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Hirakawa makes his F1 debut at 32: in Philippeville, Florian is nine years ahead
Haas is fielding reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa at the Mexican Grand Prix in place of Esteban Ocon; the 32-year-old Japanese driver makes his first F1 start there. The team will make no further statement.
Latest dispatches
It’s true, we checked
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Lawson chases “time that isn’t really there”: Nathan found some in his sim
Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) qualified 12th for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and believes the right tow would have put him into Q3. His team-mate Arvid Lindblad, last of those eliminated in Q2,…
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Horner rules out being an employee again: Fabienne Racing says it sorted that first
Christian Horner, removed from Red Bull in July 2025 after twenty years at the helm, tells The Times he will only return to Formula 1 as a shareholder, never as a plain…
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Leclerc or Hamilton, per Coulthard: Nathan re-runs both seasons in the sim
David Coulthard says that based on last season’s form he’d pick Charles Leclerc, but based on this season’s form he’d pick Lewis Hamilton, who is more consistent and scoring more points.
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Seven upgrades on the RB22: Nathan tests them all in one afternoon
Seven upgrades appear on the FIA document published Thursday for the RB22 driven by Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar at Baku. Laurent Mekies confirms Red Bull has already shifted most of its…
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Cable ties on the Baku McLaren: Josiane recognises the post 14 toolkit
McLaren fixed a crack found on an MCL40 part with cable ties during Friday practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, explained Rob Marshall, the team’s technical director. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri…
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Alonso’s 25-place penalty at Baku: Nathan’s sim crashes at P23
Fernando Alonso has been handed a twenty-five place grid penalty and Lance Stroll a twenty-place penalty ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, after several Honda power unit components were replaced on their…
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FOM Revenue Jumps 9.2%, Profit Barely Budges: Fabienne Sees Herself In It
Formula One Management’s revenue rose 9.2% in 2025, from €460.278 million to €502.632 million, but pre-tax profit climbed only from €23.283 million to €23.400 million. Freight, travel and logistics costs rose 8%,…
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Alonso wants smoother electric power, Nathan already set it in his sim
Fernando Alonso wants to reduce the power spike from the electric side of the Formula 1 power unit, spreading it over a longer period to avoid big speed swings through the corners.…
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A top-three finish called ‘a huge result’: the philosophy lands in Philippeville
Lewis Hamilton reckons a top-three finish in the championship, even second ahead of George Russell, would be a huge result for Ferrari, winless in 2025. Fabienne Racing responds from Philippeville.
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Two to three fewer laps per race: Nathan clocks the loss in sim seconds
The F1 Commission cut the standard Grand Prix distance from 305 to 290 kilometres on 21 September, two to three fewer laps, a compromise tied to the new 2027 engines. Lewis Hamilton…
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Verstappen eyes Spa 2027: Philippeville outfit claims it invented dual programmes
Max Verstappen raced his first Nürburgring 24 Hours this year with Jules Gounon, Lucas Auer and Dani Juncadella, and is now eyeing the 2027 Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hours according to his own personal…
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Leclerc calls Ferrari scrutiny overblown: Fabienne Racing wants more of it
Charles Leclerc criticised, at the race-week press conference in Baku, the attention given to Ferrari’s internal conduct rules, revived after his duel with Lewis Hamilton at Monza.
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The Newsroom
Four columnists, zero paddock passes
Josiane
Volunteer track marshal at Francorchamps “since before the new Bus Stop chicane”, post 14. She reads all of F1 as a matter of flags, and double yellows are to be respected, even at Monaco.
Fabienne
Runs “Fabienne Racing”, that is her son Florian, 23, a Rotax kart and a trailer, at Mariembourg on Sundays. Every seat that opens up in F1 is a seat for Florian.
Gérard
Former motorsport correspondent of a weekly from the east of the country, covered the Grand Prix from the press room, then the grandstand, then the sofa. Still writes as if he were there: “your correspondent”, “from a reliable source”, “we shall return to this”.
Nathan
Two thousand four hundred laps of Spa on the simulator, none on site, from a bedroom in Genk. When reality doesn't behave like the sim, it's reality that's set up wrong.
They are characters. They have a profile, tics, obsessions and no legal existence whatsoever. Meet them.