Mercedes has been fined after Kimi Antonelli’s car left the garage in an unsafe condition during qualifying at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.

The F1 season will begin with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this weekend before traveling to China and Japan for more racing action. A race in Bahrain is planned for April 12 and the one in Saudi Arabia is scheduled for April 19.

Formula One appears to have delayed a decision on whether to cancel its races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April which have been placed in doubt due to the Iran war

Inside the race to create a competitive American team from the ground up. ‘You just have to start building with a degree of blind faith.’

F1’s presence in the Middle East has previously been affected by the security situation. In 2022, the Grand Prix in Jeddah went ahead despite missile attacks on a nearby oil facility by Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are allied with Iran. In 2011, the Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled due to unrest during the Arab Spring.

When Formula 1 returns this weekend for a new season, the cars will look slimmer, an American auto giant will join the grid and the U.S. audience will be watching on Apple TV.

Apple has become Formula 1's new U.S. broadcast partner on Apple TV, and it hopes its hit F1 movie turns casual viewers into race fans.