Mercedes sits atop
Nineteen‑year‑old Antonelli leads the F1 championship on 72 points after two wins — Mercedes have won all three races so far and sit top of the teams’ table while Verstappen sits down in P9 on 12 points as Red Bull trails McLaren and Alpine in the early pecking order. ( ) Teams and the FIA are already under pressure after Ollie Bearman’s Suzuka crash and drivers warning that 2026 regs are leaving them “drained,” prompting talks of immediate rule and sprint‑format tweaks ahead of Miami — Oscar Piastri’s clever Suzuka drive (P2) has only sharpened scrutiny. ( )
Haas’s Ollie Bearman suffered a 50G impact when he ran onto the grass approaching Suzuka’s Spoon Curve and struck the barriers; he was able to walk from the car and was treated in the circuit medical centre before being given the all‑clear. (formula1.com) The FIA has opened a formal review of the 2026 technical regulations and confirmed a series of meetings in April to assess “closing‑speed” concerns raised by the Suzuka incident. (skysports.com) FIA communications acknowledged that high closing speeds “contributed” to the accident but warned that proposing specific fixes immediately would be premature while data is analysed. (the-race.com) Multiple drivers and analysts have described the mental and physical toll of the 2026 package as acute — F1 TV analyst Alex Brundle said drivers are being “pushed to their mental limits” and several drivers reiterated that energy‑management and battery deployment rules are making races more demanding. (motorsport.com) Teams and the FIA now have under a month to consider changes before the Miami Sprint weekend, which runs from May 1–3, 2026 and is scheduled to feature Sprint Qualifying on Friday and the Sprint on Saturday. (formula1.com) McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was praised for a composed opening move from P3 into Turn 1 and a measured race that yielded second place — commentators called it “really smart,” and the result marked his first race start of the season after two DNSs. (motorsport.com) Official team standings after Suzuka show Mercedes on 135 points, Ferrari 90, McLaren 46 and Red Bull Racing down on 16 points, leaving Red Bull level with Alpine in the constructors table as scrutiny over reliability and pace grows. (formula1.com)
