS11 Generalski Stol – Zdihovo 1 and Oliver showed again his pace going fastest from Jon by just one tenth of a second and Elfyn was third. Takamoto lost second overall after only setting the ninth fastest time and Thierry who was fifth quickest passed the Japanese driver and moved into second overall, now fifteen seconds away from the leader who was Sami.
The final stage of the morning then, SS12 Pećurkovo Brdo – Mrežnički Novaki 1 before the tyre fitting zone and Oliver completed a clean sweep of stage wins from Takamoto and Elfyn, whilst Jon again showed good pace to set the fourth best time. Thierry maintained second overall now just a little over ten seconds behind Sami.
The afternoon stages began with SS13 Pećurkovo Brdo – Mrežnički Novaki 2 and because it was run so close to the previous run, there was no time for the crews safety teams to drive through and provide information and stage note updates to their drivers. There were punctures for Oliver and also Josh. Takamoto went fastest from Elfyn and Jon and the Japanese driver edged a little closer to Thierry, although the gap remained just over eight seconds.
Next up then was SS14 Generalski Stol – Zdihovo 2 and once again Oliver set the pace this time from Elfyn, whilst Thierry was third. There were some more crews that suffered punctures and this drama included the rally leaders Sami and Marko who had to stop to change a tyre. Also having the same problem was Hayden, Oliver, Josh and Takamoto. The result of all of this was Thierry now led the rally from Takamoto and Sami now was third. A huge shame for the young Finns who clearly showed his speed and consistency this weekend.
Two stages remained to be run on Saturday and first up was SS15 Ravna Gora – Skrad 2. Oliver was fastest from Elfyn and Jon with only just over two seconds separating the three of them. Thierry continued to lead the rally by over a minute from Takamoto with Sami a further thirty seconds back.
Onto the final stage then of the day, SS16 Platak 2 and Elfyn set the pace in this one by just under two seconds from Jon whilst Takamoto was third. Oliver’s run of fastest times came to an end as he suffered a puncture.
Let’s take a look at the top ten and hear from the drivers after Saturday’s stages.
Classification after Day Two
1
T. Neuville
M. Wydaeghe
Hyundai i20 N Rally1
2:20:20.8
2
T. Katsuta
A. Johnston
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+1:14.5
3
S. Pajari
M. Salminen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+1:46.4
4
H. Paddon
J. Kennard
Hyundai i20 N Rally1
+3:28.2
5
Y. Rossel
A. Dunand
Lancia Ypsilon HF
+5:14.1
6
L. Rossel
G. Mercoiret
Citroën C3
+6:17.3
7
R. Korhonen
A. Viinikka
Toyota GR Yaris
+6:32.8
8
N. Gryazin
K. Aleksandrov
Lancia Ypsilon HF
+6:45.8
9
A. Cachón
B. Rozada
Toyota GR Yaris
+6:56.2
10
R. Daprà
L. Guglielmetti
Škoda Fabia RS
+7:52.4
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“After a difficult run recently, I have been looking forward to just having a good feeling in the car for a while, but now being back on the pace and leading the rally is great. Being in the lead after all our collective efforts over the last year feels really special, and it’s important for the team that we bring home this victory. I think it will be difficult – we’ll be last on the road too and I don’t think we have enough pace to be fastest, especially on tomorrow’s stages. They should be cleaner, so we just need to secure first place and bring it home.”
2026 FIA World Rally Championship 14 Round, Croatia Rally 10-12 April 2026 Photographer: Helena El Mokni Wordwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Hayden Paddon
“It was an afternoon of survival out there today, particularly on SS14 where it was pretty hard to avoid punctures, as many people – including ourselves – found out. We’re in a position where we just have to bring the car home, but after seeing Adrien parked up, it certainly changed the situation a little bit. It was stressful to make sure we made no mistakes and didn’t pick up anymore punctures. We’re within the threshold of our team-mates which is what we wanted, and we’ve made improvements on our pace. That’s now a secondary goal as we want to bring these points home, and fingers crossed we can do that tomorrow.”
Adrien Fourmaux
“In the corner before our accident there was a small crest, and I didn’t see that the tarmac was disappearing and drove straight into the gravel. I couldn’t brake, so came out of the corner in the opposite way we wanted to. On the outside, there was a concrete pole, and we just clipped the wheel. It wasn’t too close, but it was enough for us to hit it, and we lost the rear wheel and damaged the bodywork. It’s been a big fight since yesterday as we focused on regaining ground we had lost, and it was working okay until then. Tomorrow we’ll try to get some Super Sunday and Power Stage points, like our other competitors that had to retire.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Takamoto Katsuta
“Today I was trying to push in sections where I felt confident and comfortable, and in others where there could be more surprises, I was backing off quite a bit because I didn’t want to take risks. I think we were managing it quite well, until the long stage on the second pass, when there were so many sharp rocks and stones on the road, so the puncture risk was high. It’s a pity because I was being patient and trying to avoid these things. Still, we are P2, so it could have been worse. We are still on for some good points, so tomorrow I just need to be clever.”
