From Teammates to Enemies: Formula 1's Greatest Same-Team Rivalries
You know a rivalry is hot when one guy throws down on the other's family. After two years of animosity, during which each racer traded jabs on track and in the press, Nelson Piquet went nuclear in a 1988 interview, saying, '[Nigel] Mansell is argumentative, he's rude, and he's got a really ugly wife.'These old friends were once karting teammates, but when they both ended up at Mercedes with a dominant car, things went sour—fast. Machinations! Team orders ignored! On-track collisions! Nico Rosberg finally beat Lewis Hamilton in 2016, then promptly retired. The relationship reportedly remains ice-cold.This duo didn't hate each other, but 'there had always been tension at Ferrari,' said Phil Hill. With the title in play, 'we each knew that we'd have to fight with everything we had to win the battle.' At the Italian GP, Wolfgang von Trips ended up dead, and Hill won, making him the only American-born F1 champ to this day.'I have declared war.... It's war. Absolute war.' So said Gilles Villeneuve after teammate Didier Pironi ignored team orders and stole the San Marino GP win. Two weeks later, Villeneuve went out in qualifying, attempting to match his teammate's speed, and never made it back to pit lane alive.The most famous intrateam rivalry of all turned toxic at the 1989 San Marino GP. Ayrton Senna ignored what Alain Prost thought was an agreement to hold positions, and the tension climaxed with a literal collision at Suzuka that still has fans arguing. 'Ayrton didn't want to beat me,' Prost said later. 'He wanted to destroy me.'The second year of this pairing saw both in contention for the 2010 title, but Mark Webber loudly hinted that the team favored Sebastian Vettel. The feud boiled over in Malaysia during the second race of 2013, when Vettel ignored the obvious 'Multi 21' coded radio message to hold position and passed Webber for the win.This grudge match, during their one campaign as teammates, is most remembered for Fernando Alonso sitting in the pit box during Hungarian GP qualifying to disrupt Lewis Hamilton's final flying-lap attempt. Following a harsh reprimand from team boss Ron Dennis, Alonso blew open the doors on McLaren's spying scandal.Was Jacques Villeneuve, already a world champ, threatened when young upstart Jenson Button joined the team? Uh, yeah. In Australia, at the season's first race, Villeneuve pitted a lap later than told, intentionally sabotaging his teammate's stop. 'Jacques didn't speak to me,' Button later recalled. 'He wouldn't even look at me.' Final 2003 drivers' points: Button 17, Villeneuve 6.
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Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Madrid makes debut as Imola dropped from 2026
The race in Madrid will run on a new 5.47km circuit around the Ifema exhibition centre between the Spanish capital and Barajas airport [Getty Images] The new Madrid Grand Prix will be held as the final race of an uninterrupted European section of the Formula 1 season next year. Madrid, to be held on 11-13 September, will be a second race in Spain and replaces the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in Italy in a schedule that remains at 24 races. Advertisement Madrid's debut is one of a number of changes, most of which have been made in an attempt to streamline transport and reduce carbon emissions. Canada, traditionally held in early June, has moved to 22-24 May, the date that would have been expected to be filled by Monaco, which will now be held on 5-7 June. The switch ensures that Canada follows the Miami race on 1-3 May, creating what F1 describes as "significant freight efficiencies as some equipment can move directly from one to the other". Every race from Monaco on the first weekend in June to Madrid is then in Europe, before the Azerbaijan event on 25-27 September kicks off the final intercontinental part of the season. Advertisement The moves are in line with F1's new rules, in which revised engines run on 100% sustainable fuels. The season starts in Melbourne, Australia, on 6-8 March. The Bahrain Grand Prix, which has become the most common opening race, is again in April as a result of the timing of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Bahrain and the Saudi Arabian race will be held a week apart, but unlike this year there is a two-week gap between the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix in March after Australia, rather than the one of this season. The British Grand Prix will be held on 3-5 July, and the season will mark the final appearance of the Dutch Grand Prix. It will be held at Zandvoort on 21-23 August. Advertisement The traditional Spanish race at Barcelona retains its place on 12-14 June as it fulfils the last year of its existing contract. The season ends with two groups of three races on consecutive weekends - the US Grand Prix in Austin on 23-25 October followed by Mexico and Brazil, and then the Las Vegas Grand Prix on 19-21 November followed by Qatar and Abu Dhabi, which brings the season to a close on 4-6 December. 2026 F1 calendar Australia - 6-8 March China - 13-15 March Japan - 27-29 March Bahrain - 10-12 April Saudi Arabia - 17-19 April Miami - 1-3 May Canada - 22-24 May Monaco - 5-7 June Spain (Barcelona) - 12-14 June Advertisement Austria - 26-28 June Great Britain - 3-5 July Belgium - 17-19 July Hungary - 24-26 July Netherlands - 21-23 August Italy - 4-6 September Spain (Madrid) - 11-13 September Azerbaijan - 25-27 September Singapore - 9-11 October United States (Austin) - 23-25 October Mexico - 30 October-1 November Brazil - 6-8 November Las Vegas - 19-21 November Qatar - 27-29 November Abu Dhabi - 4-6 December
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
F1 Drops a Legendary Track for 2026 as 2026 Calendar Revealed
