Formula 1 News of the Week – April 22, 2026
The five-week break in the Formula 1 calendar is drawing to a close, and the paddock is buzzing with news ahead of the season restart. From a major return to the calendar and McLaren’s ambitious upgrade plans to Red Bull’s internal restructuring and Cadillac’s preparations for the future, there is plenty to digest. Additionally, the Miami Grand Prix will feature an extended practice session as teams shake off the cobwebs after the long hiatus. Here is everything you need to know before the lights go out in Florida.
For Tickets and Package Deals to the Miami Grand Prix, Click Here
Formula 1 Returns to Turkey’s Istanbul Park from 2027
Formula 1 has announced that the Turkish Grand Prix will return to the calendar from 2027, with Istanbul Park confirmed through the 2031 season following a new five-year agreement with Türkiye’s Ministry of Youth and Sports. The Turkish Automobile Sports Federation (TOSFED) will serve as Formula 1’s delivery partner for the future events.
The Turkish Grand Prix was last staged in 2020 and 2021, with Lewis Hamilton securing his seventh Drivers’ Championship at the venue in 2020—equalling Michael Schumacher’s all-time record. The most recent winner at Istanbul Park was Valtteri Bottas in 2021 with Mercedes, who alongside Hamilton is one of only two current drivers to have won the Turkish Grand Prix.
Istanbul Park first joined the Formula 1 calendar in 2005 and quickly earned a reputation as one of the championship’s most technically demanding tracks. The 5.33-kilometre layout features dramatic elevation changes that challenge both driver skill and car performance. The multi-apex Turn 8 is an incredible test of driver precision and commitment, requiring drivers to maintain speed and balance through its long, sweeping left-hander.
Türkiye has hosted nine Grands Prix and is a venue loved by teams, drivers and fans alike. Brazilian driver Felipe Massa holds the record for the most victories at Istanbul Park, taking three consecutive wins between 2006 and 2008 while driving for Ferrari. Other drivers including Kimi Räikkönen, Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button have also triumphed at the circuit.
Formula 1 continues to grow in Türkiye, where the sport has more than 19 million fans and over 7.5 million followers on social media. Instagram followers have grown by 25% year-on-year, and YouTube views have increased by 107%.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye welcomed the return, stating: “Formula 1 ranks among the world’s foremost sporting events, distinguished by its spectacle, its young fan base, and its leadership in automotive technologies. We have hosted Formula 1 a total of nine times. Istanbul Park—particularly famous for its Turn 8 and a favourite among racing enthusiasts—will once again host five seasons of exciting, high-quality races between 2027 and 2031.”
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said: “We are delighted to be returning to the incredible and vibrant city of Istanbul from 2027 to thrill all our fans in Türkiye and around the world on one of the most exciting and challenging circuits in Formula 1. As a city, Istanbul represents a cultural gateway between Europe and Asia, offering a unique blend of history and tradition with a forward-thinking approach to sport, business, and entertainment.”
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem added: “Formula 1’s return to Türkiye is a powerful reflection of the continued global growth and appeal of our sport. Istanbul Park is a circuit that holds a special place in Formula 1 history, and its return underlines our shared commitment to expanding the championship in dynamic markets.”
McLaren Set to Deliver ‘Completely New Car’ for Miami and Canada
Defending champions McLaren are set to bring a “completely new car” across the Miami and Canadian Grands Prix as they look to take the fight to pace-setters Mercedes.
The British team started the year with an underdeveloped car, having been drawn into a Drivers’ Championship battle that went all the way to the final race in 2025. That, combined with the necessity to get on top of an all-new power unit from long-time supplier Mercedes, meant they began their 2026 campaign on the back foot—including failing to start the Chinese Grand Prix with either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri.
However, they made superb progress in understanding their overall package for Japan, where Piastri was in contention for the win before finishing second to Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. The team has since used the unexpected five-week gap created by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix to focus on refining an upgrade package, taking advantage of the huge development potential offered by the new aerodynamic rules.