Sami Pajari
“It was all going really well again today. Everything felt quite comfortable and under control, so I’m pretty gutted about what happened. Clearly it was a really demanding stage and it was not only us who suffered. It was a slow puncture, so I saw the alarm before I really felt it, but we were so early in the stage that there was no option but to stop and change it. After that we just needed to reach the end of the day. It’s hard to find positives but at least we are still in a podium position and let’s see what we can fight for tomorrow.”
Elfyn Evans
“It’s been good to be back out there today, and we tried to learn what we could. The stages were very varied, and I think tomorrow’s stages will be very different again in character, so it hasn’t been easy to use today to prepare for tomorrow. There was so much cutting and a high risk of punctures today, whereas tomorrow should be a lot more clean. We’ll be trying to score as many points as we can and let’s see what’s possible.”
Oliver Solberg
“It’s been a positive day for us, getting back out on the stages and just trying to drive well and learn more on dry asphalt with this car and with the tyres. I did have a couple of slow punctures in the afternoon, but we won all the other stages, so it’s been a good day overall. I’m feeling confident about tomorrow: we will have the perfect starting position, and the speed today has been very good. The stages will be very fast and quite demanding, but let’s see how we do.”
Sunday
Onto the final day of the rally and the crews faced just over 57 kilometres over four stages to finish the event. Oliver would open the road and Adrien also returned to the action. Which crew would the fastest over these four stages and take the Sunday points?
Onto the action then with SS17 Bribir – Novi Vinodolski 1 and Oliver made the best start setting the fastest time from Elfyn with Adrien setting the third best time. Best of the M-Sport runners was Jon who was fourth fastest. Rally leaders Thierry and Martijn were eighth fastest and in a good position to take victory for the Hyundai team.
Next up was SS18 Alan – Senj 1 and Oliver was once again the pacesetter from Elfyn, just two seconds back from his Swedish teammate and Jon was third in the stage and seven tenths faster than Hayden. Thierry continued to hold the lead just ticking off the stages one at a time now with a lead of over a minute.
Onto the penultimate stage then, SS19 Bribir – Novi Vinodolski 2 and Oliver maintained his stage winning pace setting a time 2.1 seconds faster than Elfyn, with Jon third. The top overall positions remained the same with Thierry holding the lead by well over a minute from Takamoto, Sami still in third and Hayden in fourth.
The final stage then, SS20 Alan – Senj 2 and Oliver was once again the pacesetter from Elfyn, Jon, Sami and Takamoto. All eyes were on Thierry and Martijn though to take victory for the Hyundai squad. There was a sting though which was a big surprise for them as on a right-hander the car stepped out at the rear and although Thierry caught the slide, the car was off the line and then clipped a piece of road furniture slightly hidden in the grass verge with the front right-hand side, damaging the wheel and suspension. The car was down a side road adjacent to the main road and facing the wrong way. Once he got the car turned around and back onto the stage, but the possibility of victory had gone. He was told to retire the car by the team because of the huge damage and that was that sadly. All of this meant that Takamoto and Aaron took their second victory, Sami and Marko took second and Hayden and John took third place.
Let’s take a look at the final finishing positions and hear from the drivers.
Croatia Rally Final Classification
1
T. Katsuta
A. Johnston
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
2:51:15.8
2
S. Pajari
M. Salminen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+20.7
3
H. Paddon
J. Kennard
Hyundai i20 N Rally1
+2:07.7
4
Y. Rossel
A. Dunand
Lancia Ypsilon HF
+5:19.9
5
L. Rossel
G. Mercoiret
Citroën C3
+5:58.7
6
N. Gryazin
K. Aleksandrov
Lancia Ypsilon HF
+6:17.8
7
A. Cachón
B. Rozada
Toyota GR Yaris
+6:42.8
8
R. Korhonen
A. Viinikka
Toyota GR Yaris
+6:54.0
9
R. Daprà
L. Guglielmetti
Škoda Fabia RS
+7:38.1
10
E. Lindholm
G. Morales
Škoda Fabia RS
+9:20.5
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Takamoto Katsuta
“To win for the second rally in a row is quite amazing. It was a big surprise how it happened, and I felt sorry for Thierry and Martijn and the Hyundai team, because I know myself how painful these moments can be. Still, I need to be happy for my team and for Aaron, because I think we did quite a clever job this weekend. It was a crazy one right until the end with so many things happening. It’s nice to be leading the championship now, but I’m not going to think about it too much: I will just stay focused on myself and on doing the best that I can.”
