Overview
- Qualifying featured six red flags before Max Verstappen secured pole, with Carlos Sainz second for Williams and Liam Lawson third; Lando Norris was seventh, Oscar Piastri ninth, Charles Leclerc tenth and Lewis Hamilton twelfth.
- Charles Leclerc took responsibility for his Q3 incident and said Ferrari struggled to bring the medium tyre up to temperature in qualifying.
- Formula One confirmed the 2026 Sprint Race hosts will be China, Miami, Canada, Silverstone, the Netherlands and Singapore with no format changes from 2025.
- Ferrari engine specialists Wolf Zimmermann and Lars Schmidt have left to join Audi’s power unit program, reportedly recruited by Mattia Binotto for the marque’s 2026 entry.
- Lewis Hamilton issued a public appeal on Gaza via social media, warning the situation is worsening and highlighting heavy civilian casualties.