Author Profile: Leopold Pleijsier

Leopold Pleijsier

Leopold Pleijsier

F1 Journalist

30356 published articles
16 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: Court order pulls Mercedes into Antonelli's contract fight

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

Can Antonelli and Mercedes Stay on Top in 2026?

The 2026 Formula 1 season has entered its decisive final phase, with Mercedes firmly in control of both championships. After 15 Grands Prix, Kimi...

0 comments  | 
30 Sep 2026

Ferrari rushes to end Horner speculation

Ferrari held a hastily arranged media call to insist nothing has changed over Frederic Vasseur, dismissing fresh speculation linking Christian Horner to Maranello.

1 comments  | 
30 Sep 2026

Alonso still doubts this is his final F1 deal

Fernando Alonso has ended the guessing game over his future, but admits his new Aston Martin contract officially covers only the 2027 season with...

0 comments  | 
30 Sep 2026

Perez fears an F1 crash is coming soon

Sergio Perez says he narrowly avoided a heavy collision with Liam Lawson in Baku, warning that Formula 1's energy management rules are creating dangerously...

1 comments  | 
30 Sep 2026

Schumacher now accuses Horner of rewriting history

Ralf Schumacher tore into Christian Horner's Ferrari courting and his version of the Verstappen signing story, though Robert Doornbos still backs Horner for the...

0 comments  | 
30 Sep 2026

Danner names Russell as Antonelli's biggest rival

Christian Danner is not worried about a late Antonelli slump like Piastri's in 2025, but reckons Russell, not the pressure, is now the closest...

0 comments  | 
30 Sep 2026

Petrov open to F1 steward return after FIA change

Vitaly Petrov says he would consider an FIA stewarding return now Russians face fewer restrictions, and has defended Colapinto over his costly Baku restart...

0 comments  | 
30 Sep 2026

Albers says Piastri still lacks Verstappen's bite

Christijan Albers says Oscar Piastri lacks Max Verstappen's aggression after another costly Baku mistake, with Jacques Villeneuve dismissing the lock-up as a simple rookie...

0 comments  | 
30 Sep 2026

F2 season risks ending before Qatar returns

Formula 2 freight is reportedly already heading back to Europe rather than Qatar, with insiders suggesting the championship may already be decided without a...

0 comments  | 
30 Sep 2026

F1 esports future clouds over months after big launch

Several Formula 1 teams have reportedly withdrawn from next year's Sim Racing championship, with insiders suggesting Formula One Management may be preparing to sell...

0 comments  | 
30 Sep 2026

Alonso and Stroll Extend Aston Martin Deals Beyond 2027

Fernando Alonso clearly has no intention of swapping Formula 1 for gardening just yet. Aston Martin has confirmed that the double World Champion and...

2 comments  | 
29 Sep 2026