Sami Pajari
“It’s always nice to finish on the podium and, after three third places, to now finish second for the first time is something I have to be happy about. I’m also happy to see Taka and Aaron take another win. Naturally, there is still some disappointment because we were in the lead of the rally for so long, but this just gives more hunger for the next rally, and I’m looking forward to that one. The last few rallies have been really positive and promising for us, and I hope that something even better is coming soon.”
Elfyn Evans
“It hasn’t been an ideal weekend for us after we got caught out on Friday morning. At least we were able to take some points today, but Oliver was quicker so we can’t be entirely satisfied with that. He drove well so well done to him, and to Taka and Sami for their one-two finish. For us it’s been a tough weekend, but sometimes these things happen, and we will focus on bouncing back stronger on the next event.”
Oliver Solberg
“It’s a bit of a bittersweet feeling at the end of the rally. After my mistake on Friday, the feeling in the car and the pace that we’ve had has been fantastic, and we took all the points that we could today. I’m sorry to the team that we couldn’t get the overall result to go with it, but we know that we have the performance. I just have to learn from what happened, look forward and take the positives from this rally into the next one.”
Yuki Yamamoto (Driver WRC Challenge Program GEN2)
“It was good to be back behind the wheel this weekend. It was a tricky rally, but I think we can be happy with the pace we had. On Friday we were trying different setups and tyres and trying to stay out of trouble, but we could be sixth in Rally2. Saturday also started really well but in SS11 the road was much dirtier than expected, and we were just caught out by some loose gravel and clipped a rock on the outside. Restarting on Sunday, we showed good pace again and it was also good learning for the cleaner style of stages we can expect on Rally Islas Canarias.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Hayden Paddon
“It’s definitely bittersweet for us. Firstly, I was gutted for the team and Thierry because I know how much work everyone has been putting in, and for that they really deserve the victory. It’s a surprise to be on the podium, it wasn’t ever our expectation. We stuck to our plan this weekend, and despite what I said at the start of the weekend, it was one of those rallies that you just had to survive. At this level you have to be on the limit so much, and when you’re on the limit that’s when mistakes happen – punctures and everything else we’ve seen this weekend. It’s hard to comprehend that we’re even back on a WRC podium eight and ten years later, but it’s been quite some journey.”
2026 FIA World Rally Championship 14 Round, Croatia Rally 10-12 April 2026 Photographer: Helena El Mokni Wordwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Adrien Fourmaux
“About two kilometres before the end of the Power Stage we got a puncture – it was right in the middle of the tyre, so I don’t know exactly what caused it. It was the outside wheel on a left-hand corner, so it was probably some loose rocks that we did not see, that’s it. We could have scored two extra points, but we didn’t. I’m very frustrated with what happened yesterday, that’s the main thing, and I’m very sorry to the team and for Thierry. Croatia is always a tricky one; the grip levels vary so much that it’s unpredictable, but I think that’s why it deserves to be in the championship.”
Thierry Neuville
“First of all, I would like to express my apologies to the whole team – everybody who works with me throughout the whole year. It’s a huge disappointment for Martijn and myself, we didn’t expect that but unfortunately the rally can strike even at the very last stage. We were driving according to plan, and our target was just to get through the stage, but unfortunately, we were surprised on that corner. I probably turned in a bit too early, and my first reaction was to open, and then the incident happened. It’s going to be a tough period for us, but we have no choice but to come back stronger and keep fighting. We won’t give up and our time will come again.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Jon Armstrong
“I’m really happy with the pace we showed this weekend. It’s been a strong and consistent performance, and it’s great to come away with P3 on the power stage and pick up some valuable extra points.
“We’re continuing to learn a lot about the car in these conditions, which will be important heading into Gran Canaria. There’s still more to come from us, but it’s a solid step forward and we’ll keep pushing to build on this momentum.”
Josh McErlean
“Croatia was a really demanding rally and, overall, it’s been quite a dramatic weekend for us. There are definitely positives to take though, our tarmac pace has improved and I’m starting to feel more comfortable and confident in the car on this surface. Of course, we still want to put a full clean rally together, but the speed is coming which is encouraging. Now the focus is on resetting, learning from this weekend, and carrying that progress into Canaries.”
Romet Jürgenson
“From a performance point of view, the rally was really decent, I have to say. Already on Friday we showed good speed with two stage wins, and on Saturday when everything clicked we were consistently inside the top three, fighting with the front guys.
It’s a shame about the punctures, obviously we would have liked to avoid them—but sometimes the luck just isn’t there, and this time it wasn’t. Overall, the season has been difficult in terms of fortune, but at least now we’ve shown that we belong at this level.
