Formula 1Fri 16 Oct 2026 · 4 of 10

Lance Stroll wins final pre‑F1 race ten years ago

Verified · 6/6 supported1 cited · 1 min read

RaceFans reports that Lance Stroll won his final pre‑F1 race, his most recent victory to date . RaceFans reports that he was just two weeks shy of his 18th birthday at the time . RaceFans reports that his promotion to F1 with Williams the following year had already been announced . RaceFans reports that he had already clinched the European Formula 3 championship earlier in the season . RaceFans reports that he started fourth on the grid behind Joel Eriksson, Jake Hughes and Callum Ilott, with other future F1 drivers Nikita Mazepin, Zhou Guanyu and George Russell also in the field .

Why it matters. RaceFans notes that the announced promotion meant Stroll would join Williams as a Formula 1 driver the following year, advancing his career .

Earlier on Formula 1

Thu 15 Oct 2026Red Bull Extends Laurent Mekies' F1 Team Principal Contract Through 2031The Race reports that Red Bull announced the extension of Laurent Mekies' contract as its Formula 1 team principal through 2031. The Race reports that the extension is presented as a strong endorsement of Mekies' leadership. The Race reports that the press release highlighted that under Mekies' leadership the team delivered a remarkable turnaround in the second half of the 2025 season, ultimately missing the drivers’ championship by just two points. The Race reports that the announcement follows Max Verstappen’s long‑term commitment to Red Bull, the extension of Isack Hadjar’s deal, and Verstappen’s back‑to‑back wins in Malaysia and Singapore. The Race reports that Mekies was moved from the junior Racing Bulls team after Christian Horner was ousted from Red Bull last summer.Thu 15 Oct 2026Laurent Mekies extends Red Bull leadership through 2031Laurent Mekies has signed a long‑term contract extension to remain Red Bull's CEO and Team Principal through the 2031 season. He was promoted from Racing Bulls in July 2025 and guided the team through a challenging start under the new regulations. Under his guidance Red Bull secured back‑to‑back race victories in Malaysia and Singapore in 2026. Max Verstappen and teammate Isack Hadjar also received contract renewals in recent months, adding to the team's continuity.Tue 13 Oct 2026Verstappen clinches Singapore win, earns perfect Power Rankings scoreMax Verstappen won the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on his 10th attempt. The Power Rankings judges judged his performance perfect, awarding high scores across sprint qualifying, the sprint, main qualifying and the race. The judges assess each driver after every Grand Prix, scoring them out of 10, averaging the scores for a race score and tallying them across the season. Liam Lawson is fighting for his Formula 1 future. F2 champion Nikola Tsolov is being considered for a promotion at Racing Bulls.
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