Luke Smith

Senior Writer, F1

Luke Smith is a Senior Writer covering Formula 1 for The Athletic. Luke has spent 10 years reporting on Formula 1 for outlets including Autosport, The New York Times and NBC Sports, and is also a published author. He is a graduate of University College London.

Sergio Pérez to keep Red Bull F1 seat after talks over future

Pérez’s position at Red Bull has faced heavy scrutiny in recent weeks as he's gone through a dip in performance.

Luke Smith65

Why Carlos Sainz is going to Williams — and where it leaves Alpine and Sauber for 2025

Luke Smith18

Carlos Sainz announces Williams F1 switch for 2025 season

Luke Smith88

Sergio Pérez’s brutal Belgian GP leaves Red Bull facing a decision ‘nobody wants to make’

Luke Smith52

George Russell disqualified from Belgian Grand Prix, making Lewis Hamilton the winner

Madeline Coleman123

F1 Belgian GP preview: Ferrari looks to capitalize from pole, Checo's big chance

Plus: Can Max Verstappen win from the back half of the grid?

Luke Smith and Madeline Coleman21

Bruno Famin to leave role as Alpine F1 chief, team plans to stop making engines from 2026

SPA, Belgium — Alpine Formula One team principal Bruno Famin will leave his role to focus on the brand’s wider motorsport activities, including a planned end of its factory engine program by 2026. Famin, 62, took over the day-to-day running of Alpine’s F1 activities at last year’s Belgian Grand Prix in July following the departure of former team principal Otmar Szafnauer. At the same race 12 months later, following Alpine’s disastrous start to the 2024 season and their decline in the F1 standings, Famin has announced he will step down from his role at the end of August. Alpine...

Luke Smith24

Esteban Ocon's Marvel superfandom runs deep — and now arrives at the F1 track

The French driver loves escaping into the MCU, and at Spa will race in a Marvel-themed livery.

Luke Smith8

Signing Lewis Hamilton is just the start of Ferrari’s push to return to its F1 glory days

Team principal Fred Vasseur is tasked with ending a 15-year championship drought.

Luke Smith64

Max Verstappen denies reports of Red Bull sim racing ban, will not change radio approach

Lewis Hamilton also weighed in on the Red Bull driver's frustrations, saying that "you have to act like a world champion."

Luke Smith115

Norris ‘not too proud’ McLaren F1 team orders tension distracted from Piastri win

Lando Norris admitted the end to the Hungarian GP “could have been handled slightly differently from both a team side and a personal side."

Luke Smith14

Esteban Ocon joins Haas F1 for 2025 season on multi-year contract

Esteban Ocon will race for Haas in Formula One from 2025 after signing a multi-year deal with the American team. Haas announced on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix that Ocon, 27, would complete its line-up for next year alongside British rookie Oliver Bearman, who will graduate from Formula Two. The Frenchman will become the first grand prix winner to race for Haas, and the move sees him reunite with Ayao Komatsu, Haas’s team principal, who served as his engineer for his maiden F1 test with Lotus back in 2014. Ocon said in a statement that he and Haas had enjoyed...

Luke Smith41

McLaren may need to be ruthless to beat Red Bull — and it could get uncomfortable

The closer McLaren gets to Red Bull, the more its preferred way of fighting will be tested.

Luke Smith103

How McLaren tangled itself in F1 team orders — and why Norris handed Piastri back his win

Lando Norris had to choose between "the right thing" and or boosting his own championship hopes.

Luke Smith147

F1 Hungarian GP preview: McLaren v. Verstappen rolls on as pressure mounts on Pérez

Plus: Mercedes slips backward and Williams' Logan Sargeant takes a step forward.

Madeline Coleman and Luke Smith8

After another Sergio Pérez F1 qualifying crash, scrutiny over his Red Bull future grows

Pérez’s latest error could hasten considerations of a switch, most likely for Liam Lawson.

Luke Smith68

F1's Logan Sargeant ignores his critics as he fights for his future

“It’s quite a draining place,” Sargeant said of social media. “When you’re doing things well, of course people want to drag you down."

Luke Smith24

How Brad Pitt’s F1 movie immersed itself in the racing world: ‘People creating magic’

As Pitt and company look to make the most authentic F1 movie ever, "F1" is taking shape on track.

Luke Smith22

Kevin Magnussen, longest-tenured driver in Haas’ F1 history, to leave team at end of 2024 season

In its ninth season, Haas is a young team by F1 standards, and Magnussen has played a bigger role in its story than any other driver.

Luke Smith36

The Red Bull RB17: How iconic F1 designer Adrian Newey built his 'utopia' car

Hypercars exist at the upper limit of automotive performance, a level the RB17 sought to reach by harnessing F1 technology.

Luke Smith21

Yes, F1 is back to its ultra-competitive, rivalry-fueled top form

Things are good again in Formula 1 as feuds intensify and the racing delights.

Luke Smith80

Red Bull’s seesaw British GP heralds a fascinating 2024 F1 championship fight

Verstappen remains incredibly hard to beat, but making the right calls will make all the difference now.

Luke Smith66

Lewis Hamilton’s joyful tears, F1 British GP win put two doubt-filled years to rest

Emotions flooded from Lewis Hamilton as he returned to F1's top step. What made the win even sweeter was that this one came on merit.

Luke Smith74

F1 British GP preview: Mercedes leads a 'Battle of the Brits' at Silverstone

Opportunity for the British drivers. Redemption for Pérez. Damage-control for Ferrari. And all the while, Verstappen looms.

Luke Smith and Madeline Coleman25

Sergio Pérez tests Red Bull F1's faith with another mistake, McLaren on the rise

Pérez's latest qualifying mistake raises questions about his job security at Red Bull, which is known for making tough driver decisions.

Luke Smith39