The car development has also brought us much closer to the top crews, and we’re clearly in that group now, which is really positive. Now we move on to the Canaries!”
Mille Johansson
“For us it didn’t start very well with two punctures on the first two stages. And with only one spare wheel we had to retire. Restarted again on Saturday and the feeling in the car got better for every stage in these challenging conditions. Sunday was a positive day comparing to the front runners where we got a lot closer on the times.”
2026 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After Round Four
1
T. Katsuta
81
2
E. Evans
74
3
O. Solberg
68
4
S. Pajari
52
5
A. Foumaux
49
6
S. Ogier
26
7
T. Neuville
25
8
E. Lappi
21
9
Y. Rossel
18
10
L. Rossel
18
2026 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After Round Four
1
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team
208
2
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team
131
3
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team 2
55
4
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
51
Summary
What a crazy rally this turned out to be. It had punctures, driver errors and a totally surprising end result.
For Takamoto and Aaron to take their second win is a remarkable result. They didn’t set any fastest times but kept out of trouble setting a good enough pace to be there when Sami and Thierry had their problems.
Sami and Marko were gutted when they had their tyre failure on Saturday, especially given that they’d led a rally for the first time overnight. However, they were there to take second overall and another podium as well.
The returning Hayden and John were another crew who kept themselves out of trouble. They took what they’d learnt in Monte-Carlo at the beginning of the year and delivered a well-deserved third place finish.
Okay, next up in the championship will be the Rally Islas Canaries held over the 23 to 26 of April.
The first day of action in Croatia would see the crews tackle almost 130 kilometres over eight stages. As championship leaders Elfyn and Scott would open the road whilst Oliver and Elliott would be next in.
The action would come straight away in SS1 Vodice – Brest 1 with Elfyn and Scott going fastest from Sami and Jon. There was drama for Oliver and Elliott who hit a bank on the side of the stage and spun across the road before ending up at an angle off the side of the road. They did try to get back onto the road with some spectators attempting to push the Yaris back. The car was completely beached though and they were out for the rest of the day.
Elfyn and Scott made it two out of two with a stage win in SS2 Lake Butoniga – Motovun 1 from Sami and Thierry this time. The Welshman had increased his lead over Sami to 15 seconds whilst Thierry moved into third overall. Meanwhile Jon and Adrien both had punctures in the stage and lost time finishing the stage. They were now in seventh and twentieth after their problems.
Next came SS3 Beram – Cerovlje 1 and it was a disaster for Elfyn and Scott who went off the road at around halfway through the stage. Sadly, they were out for the day and will now just as their teammates focus on Sunday’s stages and the points available on the final day. Thierry set the fastest time from Jon by just one tenth of a second and Takamoto was third. All of this meant that Sami was now leading the rally from Thierry, whilst Takamoto held third overall. Jon and Shane’s pace in the stage took them into fourth overall as well and the Irish crew were showing some pace.
The final morning stage saw Sami open up his lead as he set his first fastest stage time of the rally beating Takamoto and Adrien. Takamoto pace allowed him to move past Thierry and into second overall. Meanwhile we sadly lost Jon and Shane after they went wide and damaged the Puma on kerbs lining the edge of the road.
After the service break came the second run of SS5 Vodice – Brest 2. Sami was fastest by 1.8 seconds from Takamoto, with Thierry third fastest. Sami’s pace saw him increase his lead over his teammate to a little over ten seconds.
Next up was SS6 Lake Butoniga – Motovun 2 and the changes which the Hyundai team made to Thierry’s car appeared to be working as he set the fastest time by 2.9 seconds from Takamoto with the rally leader Sami third fastest. The Belgian’s pace took him ahead of Takamoto and into second overall, with a reduced gap of just a little over seven seconds to Sami.
Just two stages remained then, first up was SS7 Beram – Cerovlje 2 and Thierry once again was fastest from Sami whilst Takamoto was third. This meant two things as the Belgian moved away from Takamoto and a little closer to Sami as well. There was some drama for Josh who had been running in fifth overall, but sadly suffered a puncture losing eight positions and falling to thirteen overall.
Onto the final stage then SS8 Učka 2 and it was clear that Thierry’s car didn’t work as well as he set the third fastest time whilst teammates Sami and Takamoto were the pacesetters with the Finn leading the way. Takamoto edged really close to Thierry bringing the gap down to just nine tenths of a second.
Let’s take a look at the top ten and hear from the drivers.
