Author Profile: Leopold Pleijsier

Leopold Pleijsier

Leopold Pleijsier

F1 Journalist

30367 published articles
19 Oct 2026 latest publication

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

Latest story: How F1 Teams Use Dummy Pit Stops to Outsmart Rivals

Qualifying Report & Results 2026 Bahrain F1 Grand Prix

Event: Bahrain Grand Prix Track: Sepang International Circuit Weather: Partly cloudy & dry  33°C / 91°F Tarmac: dry  58°C / 136°F Humidity: 49% Wind:...

1 comments  | 
3 Oct 2026

Vasseur rejects Hamilton hint about people above him at Ferrari

Hamilton suggested the problem sits above the team principal. Vasseur says his bosses are not the issue, and that a divided Ferrari is the...

1 comments  | 
3 Oct 2026

Extreme tyre wear leaves Sepang race wide open

Three different drivers topped practice at Sepang, but the surface is chewing through tyres. Whoever manages degradation best may win in the Malaysian heat.

0 comments  | 
3 Oct 2026

F1 confirms Qatar and Abu Dhabi will end 2026 season

After months of uncertainty, Formula 1 has settled its closing chapter. Qatar and Abu Dhabi stay on the calendar, and Imola's contingency role is...

3 comments  | 
3 Oct 2026

Komatsu says Ocon exit was about the overall picture

Ocon insists his pace was not the issue. Komatsu praises his speed but will only say the whole picture pointed to a change, and...

1 comments  | 
3 Oct 2026

Briatore closes Colapinto chapter after costly Baku crash

Briatore admits he was upset by Colapinto's Baku mistake, but says the team has moved on. The Italian also used the stage to criticise...

0 comments  | 
3 Oct 2026

Alonso teases surprises as Verstappen denies GT3 link-up

Alonso promised surprises and Verstappen promptly closed one door. The Spaniard still wants racing beyond F1, and his next move remains an open question.

0 comments  | 
3 Oct 2026

Bottas says Imola tax comments were taken out of context

Bottas says his Imola remarks were framed as unfavourably as possible. His complaint is not paying tax, but a large bill reaching back years...

0 comments  | 
3 Oct 2026

Sepang fans stranded as shuttle chaos hits Friday

Formula 1's return to Sepang has drawn big crowds, but getting home is the problem. Fans describe long waits, poor signage and kilometres on...

0 comments  | 
3 Oct 2026

Third Free Practice Report & Results 2026 Bahrain F1 Grand Prix

Event: Bahrain Grand Prix Track: Sepang International Circuit Weather: Partly cloudy dry  32°C / 89°F Tarmac: dry  56°C / 132°F Humidity: 53% Wind: 3.9...

1 comments  | 
3 Oct 2026

Hamilton backs Vasseur but says Ferrari's problems go higher?

Hamilton shields Vasseur at Sepang, yet his message is pointed: Ferrari's long-standing structure may need review, and the people above the team principal are...

0 comments  | 
2 Oct 2026

Big new Mercedes upgrade worth three tenths, Antonelli told

Mercedes has finally brought a major upgrade to Sepang and both Antonelli and Russell rate it a big step, though a possible engine upgrade...

0 comments  | 
2 Oct 2026

Sky reports Qatar and Abu Dhabi will stay on schedule

Sky Deutschland says Qatar and Abu Dhabi are going ahead, yet at Sepang the drivers still spoke as if nothing had been decided, with...

1 comments  | 
2 Oct 2026

Ocon: Haas exit not performance as rivals back him

Ocon will not reveal why Haas let him go, only that performance was not the reason, and he insists F1 is where he belongs...

1 comments  | 
2 Oct 2026

Audi Builds New F1 Campus for 2030 Title Push

Audi is building a home for its 2030 ambitions just down the road from Hinwil, while Bortoleto insists the Baku updates did their job...

0 comments  | 
2 Oct 2026

Bearman first thought Monaco sprint was a prank

F1 has added a sprint to the 2027 Monaco weekend, and Bearman thought it was a prank, but he can see the logic of...

0 comments  | 
2 Oct 2026

Antonelli considering Monaco move, says Prince Albert

Monaco may soon count another title contender among its residents, as Prince Albert says Kimi Antonelli is weighing a move from San Marino to...

1 comments  | 
2 Oct 2026

Second Free Practice Report & Results 2026 Bahrain F1 Grand Prix

Event: Bahrain Grand Prix Track: Sepang International Circuit Weather: dry  33°C / 91°F Tarmac: dry  53°C / 136°F Humidity: 48% Wind: 3.9 km/h East...

2 comments  | 
2 Oct 2026

First Free Practice Report & Results 2026 Bahrain F1 Grand Prix

Event: Bahrain Grand Prix Track: Sepang International Circuit Weather: dry  33°C / 91°F Tarmac: dry  58°C / 136°F Humidity: 83.0% Wind: 2.5 km/h North...

1 comments  | 
2 Oct 2026

Ocon frustrated by Haas exit as 2027 search goes on

Haas and Ocon have made their split official, yet the Frenchman is not leaving quietly or leaving F1. He calls the treatment undeserved, and...

1 comments  | 
2 Oct 2026

Colapinto: Alpine plans never changed after Baku crash

Colapinto says Alpine's plans never changed after Baku, shrugs off Norris's call for a ban and urges fans to calm down. Briatore was angry,...

1 comments  | 
1 Oct 2026

Alonso's one-year Aston deal may be his richest yet

Mundo Deportivo says Alonso's one-year Aston Martin deal outstrips anything in his career, reportedly above $40m. Alonso insists he renewed because he believes he...

3 comments  | 
1 Oct 2026

Verstappen confirms GT3 return at Portimao on 17 October

Verstappen will spend his only free weekend before the next triple-header racing a Mercedes-AMG GT3 at Portimao. It will be seven busy weeks, he...

0 comments  | 
1 Oct 2026

Bottas says drivers dislike Imola finale in December

Fog, cold mornings and Italian tax scrutiny make Imola an unloved fallback, says Bottas. The Cadillac driver expects F1 to head to Qatar and...

3 comments  | 
1 Oct 2026

Honda keeps pushing 2026 engine gains beyond Spec 2

Honda has not drawn a line under its troubled 2026 engine. Small gains in drivability and energy management come next, while Alonso's Baku complaint...

0 comments  | 
1 Oct 2026

Brown: McLaren engine more likely in ten years than five

Zak Brown has not closed the door on a McLaren power unit, but Mercedes comes first. Going alone, he says, risks an Aston Martin...

0 comments  | 
1 Oct 2026

Will Antonelli bounce back at Sepang, as Schumacher expects?

Ralf Schumacher thinks Antonelli's Baku wobble will not turn into a slump, and a new Mercedes update could put him back on top. Wolff,...

1 comments  | 
1 Oct 2026

Sepang nears 100,000 sell-out for relocated Bahrain GP

Sepang's CEO says ticket sales for the relocated Bahrain GP are unlike anything it has seen, with about 95,000 sold and around 3,000 left....

0 comments  | 
1 Oct 2026

Mateschitz puts another EUR 25m into Red Bull Ring

A 250-metre glazed rooftop terrace is rising at Spielberg, backed by another EUR 25m from Mark Mateschitz. It replaces temporary VIP structures and is...

0 comments  | 
1 Oct 2026

Formula E boss says electric racing can catch F1 eventually

Formula E's CEO says battery technology gives his series the tailwind, and a Gen5 car is aimed at 2030. Test driver James Rossiter even...

2 comments  | 
1 Oct 2026