“In our intent, there was always the idea to deliver a completely new car—especially from an aerodynamic upgrades point of view—for the North American races so we could keep up with this plan,” said Team Principal Andrea Stella during a media day at the team’s headquarters in Woking.
“Obviously, the fact that the calendar has been changed helped a little bit, like I’m sure helped all the other teams that could work more streamlined towards upgrading the car rather than being busy with racing. But I could say overall that, across Miami and Canada, we will see an entirely new MCL40.”
Stella was quick to manage expectations, however. “I would like to stress that this is what I would expect of most of our competitors, so not necessarily going to be a shift in the pecking order. It will be effectively just a check of who has been able to add more performance within the same time frame.”
McLaren, who sit third in the Teams’ Championship 89 points behind leaders Mercedes, have also made gains with their understanding of the new power units. “In terms of working together with HPP and even in terms of developing the simulation tools together with HPP, we have made a significant step forward compared to where we were in Australia,” Stella explained.
“At the start of the season a deficit might have existed for the natural consequence of being a customer team when the programming was so pushed—also from a power unit point of view—and that was OK and something that we were ready to accept. But now later in the season I think we have filled this gap, and we should have all the tools that are required to extract the most out of the power unit.”
🔴 Red Bull Announce Organisational Changes to Strengthen Technical Team
Red Bull have announced a series of organisational changes within their technical department as they look to rebuild following the departure of several key figures in recent years.
The list of exits includes long-time boss Christian Horner, Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko, Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley, Chief Engineering Officer Rob Marshall, Head of Race Strategy Will Courtenay, and Chief Designer Craig Skinner. Most recently, it was confirmed that Max Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, will leave Red Bull for rivals McLaren when his contract expires at the end of 2028.
With immediate effect, Ben Waterhouse takes on an expanded leadership role as Chief Performance and Design Engineer, with “overarching responsibility” across Design and Vehicle Performance—reporting to Technical Director Pierre Wache.
Waterhouse joined the Red Bull family from BMW Sauber back in 2014, initially serving as Deputy Technical Director at Scuderia Toro Rosso, and since 2017 has been Head of Performance Engineering at the main outfit. In a press release issued on Friday, Red Bull said: “This evolution strengthens integration between these areas and will accelerate the development of competitive, high performing solutions.”
Meanwhile, from July 1, Andrea Landi will join Red Bull as Head of Performance, reporting to Waterhouse. Landi has previously acted as Deputy Head of Vehicle Performance at Ferrari and Deputy Technical Director at Racing Bulls.
“These changes support the team’s long term technical ambitions and reflect its continued focus on developing internal talent while attracting leading expertise from across the sport,” added Red Bull’s press release.
The restructuring comes at a critical time for Red Bull, who sit sixth in the Teams’ Championship after a difficult start to the season, nearly 120 points behind leaders Mercedes. With Verstappen yet to score a podium in 2026 and the RB22’s balance clearly problematic, the team is hoping these changes will accelerate their recovery.
Herta to Take Part in Four FP1 Sessions with Cadillac
Cadillac have announced that American driver Colton Herta will make his practice debut with the team at the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix, as part of a programme that will see him participate in four FP1 sessions during the 2026 season.
Herta, 26, is currently combining an F2 race seat with a test driver role at Cadillac’s new-for-2026 outfit, as the former IndyCar racer pushes towards a planned F1 debut in the future. He will appear in FP1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya before tackling three other Friday sessions over the course of the season, replacing regular drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
“I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Cadillac Formula 1 Team car for the first time,” said Herta, who scored points on his F2 debut with Hitech in Australia last month. “I am looking forward to working closely with the team in a full Grand Prix environment and am fully focused on learning from every appearance. I hope I can contribute to the overall race weekend and help the team, Checo and Valtteri as much as possible.”