Classification after Day One
1
S. Pajari
M. Salminen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
1:12:18.5
2
T. Neuville
M. Wydaeghe
Hyundai i20 N Rally1
+13.7
3
T. Katsuta
A. Johnston
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+14.6
4
H. Paddon
J. Kennard
Hyundai i20 N Rally1
+1:15.0
5
A. Fourmaux
A. Coria
Hyundai i20 N Rally1
+1:54.6
6
Y. Rossel
A. Dunand
Lancia Ypsilon HF
+2:45.9
7
N. Gryazin
K. Aleksandrov
Lancia Ypsilon HF
+3:08.0
8
A. Cachón
B. Rozada
Toyota GR Yaris
+3:27.9
9
L. Rossel
G. Mercoiret
Citroën C3
+3:35.1
10
R. Korhonen
A. Viinikka
Toyota GR Yaris
+3:47.0
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Sami Pajari
“It has been really tricky out there today and we could see already this morning that it was really easy to make a mistake. I wasn’t feeling completely comfortable to begin with this morning, but I think we could drive with quite a clever and consistent pace and that paid off for us. Then in the afternoon I felt like things were much more under control and I was able to enjoy it more, especially this last stage of the day. It’s a good feeling to be in the lead tonight but I know that there’s still a really long way to go. I’m sure that tomorrow will not be any easier and that it will be another challenging day.”
Takamoto Katsuta
“We saw a lot happening already in the morning loop, which was quite tough for the team. I was sorry to see Oliver and Elfyn off the road, and I knew then that it would be important for me to keep going. The stages were very tricky with a lot of grip changes, so it was easy to make a mistake. I wasn’t taking any risks, but I was quite happy with the feeling and the pace that we found, and I think we were managing things quite well. There’s still a long way to go and anything can happen tomorrow could be even more challenging with more mud on the road.”
Elfyn Evans
“We had a really good start this morning, with a good feeling in the car and good speed in the first two stages. Then, unfortunately, a bit of a disaster for us when we slid off the road on the third stage. We just got caught out; the corner was a bit tighter than expected and we came into it too fast. We’re very disappointed that we couldn’t use the potential we had and we’re very sorry for the team. The target now is to find good form ahead of Sunday and see what we can recover in terms of points.”
Oliver Solberg
“It was really disappointing what happened in the first stage this morning. It was my first time with this hard tyre on the car in rally conditions and I was maybe too optimistic considering that limited experience. I was just a bit too fast in this corner, misjudged the grip that I had, and ran wide and touched the wall. I’m very sorry for the team, but I will try to learn from this. We’ve had a good feeling with the car and tomorrow is a chance to learn some more and get ready to aim for points on Sunday.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“Today went better than expected. We were able to find something that we built on throughout the day to increase our speed. We’re not exactly where we want to be yet, but we were able to compensate for that with our driving and the tricky conditions, and that’s what kept us in the fight for a good result here this weekend. We will take the positives from today and build on them to stay in contention. The battle for the top three is nice, but I don’t think we quite have the upper hand yet. It’s been a long time since we were able to drive as fast as we have today, and we will carry on pushing hard on the stages we know tomorrow.”
2026 FIA World Rally Championship 04 Round, Croatia Rally 09-12 April 2026 Photographer: Dufour Fabien Wordwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Hayden Paddon
“The position we’re in at the moment is much better than we expected coming into Croatia. We weren’t taking massive risks, but we’ve seen what happened to those who did, so we just have to carry on like this. It was starting to feel a bit more natural after some setup changes this afternoon, and we were definitely heading in a better direction. In conditions like today’s, it’s all about having confidence in the car, and when you’re confident it’s easy. Bit by bit it’s coming back, so we have to keep this progress going. We’re on target for how far we wanted to be behind our team-mates, but tomorrow will be a harder day. Everyone’s pushing really hard, it’s now time for us to dig deeper.”
Adrien Fourmaux
“If we didn’t have the puncture we would have been in the fight more, so now it’s harder to find the balance between pushing to stay within reach or playing it safe. I’m trying to keep it clean and smooth, and listen to the pacenotes closely, but it was dirty everywhere today. We know that as a team tarmac is not our best surface, so for us to be in the position we are in now is a positive. I’m happy to see the performance we have against Toyota – we’ve definitely made a step forward. There is only one new stage tomorrow, but for me it’s the key point of the rally. It’s very demanding so if something happens, it will be on this stage.”
Saturday
The second day of action will see the crews tackle 116 kilometres over eight stages. There is an added dimension of trickiness as there is no mid-day service break either, the crews will just have a tyre fitting zone. Oliver and Elfyn will return to the action as well, hoping to prepare for Sunday’s stages and the points on offer.
