Aston Martin has confirmed that reserve driver Jak Crawford will make his first free practice appearance of the 2026 F1 season at the Japanese Grand Prix, stepping in for Fernando Alonso during FP1 at Suzuka.
The outing forms part of the team’s mandated rookie driver allocation and comes at a time when Aston Martin is seeking to recover from a difficult start to the campaign, having struggled to even get the AMR26 on track in the opening rounds.
READ MORE: Aston Martin announce Japanese GP FP1 driver change
Constant Max Verstappen 'complaining' pinned to one key factor
Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has attributed Max Verstappen's constant "complaining" about the new power unit regulations to Red Bull's struggles, insisting he would not be making negative comments if he were winning.
It has been a difficult start to 2026 for Verstappen, who crashed in qualifying in Australia before recovering to sixth in the race, only to then retire from the Chinese Grand Prix following an ERS coolant fault
READ MORE: Constant Max Verstappen 'complaining' pinned to one key factor
Exclusive: New Madrid F1 circuit dividing opinion as construction investigated
In just 174 days, on September 13, the lights are set to go out at the Madring, the new home of the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.
The 5.4-kilometre circuit, situated in the west of the Spanish capital at the IFEMA exhibition centre, is under construction and is dividing opinion among locals as to whether it will be ready in time.
READ MORE: Exclusive: New Madrid F1 circuit dividing opinion as construction investigated
Max Verstappen told to 'shut up and drive' over F1 complaints
Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert has suggested that Max Verstappen should “shut up and drive” rather than continue complaining about the 2026 cars.
Verstappen has been vocal about his lack of enjoyment with the new challengers, labelling them “anti-racing” and a “joke”.
READ MORE: Max Verstappen told to 'shut up and drive' over F1 complaints
Carlos Sainz issues 'big crash' warning to F1 over 'plaster' concern
Carlos Sainz has warned F1 that it is facing a major on-track incident due to a particular aspect of the sport introduced this year.
The Straight Mode [SM] system has left Williams driver Sainz concerned. As part of the active aerodynamics in play, the angles of the front and rear wings change depending on whether the car is cornering or running through an SM zone.
READ MORE: Carlos Sainz issues 'big crash' warning to F1 over 'plaster' concern
Charles Leclerc highlights personal 'risk' disadvantage with new F1 car
Charles Leclerc has admitted he can no longer take a “risk” during a qualifying lap, which aided his route to strong results in the past.
Leclerc has long been known as one of the grid's strongest qualifiers and currently has 27 pole positions to his name, trailing only Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in the current field.
READ MORE: Charles Leclerc highlights personal 'risk' disadvantage with new F1 car
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding as they look ahead to this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix. Jonathan Wheatley's Audi exit is a key talking point, as is whether Max Verstappen's critical comments are damaging F1.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Explore the latest F1 results and every stat you can imagine - From Max Verstappen to Michael Schumacher and from Ayrton Senna to Lewis Hamilton — explore every stat from the first Grand Prix to the latest race.
Explore the RN365 Stats HubMost read
In this article
Join the conversation!