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. While the 2025 Formula 1 season is only just starting to heat up, F1 has already announced its schedule for the upcoming 2026 season, revealing a new arrival and a dear departure. The 2026 season will see the introduction of the Madrid Grand Prix, taking place in the center of one of the biggest cities in the world. Madrid's Madring circuit is currently under construction, though the latest reports claim that the timeline should align with the schedule, as long as there are no notable delays. Williams driver Carlos Sainz is one of the track's ambassadors and played a role in its development. The Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona is still on the calendar, though the arrival of the Madrid GP has cast doubts over Barcelona's future on the calendar in the future season. The race start during the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 1, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. The race start during the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 1, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. Photo byItaly is going to lose a race on the calendar to make room for Madrid. The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix was removed from the upcoming calendar, losing one of the most iconic tracks on the rotation. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the last race at Imola for the foreseeable future and noted that he will miss the track. "Losing these kind of tracks is a shame," Verstappen told reporters after his race win. "I get it from F1's side of things, of course -- the new tracks that we are going to, so you have to see it from a sportive side and a financial side, right? "If you want to grow the business and make it more popular, I get it. For me, of course, personally, when I just speak about the enjoyment of driving, it's these kind of tracks that made me fall in love with racing in general -- in go-karting even, because you have the same thing in karting where some tracks are more special than others." There will still be the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, but Imola holds a special place in F1 history. The first F1 championship race at Imola was held in 1980, and it remains one of the oldest tracks still used in racing. Unfortunately, F1 will not be racing there for a while. The 2026 F1 Schedule 6–8 March – Australia – Melbourne 13–15 March – China – Shanghai 27–29 March – Japan – Suzuka 10–12 April – Bahrain – Sakhir 17–19 April – Saudi Arabia – Jeddah 1–3 May – USA – Miami 22–24 May – Canada – Montreal 5–7 June – Monaco – Monaco 12–14 June – Spain – Barcelona 26–28 June – Austria – Spielberg 3–5 July – United Kingdom – Silverstone 17–19 July – Belgium – Spa 24–26 July – Hungary – Budapest 21–23 August – Netherlands – Zandvoort 4–6 September – Italy – Monza 11–13 September – Spain – Madrid 25–27 September – Azerbaijan – Baku 9–11 October – Singapore – Singapore 23–25 October – USA – Austin 30 October – 1 November – Mexico – Mexico City 6–8 November – Brazil – São Paulo 19–21 November – USA – Las Vegas 27–29 November – Qatar – Lusail 4–6 December – Abu Dhabi – Yas Marina For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
F1 reveals 2026 schedule: Canadian GP to clash with Indy 500; Madrid debuts in September
Formula One has revealed its calendar for the 2026 season, featuring a record-tying 24 races, three visits to the United States and a new grand prix in Madrid in September. But F1 will also go head-to-head with the Indianapolis 500 next year after moving the Canadian Grand Prix to May 24, setting up a direct clash between the two races on Memorial Day weekend. Advertisement The 2026 calendar was revealed after the FIA's World Motor Sport Council approved the schedule during its latest meeting in Macau on Tuesday. F1 has taken steps in recent years to better regionalize its calendar, aiming to reduce its carbon footprint and meet its net-zero goal by 2030. The latest efforts include Canada's shift to late May from its traditional mid-June slot. It will take place three weeks after the Miami Grand Prix, pairing the first two North American races on the calendar. While the date change ensures the entire European leg of the season can run without leaving the continent between early June and mid-September, minimizing cross-Atlantic travel, it has created a clash with the Indy 500. This year's Indy 500 started at 12:45 p.m. ET, while this Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix will begin at 2 p.m. ET, creating a potential dilemma for racing fans. Traditionally, the Indy 500 has been held on the same day as the Monaco Grand Prix, but the different time zones have meant the F1 race typically finishes a couple of hours before the 500 goes green. As reported by The Athletic, the new F1 season will start once again in Australia, which moves forward by one week to March 8, heralding the debut of the overhauled car designs for 2026, the most significant in a generation. The first race in Madrid, as part of F1's new contract to race in the Spanish capital at the IFEMA complex, is scheduled for September 13 and will be the second of two races in Spain next season, subject to the circuit being signed off by Formula One's governing body, FIA. Barcelona is set to host the final grand prix under its existing contract on June 14. Unlike 2025, Japan is no longer part of a triple-header with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia; instead, it becomes a stand-alone race at the end of March. Advertisement The Dutch Grand Prix, which is set to drop from the calendar after 2026, is also not paired with any other races. This means the first triple-header does not occur until Rounds 19 and 21 of the season, which include races in the United States (Austin, Texas), Mexico and Brazil. This will, however, be followed by a second triple-header to close out the season, setting up a run of six races in the space of seven weeks to the final checkered flag in Abu Dhabi on December 6. The fourth running of the Las Vegas Grand Prix is scheduled for November 21, retaining its Saturday slot, although a new contract has yet to be formally announced beyond this year. As anticipated, the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola will not appear on the calendar after the expiration of its contract, being effectively replaced by the Madrid race.