This championship is quite remarkable really as the action moves from the wilds of east Africa and Kenya to the tarmac of Europe in Croatia as the championship returns for the first time since 2024. Last time out we witnessed a new crew taking their first championship victory as Takamoto and Aaron took a fantastic and utterly deserved win. Both championship leaders Elfyn and Scott, Oliver and Elliott didn’t score that highly after having to retire towards the end of Saturday’s stages. This means that Elfyn and Scott remain in the championship lead by eight points over Oliver and Elliott. Interestingly with Takamoto and Aaron winning in Kenya they’ve brought themselves into the championship fight as they are only eleven points from their teammates.
Now we cannot talk about this round of the championship without talking about Craig Breen who died whilst testing for the Hyundai team in 2023 ahead of this round. They’ve announced a special livery for this round. Here’s some photographs released by the team of the car.
Now let’s hear from the drivers and take a look at the stages.
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Elfyn Evans
“Croatia has been a good rally for us in the past so it’s nice to be going back there. It’s always been a rally with a lot of surface changes and with that a lot of grip changes, but there are more unknowns this year with the event moving towards the coast. We will have to see what the new stages are like when we get there and write plenty of new pacenotes during the recce. In our test we had quite wet and muddy conditions, which could be representative of what we’ll face in the rally, but we were also having to think ahead towards the Canaries with some parts linked between the two rallies. Like always, we aim to fight for the best result possible.”
Oliver Solberg
“It will be nice to be back on asphalt for the next events. We had some good feelings in the car already on asphalt at Rallye Monte-Carlo and even though the conditions there were very specific, it does give confidence that we can be competitive on every surface. I’ve done Croatia a couple of times previously and it’s certainly a tricky rally: quite dirty and slippery with a lot of cutting. It’s kind of like a mild Monte-Carlo. This time we’re in a new part of the country with new stages so it could be quite different to previous years, but still a big challenge no doubt. It’s been a strong start to the year so far and I would be happy to keep that going and keep learning.”
Takamoto Katsuta
“Kenya was a very special moment in my career. It’s been a busy few weeks since, including a trip back to Japan and some testing, but I’m feeling good, relaxed and fully focused for the next events. We have two asphalt rallies coming up back-to-back, as well as Rally Japan, which will be another important rally for me and the team. It gives us a good opportunity to try things and find the best feeling on this surface, even though each rally is quite different. Croatia is one of the trickiest asphalt events because even in the dry the grip changes a lot, and in my test we had a lot of rain and even some snow! With many new stages too, we have to be ready for surprises.”
Sami Pajari
“It’s cool to be back on asphalt and back in Croatia after this rally wasn’t on the calendar last year. It’s nice to have such different rallies in this first part of the season, going from Sweden to Kenya and now another completely different rally again. My feeling so far with this car on asphalt has been good – it was on this surface that we took our first podium in Japan at the end of last year – so I’m looking forward. In our test we had dry conditions and quite fast and flowing roads, but we know the rally can be quite different. Normally it’s quite tricky and muddy with a lot of cuts, so it’s not going to be an easy one, but my feeling is good.”
Yuki Yamamoto (Driver WRC Challenge Program GEN2)
“My recovery has gone well and I’m really looking forward to being back in a rally car in Croatia. It’s a very tricky rally with the cuts and dirt and unpredictable weather. I’ve done it twice before including last year in the European championship, and although this year’s route is quite different, we still have some knowledge about what kind of driving and car setup is required there. We’ve done some good analysis since Rallye Monte-Carlo about where we can improve with the pacenotes and more, so I feel ready and excited. Again, we’re not scoring WRC2 points, but if we can put everything together, I’m sure we can have good pace and a good result.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Adrien Fourmaux
“Croatia Rally is one of the most difficult tarmac rallies, because you have many different profiles – sometimes five or six different types in one section – so you are unsure how much grip you will have going into it. The stages vary greatly depending on what area of the country we are in. Some stages are in the mountains, while others are by a beautiful sea. I personally prefer when we have new stages in the rally – discovering each one adds a challenge, and it’s important to have good pace notes so you have confidence in your car.
Thierry Neuville
“We’ve struggled a bit on tarmac recently, so Croatia Rally will be a challenging round for us. It’s one of the toughest tarmac events in the world, but I’m really looking forward to the new stages; the location has changed this year, and it seems like the roads are quite different from what we’ve faced before. New tarmac roads are always an extra element for us to learn, especially with changing weather conditions, but generally I enjoy new stages and the challenges they bring. Generally, the grip is low and there’s a lot of cutting, so you always need to manage your speed to ensure you make your corner if the conditions are worse than expected.”