Graeme Lowdon, Cadillac’s F1 Team Principal, commented: “Colton is a top talent, which he has not only proved by building an impressive resume in the NTT IndyCar Series before joining us, but also with a strong start to his Formula 2 season. Completing all four of our young driver FP1 sessions is a natural next step in his test driver role, and I look forward to seeing what he can bring in terms of development and focus.”
Dan Towriss, Cadillac’s F1 CEO, added: “Colton has really earned this opportunity. These sessions are a valuable opportunity for him to integrate with the team, develop his skills behind the wheel and off the track, and learn about a Grand Prix weekend from the inside.”
Herta will be back in action at the upcoming Miami Grand Prix weekend, with F2 being added to the schedule for the event—as well as the Canadian F1 round that follows.
⏱️ Miami Grand Prix FP1 Session Extended to 90 Minutes
With the season set to resume after a five-week break, Formula 1 has announced that Free Practice 1 at the upcoming Miami Grand Prix will be extended to 90 minutes.
The session during the Miami weekend—which takes place across May 1-3—will now run from 1200 to 1330 local time, meaning that all other track sessions scheduled prior to FP1 will also move forwards by 30 minutes.
A statement from the FIA confirming the news reads: “This decision has been taken in recognition of the gap since the last Grand Prix, the recently announced regulatory and technical adjustments, and the fact that as the Miami Grand Prix operates under the Sprint format which reduces the amount of practice time available over the course of the weekend.”
The remainder of the event will run as originally planned, with Sprint Qualifying being held at 1630 local time later on Friday before the second Sprint of the season takes place at 1200 on Saturday. Qualifying follows at 1600 on Saturday, while the Grand Prix itself gets underway on Sunday at 1600.
The extended session will be particularly valuable for teams like McLaren, who are bringing significant upgrades to Miami, and for Cadillac, who will be continuing their development programme. It also provides an opportunity for rookie drivers and those with limited testing mileage to get up to speed after the long break.
The Miami Grand Prix marks the fourth round of the campaign, with Kimi Antonelli currently heading the Drivers’ Championship standings while Mercedes are on top of the Teams’ standings.
📊 The State of Play Ahead of Miami
As the paddock prepares to return to action, here is where things stand:
- Mercedes lead the Teams’ Championship with three wins from three races, with Kimi Antonelli becoming the first teenager to lead the Drivers’ standings.
- McLaren sit third, 89 points behind Mercedes, but are bringing a “completely new car” to Miami and Canada in a bid to close the gap.
- Red Bull are sixth in the standings after a difficult start, with Max Verstappen yet to score a podium in 2026 for the first time since 2018.
- Aston Martin remain at the bottom of the standings, with significant reliability and performance issues to address.
- Alpine have been the surprise package, jumping from last place in 2025 to fifth in 2026, equal on points with Red Bull.
The five-week break has given all teams an opportunity to develop their cars, and the Miami Grand Prix will provide the first indication of who has made the most progress.
🛣️ What’s Next: Miami Grand Prix
The long wait is almost over. The 2026 Formula 1 season resumes with the Miami Grand Prix from May 1-3, followed immediately by the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on May 22-24.
With McLaren bringing a “completely new car,” Mercedes looking to extend their championship lead, and Red Bull desperate to turn their season around, the Miami weekend promises to be a fascinating return to action. The extended 90-minute FP1 session will give teams their first chance to shake off the rust and evaluate new parts before Sprint Qualifying on Friday afternoon.
F2 will also be on the support bill in both Miami and Montreal, marking the championship’s first-ever visit to North America.
📰 Sources:
- 🔗 Formula 1 returns to Türkiye’s Istanbul Park from 2027 – Formula1.com
- 🔗 Stella confirms McLaren are set to deliver a ‘completely new car’ – Formula1.com
- 🔗 Red Bull announce organisational changes – Formula1.com
- 🔗 Herta to take part in four FP1 sessions with Cadillac – Formula1.com
- 🔗 Miami Grand Prix FP1 session extended to 90 minutes – Formula1.com
