Mike Krack believes that Fernando Alonso’s decision to re-sign with Aston Martin for the 2027 season is “a strong signal to everybody”, as the team looks to turn its fortunes around. Ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia this weekend, Alonso confirmed he would remain with Aston Martin for next season after months of speculation about his future and whether he would retire. While the Spaniard said his decision to continue in Formula 1 was due to a “fire inside”, Alonso has also taken into account the trajectory of Aston Martin during a difficult season where it has occupied the back of the grid....

Audi have revealed plans outlining a new campus for their Formula 1 operations in Switzerland, as the German manufacturer looks to increase their commitment to the sport. Audi joined the F1 grid at the start of this season, taking over the Sauber outfit and their factory in Hinwil, and have released details of further expansion with the new campus set to be built less than one kilometre from the current base....

For half of the Formula 1 grid, Thursday was a first chance to take a proper look at a Sepang track that they’ve previously only seen on TV or experienced in factory simulators, and for the rest it was a chance to refamiliarise themselves with a venue that they last sampled nine years ago. One thing came as no surprise to either track rookies or veterans though. Sepang has always been noted for a rough surface that gives tyres a hard time and, if anything, as the years have gone by it has become even more abrasive....

Isack Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad and Franco Colapinto have all taken grid penalties at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia this weekend after exceeding power unit components. In the case of Red Bull’s Hadjar, who celebrated a podium last time out in Baku on his comeback from injury, he will take a seventh internal combustion engine (ICE) with four permitted throughout the current season. Racing Bulls rookie Lindblad has also taken a new ICE - his fifth of the four allowed - while also taking a fifth turbocharger and a fifth new exhaust set....

Max Verstappen topped the timesheets during the opening practice hour at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, the Red Bull man setting the pace ahead of George Russell and Isack Hadjar. With the Sepang International Circuit having last hosted an F1 event back in 2017, many drivers on the grid had not previously experienced the Malaysian track - meaning that Friday’s first practice offered a valuable initial opportunity to get to grips with the venue....

Charles Leclerc ended second practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on top, the Ferrari racer going fastest from Isack Hadjar and Lando Norris. After familiarising themselves with the Sepang International Circuit earlier on Friday during a dry and sunny opening practice hour, the drivers were faced with potentially more uncertain conditions entering into FP2 as dark clouds lingered over the track. Most of the field appeared keen to get some early mileage on the board amid a 90 per cent chance of rain during the session, leading to a queue of cars filing out of the pit lane when the green light appeared at 1600 local time....

McLaren have detailed what caught them “a little bit by surprise” on the first day of track action at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with Oscar Piastri suggesting that the team appear to be a “tiny step behind” their rivals at the front. After Piastri and Lando Norris ended FP1 in 11th and 12th on the timesheets respectively, the squad looked to have made progress during the second session as Norris climbed up to P3, while Piastri set the sixth-fastest time of the hour....

Friday saw Mercedes' new package of upgrades break cover in Malaysia, but the day did not go entirely to plan for the Silver Arrows, with some of their rivals getting out of the blocks faster in both practice sessions. George Russell was the quicker of the two Mercedes drivers, coming home second in FP1 in an encouraging start for the team, albeit nearly four tenths down on Max Verstappen’s benchmark....

Max Verstappen was left satisfied with a “positive” first day on track at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, despite admitting to still having some “things to figure out” amid challenging conditions. After narrowly missing out on a first victory of the season last weekend in Azerbaijan, Verstappen voiced his hope during Thursday’s media day of taking a win before the season is over - and while there is still plenty of action ahead, the Red Bull driver threw the gauntlet down by going fastest in first practice at Sepang....

Charles Leclerc has highlighted what will be the “main talking point” in Sepang as he namechecked Red Bull and Mercedes as standouts in the competitive order. Ferrari looked to enjoy a positive day of running during the first two sessions of on-track action at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with the Monegasque finishing fourth in FP1 before going on to top the timesheets in FP2. Team mate Lewis Hamilton was also in the upper echelons of the order with a P6 and P5 in first and second practice respectively....

Red Bull Max Verstappen topped the opening session for Red Bull by a comfortable margin, and with Isack Hadjar in P3, the car looked strong out of the box. There were some question marks about overheating, but the same could be said for most of the field. In the second session, Hadjar impressed again with p2, while Verstappen was fourth, but crucially was the only driver not to run the soft tyre, thus setting his lap time on the mediums....

Let’s cut to the chase. Who are the favourites? Formula 1’s return to Sepang for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia got off to a competitive start, with the top four teams within four tenths of a second of each other in second practice. But who is showing signs of emerging as the one to beat as degradation dominated the radio and post-session chatter? I’m not trying to dodge the question, honest - but it’s really too close to call according to our data....

Any Ferrari Formula 1 Team Principal is always in the spotlight, and in the case of Fred Vasseur the gossip ramped up over the Baku weekend in the wake of former Red Bull chief Christian Horner’s suggestion that he would welcome a role with the Maranello-based team. Not surprisingly, that fuelled speculation that Vasseur is under pressure, and that Horner was a possible candidate to replace him. Just before the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia weekend kicked off, Ferrari moved to dampen the speculation with a media call, where it was made clear that Vasseur had the full support of the team - and, most importantly, both its Chairman John Elkann and Chief Executive Officer Benedetto Vigna....

Esteban Ocon has explained that while he is leaving the Haas project “with my head high”, his intention is to continue competing in Formula 1, even if that involves temporarily switching to a reserve driver position. With almost all of the seats on the 2027 grid now filled - excluding Racing Bulls and Haas - Ocon recently confirmed that he would leave the American team when the current campaign concludes....

Max Verstappen has set out his aim to “at least win one race this year”, with the Dutchman encouraged that he is getting close to that target following a series of podium finishes. Red Bull currently sit in fourth place of the Teams' Championship, the squad having faced a trickier first half of the season than their rivals at the front. However, the Milton Keynes-based outfit look to have made progress during recent Grands Prix, culminating in a 2-3 result for Verstappen and team mate Isack Hadjar in Azerbaijan....

Fernando Alonso has outlined the factors that influenced his decision to continue racing with Aston Martin into 2027, with the Spaniard admitting that he still feels “that fire inside” as he prepares for his 24th season in Formula 1. After speculation over his future in recent months following a tough start to the campaign for the team, it was announced ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia that Alonso has extended his contract with Aston Martin....