Hayden Paddon
“I’m really looking forward to being back in the car in Croatia. We’ve done a small amount of testing, but combined with the mileage from Monte-Carlo, we’re starting to feel more confident in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1. This will be our first-time entering Croatia Rally, but the stages look great; it’s a more traditional tarmac rally, and it looks like a big challenge with a lot of cutting and pollution. Things will be harder for us on day one because of our road position, but we have targets for the rally that we will stay focussed on. We certainly feel that we can up our game and be competitive, but also enjoy the rally and the opportunity to drive an amazing car with a great team.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
FORD PUMA RALLY1
Josh McErlean
“Croatia is another important rally for me to keep improving on tarmac and focus on myself, the feeling and my driving. The stages look really cool this year with a lot of new ones, so it should be a good challenge. The goal is a clean, consistent weekend and to keep progressing.”
Jon Armstrong
“Croatia Rally is a special event for me – I took my first Junior WRC victory there in 2021 and went on to win overall in the ERC in 2025, so it holds a lot of great memories. This year’s stages are closer to the coast, bringing a fresh challenge with a faster, more circuit-like flow. After a strong pre-event test, I’m excited to see what kind of pace we can deliver.”
FORD FIESTA RALLY2
Romet Jürgenson
“I’ve always liked Croatia, it’s one of those events where you really need to focus 100% to deal with the difficult conditions. Starting with the pollution on the roads and the road characteristics like the bumps, crests and even chumps. Which is unusual on a tarmac rally. Always enjoy the challenge and I am excited to see what the rally brings!”
Mille Johansson
“Rally Croatia is a real challenge with its changing grip. It’s a demanding event where precision is key. The goal is to stay consistent, build confidence, and make the most of every stage. We know the competition will be tough, but we’re here to fight for a strong result and keep improving stage by stage.”
The Stages
This year’s edition sees the crews tackle 300 kilometres over twenty stages. Friday is the longest day with almost 130 kilometres over eight stages, then Saturday has almost 116 kilometres also over eight stages, whilst Sunday has just under 60 kilometres over four stages.
Anyone from the top teams could take victory and road position could be really crucial to the pace which the crews can take into the stages. Elfyn and Scott who lead the championship standings and have taken victory in the 2023 edition of this rally will likely have the best opportunity to take victory this weekend, but they will have a big challenge from Oliver and Elliott who are going to be fast as well. The Hyundai team have Adrien and Alex who are the crew most likely to be able to fight at the front with the Toyota crews as Thierry and Martijn seem to have lost some of their pace since their championship title. Meanwhile the crews at M-Sport will continue to build their knowledge for the future.
The action starts on Thursday morning with shakedown before the first stage on Friday morning.
The Pirelli Portuguese Round of the 2026 Superbike World Championship saw home hero Miguel Oliveira delight his supporters with a podium finish in each of the three races around the Algarve International Circuit, but it was aruba.it Racing Ducati who enjoyed the spoils with consecutive one-two finishes…
Race 1
From pole position, Nicolo Bulega secured the hole shot and went unchallenged in Saturday afternoon’s race. Hopes were high that Oliveria (in only his second WorldSBK round) could spoil the party but the Portuguese rider lost a position on the opening lap.
Yari Montella ran second as the meat in a factory Ducati sandwich, with Oliveira recovering to fourth at the start of the second lap. The biggest mover at the race start was Jonathan Rea, back in business for Honda racing at one of his most successful circuits.
At around one quarter distance, Montella slid out of second just as he had at the previous round in Philip Island. This promoted Iker Lecuona to second behind his teammate who already had things under control out front but had not quite cleared off into the distance as might have been expected.
Oliveira was able to comfortably fend off Alex Lowes to maintain his inherited podium position while his more experienced teammate Danilo Petrucci suffered around the fringes of the top 10. There was not quite enough pace from the BMW rider to threaten the aruba.it factory Ducati duo out front but the gap rather promisingly was less than five seconds.
A still-recovering Sam Lowes did well to come fifth after his crash at Philip Island, while Xavi Vierge impressed again as the top Yamaha and newly-married Garrett Gerloff raced him hard but ultimately came home just behind in seventh.
Axel Bassani, Alvaro Bautista and Petrucci rounded out the top 10, with the next best Yamaha only 12th in the hands of Andrea Locatelli. Up front it was a very happy podium all round, with Lecuona and Oliveira scoring their first rostrums for their new teams respectively.
Race 1 Results
Image Credit: WorldSBK
Tissot Superpole Race
A wheelie from Lecuona off the front row helped Oliveria and Alex Lowes slot in behind Bulega by turn one. Montella looked to only have the pace for fifth as the top four broke away in the opening laps.
Bulega, Oliveira, Alex Lowes and Lecuona all looked close and competitive but by the halfway stage the former began to stretch his lead out front. By turn 1 on lap 6 immediately after the halfway point, Lecuona had completed his recovery back to second place to secure another 1-2 for arbua.it Ducati.
