F1 News Today: Max Verstappen tells McLaren to contact the FIA as new team join the grid

F1 champion Max Verstappen has suggested that championship rival Oscar Piastri should 'contact FIA' after a controversial penalty.

At the Brazilian Grand Prix last time out, the McLaren driver was handed a 10-second time penalty and two penalty points after an attempting an overtake on Kimi Antonelli.

Piastri made contact with Antonelli’s Mercedes which then knocked into the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, damaging his car and forcing him to retire, but Piastri's penalty has garnered quite some attention in the following weeks.

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LEGO join 2026 grid as new driver signing announced at Las Vegas GP

LEGO have announced that they will be joining the 2026 F1 Academy grid, confirming Esmee Kosterman as their driver.

The news was delivered in spectacular fashion with the livery for next season's car unveiled at this weekend's Las Vegas GP, in front of the sphere, which adopted a LEGO-style face which donned an F1 Academy helmet!

Kosterman competed as a wildcard driver at her home race in Zandvoort earlier this year but next year will mark her first full-time campaign in F1 Academy. Oh, and to celebrate? An F1 Academy LEGO set is now available to pre-order as well.

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McLaren's disastrous Las Vegas GP record offers Max Verstappen glimmer of hope

McLaren may be leading the drivers' championship in 2025 but as this year's edition of the Las Vegas Grand Prix rolls around, the papaya F1 team's awful record at the track has resurfaced.

This is only the third race in F1 history on the Las Vegas Street Circuit, meaning that McLaren's record in Nevada is short yet disastrous.

There have only been two previous Las Vegas GP's and McLaren have failed to finish in the top five with both their drivers on either of those past occasions.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri currently hold first and second position in the drivers' standings, but if their previous results in Vegas are anything to go by, Max Verstappen may be able to hold onto his title chance for another week.

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Felipe Massa handed major court update over Lewis Hamilton 2008 F1 title battle

A judge has ruled that ex-Ferrari driver Felipe Massa can continue with taking parts of his case to trial in a legal battle over the 2008 drivers' championship.

Massa famously lost to Lewis Hamilton that season, and has argued that he missed out on the championship because of the points he lost at the Singapore Grand Prix, when 'Crashgate' occurred.

'Crashgate' refers to the scandal which was uncovered long after the 2008 season, where Nelson Piquet Jr was found to have deliberately crashed his Renault to trigger a safety car and manipulate the race result.

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Why is the Las Vegas Grand Prix taking place on a Saturday?

The F1 calendar welcomes the Las Vegas GP once again this weekend, but you may be a little confused about what time the on-track action is actually taking place!

Since its inaugural event in 2023, the Las Vegas GP has been a night race, and this year lights out will happen at 8pm local time (PST) on November 22.

And before you rush to check your calendars, yes, the full-length Las Vegas race is taking place on a Saturday for those in that time zone, which will hopefully target as many prime time viewers around the globe as possible. If you're in the UK however, it'll be a late night (or very early morning) for you!

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