🏁 F1 Daily Digest — Sunday, 13 April 2026

---

On This Day — Senna's Magic at Jerez & Donington

On this date in 1986, Ayrton Senna claimed one of the most breathtaking victories in Formula 1 history, beating Mansell by just 0.014 seconds at the Spanish Grand Prix — the third-closest finish ever recorded. The brand-new Jerez circuit delivered a finish that still sends shivers down the spine of anyone who's seen the footage. Read more →

And let's not forget — on this day in 1993, Senna produced the legendary "Lap of the Gods" at a rain-soaked Donington Park, scything from fifth to first on the opening lap of the European Grand Prix. Some things transcend statistics. Relive it →

---

Technical & FIA

Wolff and Vasseur Agree: Miami Will Be a "Restart" With a five-week gap before Miami and major upgrade packages in the pipeline, both Wolff and Vasseur are treating the next race as a de facto season reset. Fresh aero packages and revised understanding of the 2026 power units could reshuffle the competitive order dramatically — expect the midfield picture to look very different post-break. Read more →

New Start Regs: Winners and Losers Emerging The removal of the MGU-H under the 2026 power unit regulations has fundamentally changed race starts, with significantly more hybrid power delivery off the line creating a new pecking order into Turn 1. Some teams have nailed the calibration, others are haemorrhaging positions before the first braking zone. Antonelli has identified starts as his key weakness and is working to solve it before Miami. Read more → | Antonelli's three clues →

Binotto Pinpoints Audi's Performance Deficit Mattia Binotto has been refreshingly candid about where Audi is losing time, acknowledging the power unit remains the primary area for improvement while also flagging chassis development as a bottleneck. It's an honest assessment from a project that's still very much in build mode — the question is whether they can close the gap before the midfield pulls further away. Read more →

Deflector Array Designs: Major Divergence Between Top Teams A fascinating technical breakdown reveals how Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull have taken wildly different approaches to exploiting the new deflector array regulations. The design philosophy split is reminiscent of the early 2022 divergence between sidepod concepts — and could define the development war for the rest of the season. Read more →

Coulthard: Eau Rouge Should Be Exempt from Battery Harvesting David Coulthard has raised a safety concern about the energy recovery demands through Eau Rouge, arguing that forcing drivers to harvest through one of F1's most committed corners creates an unacceptable risk. It's a valid point — the new regulations fundamentally change the throttle map through high-speed sections, and Spa could be a flashpoint. Read more →

---

Driver News

Wolff: "I Fired Hamilton AND Rosberg" After 2016 Barcelona Crash In a jaw-dropping revelation, Wolff has admitted he initially decided to sack both Hamilton and Rosberg after their infamous collision at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. The Mercedes boss clearly thought the intra-team warfare had crossed a line — a fascinating insight into just how close we came to a completely different F1 timeline. Read more →

Alesi Questions Whether 2026 Rules Hurt the Fastest Drivers Jean Alesi has waded into the growing debate about whether the new battery management demands are neutralising raw speed, suggesting drivers like Verstappen may be more disadvantaged by the emphasis on energy deployment strategy. It's a provocative take — and one that echoes Rosberg's defence of the rules, who argues the new formula is actually producing better racing despite the "Mario Kart" criticism from some in the paddock. Read more → | Rosberg's view →

Irvine: Hamilton "Outclassed" by Leclerc at Suzuka Eddie Irvine isn't pulling punches, claiming Hamilton was comprehensively beaten by Leclerc at the Japanese Grand Prix and cautioning against reading too much into any recent podium form. The Hamilton-Leclerc dynamic at Ferrari is shaping up to be one of the most scrutinised teammate battles on the grid. Read more →

Vowles Praises Hamilton's 2021 Response On a more positive note, Williams boss Vowles — who was Hamilton's chief strategist at Mercedes during that agonising Abu Dhabi finale — has offered fresh praise for how the seven-time champion handled losing the 2021 title. The emotional intelligence to bounce back from that is something Vowles clearly still marvels at. Read more →

Norris Names His Four Most Influential Figures The reigning World Champion has opened up about the people who shaped his journey to the top, offering a rare personal look behind the visor. From karting mentors to key McLaren figures, it's a reminder that behind every championship trophy is a village of people who made it possible. Read more →

Perez: Cadillac's Biggest Challenge Is Out-Developing the Field Cadillac's 11th-team experiment has achieved its initial goal of respectability, with both Perez and Bottas finishing the last two races. But Perez is clear-eyed about what comes next — the real battle is closing the development gap to the established teams, and that's a mountain that only gets steeper as the season progresses. Read more →

Lambiase-Verstappen Partnership Nearing Its End The iconic engineer-driver pairing of Gianpiero Lambiase and Verstappen at Red Bull is set to conclude, bringing down the curtain on one of the most successful radio relationships in modern F1. Their chemistry through dominant wins and pressure-cooker title fights has been unmistakable. Read more →

---

Qualifying & Grid

Lawson: Racing Bulls "Haven't Been That Fast" Despite a consistent run of points finishes to open 2026, Lawson has made a surprisingly honest admission — Racing Bulls simply haven't had the raw pace to match their results. It speaks to excellent race execution and opportunism, but the underlying performance deficit will eventually catch up with them without upgrades. Read more →

---

Off-Track

"The Kaiser" — Schumacher Film Drops First Trailer The first official trailer for The Kaiser, a feature film chronicling the early career and explosive F1 debut of Michael Schumacher, has landed. The film focuses on the legendary German's rise through the junior categories and that stunning Jordan-to-Benetton debut weekend at Spa in 1991. One for the calendar. Read more →

Stroll's GT3 Debut at Paul Ricard Lance Stroll took his first steps in GT racing this weekend, qualifying P19 in the GT World Challenge Europe at Paul Ricard aboard a Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin. The weekend ended in retirement after a disrupted race, but it's an interesting side project for the Canadian during the F1 break. Notably, Verstappen's teammate Jules Gounon suffered a health scare after collapsing following his stint — thankfully he's reported to be okay. Read more → | Gounon update →

F1 Drivers Take Over Monte-Carlo Masters The mid-season break has sent half the grid to the tennis, with Piastri, Albon, Bortoleto, Bearman, and others spotted courtside at the Monte-Carlo Masters watching Sinner take on Zverev. Good to see them relaxing — they'll need the energy for Miami. See the photos →

---

Big Questions Heading Into Miami

The early-season narrative is clear: the 2026 regulations have divided opinion, the development race is wide open, and the five-week break could produce a seismic shift in the pecking order. Can Antonelli fix his starts? Will Audi close the gap? How different will Miami look with fresh upgrade packages from Mercedes and Ferrari? The answers arrive on 3 May. The unanswered questions →

---

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Carlos Reutemann — he would have turned 84 today. 🇦🇷