F1 News Today: Lewis Hamilton in turmoil as F1 star hit with double FIA punishment

Hamilton in red Ferrari hoodie and yellow 2026 British GP cap holding Sky Sports F1 mic — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Today

F1 News Today: Lewis Hamilton in turmoil as F1 star hit with double FIA punishment

All the latest news from Baku

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Saturday 26 September 2026 06:45

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From title challengers to being off the pace of Mercedes by over 1.3 seconds. That's the brutal reality that Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari faced at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Friday afternoon.

Heading into F1's summer break back in July, things looked as though they were finally starting to really click for the seven-time world champion and his team, who posed a genuine threat to Kimi Antonelli for this year's world championship at the time.

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FIA announce Carlos Sainz penalty as Williams suffer Azerbaijan Grand Prix heartbreak

Carlos Sainz has been dealt an Azerbaijan Grand Prix blow after being hit with a grid penalty on a bittersweet Friday for Williams.

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Williams have brought an upgraded package to the car this weekend, desperate to get out of a poor run that has seen them fail to score in the last eight grands prix weekends.

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F1 Qualifying Results: 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix positions and times from Baku

George Russell took pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix by nearly a full second in Friday afternoon's qualifying session.

Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri will start second and third respectively, but their lap times were more than eight tenths of a second slower than the utterly dominant Russell's best time.

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Max Verstappen admits he told Red Bull to 'p*** off' after Azerbaijan Grand Prix shambles

Max Verstappen has opened up on his frustrations during qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Dutchman had looked strong in practice, even topping the timing boards in FP3, but will start down in eighth for Saturday's race after a nightmare qualifying session.

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F1 finale deadline decision revealed as 'Imola getting ready'

F1 team bosses Ayao Komatsu and Mattia Binotto have revealed the new deadline to make a decision on the location of the 2026 season finale.

Ongoing conflict in the Middle East means that the Qatar-Abu Dhabi double header is expected to downsized and moved, with the presumptive champion Kimi Antonelli ending his record-breaking season at Imola instead.

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