Sam Lowes eventually made it past Montella who had been leading a train of around 10 bikes in the first half of the 10-lap affair. The chasing pack then split up into smaller groups, with Vierge, Bassani and Bautista following him home to complete the crucial top 9 positions that secured points and grid positions for the afternoon’s feature-length affair.
Tissot Superpole Race Results
Image Credit: WorldSBK
Race 2
With 82,000 fans reportedly piled in to Portimao, mostly to cheer on the home hero Oliveria, the fans were expectant of at least another podium for the new BMW rider. Alex Lowes made the best start leaping into second while Bulega for the third time in a row got the hole shot from pole.
Oliveira passed Alex Lowes for second at the start of the next lap but on the next tour Lecuona had done the inevitable and reasserted runner-up spot. For the remainder of the race Oliveira had the Bimota rider pressuring him the whole way but he narrowly prevailed to make it three straight podiums to the delight of his ardent fans in the grandstands.
After the race settled down following the opening laps, a rather chaotic phase ensued that saw several riders crash out. Montella and Vierge went down at the turn five seconds apart but in separate incidents, then Bautista followed at the same corner a few laps later.
Alberto Surra, Tarran Mackenzie and Bahattin Sofouglu were also forced to retire around the same time with the latter’s teammate Mattia Rato exiting later on. Gerloff slid out at high speed on the last corner of the last lap and just as painfully Yari Montella made it a double retirement for Barni Spark Racing Team after a weekend of such promise.
This left the 15 riders who went the distance all with championship points, although the Honda duo did not have much to cheer about and the top Yamaha was only ninth in no small part thanks to the attritional nature of the race under the basking sunshine in the Algarve.
Sam Lowes had a lonely ride to fifth with Lorenzo Baldassari having a decent run to sixth ahead of Petrucci and Bassani before Locatelli languished home in ninth. There had been some thrilling battles lower down the order but some were muted thanks to the spate of retirements.
This was the first time since the adoption of the three-race per weekend format was introduced in World Superbikes that a team had finished one-two in all three events in a round. It was Oliveria though who stole the limelight and has ignited hope that although Bulega and Ducati are still champions elect, there might be a chance for he and BMW to fight for victory as the 2026 season really starts to kick into gear…
Max Verstappen is considering his Formula One future following a difficult start to the 2026 Formula One season, questioning whether F1 is “really worth it.”
Verstappen’s reasoning is not down to Red Bull’s struggles, with the four-time World Champion having failed to finish on the podium in F1’s new engine era.
The 28-year-old Dutchman has been a vocal critic of the engine regulations which have often led to drivers driving slower in the corners to save the battery for more electrical power, and drivers have often lost over 30mph at the end of straights as the battery runs out and the engine charges the battery.
Verstappen said speaking to British media: “I’m not enjoying Formula 1 as a whole. That’s what I’m saying. I’m thinking about everything within this paddock.
“Of course I try to adapt to it, but it’s not nice the way you have to race. It’s really anti-driving. Then at one point, yeah, it’s just not what I want to do. “And of course you can look at it and make a lot of money. Great. But at the end of the day it’s not about money any more because this has always been my passion.”
Verstappen won four world championships in a row with Red Bull in a turbo-hybrid era with less aggressive battery saving, but point to a lack of joy from the new way of racing.
“Of course I do enjoy certain aspects. I enjoy working with my team. It’s like a second family. But once I sit in the car it’s not the most enjoyable unfortunately. “I’m trying. I keep telling myself every day to try and enjoy it. It’s just very hard.”
“I see it like this: You hear it from a lot of sports people when you speak to them about how are you successful. It all starts with actually enjoying what you’re doing before you can actually commit to it 100%. “Now I think I’m committing 100% and I’m still trying, but the way that I am telling myself to give it 100% I think is not very healthy at the moment because I am not enjoying what I’m doing.”
Verstappen has long had an interest in GT3 racing and competed in a 4 hour race at the Nurburgring Nordschleiffe last weekend in the NLS2 championship alongside Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon to try to qualify for the Nurburgring 24 Hour race in May, and while they were disqualified from the win last weekend Verstappen will try to race at the Nordschleiffe again in the break between the Japanese Grand Prix and Miami Grand Prix in May.
He hinted at racing in GT3s full time should he decide to leave Formula One.
“I have a lot of other projects anyway that I have a lot of passion about. The GT3 racing. Not only racing it myself but also the team. It’s really nice and fun to build that. And I really want to build that out further in the coming years.”
“It’s not like if I would stop here that I’m not going to do anything. I’m always going to have fun. And also I will have fun in a lot of other things in my life.”
SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Eighth placed Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing is interviewed during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Simon Galloway/LAT Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202603290598 // Usage for editorial use only //
