April 29, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
The Miami Grand Prix will take place over the upcoming weekend as one of three American racing events in the F1 season, also including the United States Grand Prix in Austin in October and the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November. Multiple storylines loom over Miami, such as the unusual five-week gap between the Japanese Grand Prix and the Miami Grand Prix due to the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix because of the Iran War and concerns over safety. At the time of the decision, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said, “We continue to hope for calm, safety and a swift return to stability in the region, and my thoughts remain with those affected by recent events. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are incredibly important to the ecosystem of our racing season, and I look forward to returning to both as soon as circumstances allow.”
So far this season, Mercedes has been dominant with both of their drivers, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, currently sitting next to each other atop the drivers’ cup standings, giving Mercedes a strong lead in the constructors’ cup, although it is still early.
Another talking point is the future of F1 legend and four-time world champion Max Verstappen. Back in March, Verstappen teased the idea of retirement, saying, “Privately, I’m very happy. You also wait for 24 races — this time it’s 22 but normally 24 — and then you just think about ‘Is it worth it?’ Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family, seeing my friends more when you’re not enjoying your sport?” Verstappen had made it known that he was not a fan of the new regulations the FIA had put on cars going into the season. Verstappen is far from the only person who’s expressed discontent with the new rules, as fans online have had similar complaints.
The main change causing contempt in the F1 world is the switch to V6 hybrid engines with an almost exact 50/50 split in horsepower generation between gasoline and electricity, which in turn has made drivers more conservative in trying to preserve their cars’ battery life and has led to less exciting racing. With that said, the FIA responded to the criticism last week by making small changes to the existing rules. One such rule change was adjusting the amount of energy that can be saved in a qualifying lap. Another rule for qualifying was also suggested to allow the batteries in cars to recharge faster in order to reduce the amount of harvesting needed to reach a 350-kilowatt full charge. As for the racing itself, the FIA said they identified an inconsistency on their energy counter, which had put drivers who started at a certain point of the grid on the formation lap at a disadvantage due to the counter believing they were already at maximum recharge energy for a given lap. While these changes are considered small and it’s yet to be seen how effective they’ll be, they could be a step in the right direction in remedying some of the problems seen through the season thus far.
In other news, it was announced that F1 drivers and teams were being investigated by Italy for tax evasion through earnings from Monza, Imola and Mugello between the 2020 and 2024 seasons. The Italian government is investigating whether the proper amount of tax was withheld at these events. The concern was brought about when Alessandro Mei, an attorney in Bologna, filed a formal complaint in June of last year, imploring the Italian government to look into the issue. While the law has existed for years, actual enforcement has been inconsistent.
On Friday, the Miami Grand Prix will begin with a free practice session before sprint qualifying takes place later in the day. Grand Prix qualifying will take place Saturday after the sprint race and the Grand Prix itself will begin at 1 p.m. Pacific time Sunday, May 3.
Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu
