F1 today: Red Bull sinks and Ferrari gains time to react

F1 today: Red Bull sinks and Ferrari gains time to react

Formula 1 had a news cycle this Tuesday that mixed technical alerts, a sporting crisis, and planning for the future. On F1Mania.net, the day showed a Red Bull in its worst start to a season in over a decade, Ferrari trying to use the calendar break to react, and even an incident in Suzuka involving Arvid Lindblad during Pirelli testing. 

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The main highlight of the day was Red Bull’s situation. The team has only 16 points in the first three rounds of 2026, its worst start to a season since 2015, while Max Verstappen appears only ninth in the championship with 12 points, after a start marked by a crash in Australia, a Q2 elimination in Japan, and only one Q3 appearance, in China. Laurent Mekies admitted that the team faces a combination of lack of performance and difficulty in extracting the maximum from the RB22, although he showed confidence that updates could help change this scenario in the coming races. 

Another important topic of the day was Ferrari. The five-week break in the calendar, caused by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races amidst tensions in the Middle East, has begun to be treated internally as a strategic window to correct problems and seek more competitiveness. Fred Vasseur stated that the team has already gathered enough data after the first three races to better understand where the SF-26 works well and where it still needs to evolve, especially after the drop in performance observed in Lewis Hamilton’s car in Suzuka. 

Charles Leclerc (MON) Scuderia Ferrari SF-26.

In Suzuka, the day also had a curious episode during Pirelli testing. Arvid Lindblad suffered aquaplaning on a wet track and hit the barriers during the activities, damaging the front part of the Racing Bulls car. Even so, the Briton managed to return to the track later to complete the team’s program, in a test focused on the development of wet and intermediate tires, held during the Formula 1 break. 

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Closing the news, Saudi Arabia reappeared on the calendar radar with new images of the construction of the Qiddiya Speed Park, a future circuit designed by Alexander Wurz. The site’s main attraction will be the elevated corner called “The Blade,” with a 108-meter elevation change, and it remains scheduled for completion in 2027 to host its first Formula 1 race in 2028, although the schedule could still extend to 2029. 

Thus, the summary of this April 1st on F1Mania.net shows Formula 1 on different fronts at the same time: teams trying to survive the impact of the new regulations, drivers and teams using the break for reconstruction, and future projects still taking shape off the tracks. The championship enters its break with Mercedes on a high, Red Bull under pressure, and Ferrari trying to turn free time into a sporting reaction. 

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