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Filip Cleeren
Author

Filip Cleeren

After concluding his journalism studies Filip decided to jump in at the deep end and become a freelance motorsports writer, which took him on a nomadic 50-country journey from Indianapolis to Le Mans and from Melbourne's Albert Park to the Dakar in Argentina. Born and raised in Belgium and now settled in sunny Barcelona, Spain, Filip first joined Motorsport.com in 2015 to help establish the Dutch edition before transitioning to the English-language team. In 2023 he became one of Motorsport Network's main F1 correspondents, with the 2026 season his fourth year on the ground at the majority of grands prix. Being Flemish, when he's not covering F1, he can likely be found watching the cycling instead, and he also has a soft spot for Southampton FC and the Toronto Blue Jays. Don't ask!

Latest articles by Filip Cleeren

What's next for Aston Martin and Honda after torrid start to F1 2026?

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Australian GP
What's next for Aston Martin and Honda after torrid start to F1 2026?

Exclusive: Andretti blown away by 'unexpected' Cadillac F1 chassis tribute

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Australian GP
Exclusive: Andretti blown away by 'unexpected' Cadillac F1 chassis tribute

Why Williams cannot instantly put its overweight F1 car on a diet

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Australian GP
Why Williams cannot instantly put its overweight F1 car on a diet

McLaren has 0.5-1s performance gap to close to Mercedes after F1 Australian GP

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Australian GP
McLaren has 0.5-1s performance gap to close to Mercedes after F1 Australian GP

Piastri explains cause of Australian GP pre-race crash

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Australian GP
Piastri explains cause of Australian GP pre-race crash

Piastri out of Australian GP after crash on way to grid

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Australian GP
Piastri out of Australian GP after crash on way to grid

Stroll, Verstappen and Sainz allowed to start F1 Australian GP

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Australian GP
Stroll, Verstappen and Sainz allowed to start F1 Australian GP

Why Norris fears F1 has gone from "the best cars ever" to "probably the worst"

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Australian GP
Why Norris fears F1 has gone from "the best cars ever" to "probably the worst"

F1 Australian GP: Russell tops interrupted FP3 as Antonelli suffers heavy crash

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Australian GP
F1 Australian GP: Russell tops interrupted FP3 as Antonelli suffers heavy crash

FIA reverses Australian GP straight mode change after pushback

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Australian GP
FIA reverses Australian GP straight mode change after pushback

F1 Australian GP: Leclerc tops first 2026 practice as McLaren and Aston Martin hit trouble

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Australian GP
F1 Australian GP: Leclerc tops first 2026 practice as McLaren and Aston Martin hit trouble

Aston Martin F1 drivers limited to 25 laps to avoid nerve damage

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Australian GP
Aston Martin F1 drivers limited to 25 laps to avoid nerve damage

Why Alonso's patience with Aston Martin and Honda is reliant on time he doesn't have

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Australian GP
Why Alonso's patience with Aston Martin and Honda is reliant on time he doesn't have

FIA eases Australian GP curfews as F1 makes adjustments amid Middle East conflict

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Australian GP
FIA eases Australian GP curfews as F1 makes adjustments amid Middle East conflict

F1's Drive to Survive "won't please everybody" but isn't going anywhere

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F1's Drive to Survive "won't please everybody" but isn't going anywhere

F1 abandons mandatory Monaco GP two-stop after 2025 controversy

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F1 abandons mandatory Monaco GP two-stop after 2025 controversy

F1 engine manufacturers and FIA approve tweaks to compression ratio checks

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Australian GP
F1 engine manufacturers and FIA approve tweaks to compression ratio checks

Cadillac names first F1 car after Mario Andretti

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Bahrain Pre-Season 2
Cadillac names first F1 car after Mario Andretti

Laurent Mekies exclusive: "My job is to protect Red Bull's DNA, not to change it"

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Laurent Mekies exclusive: "My job is to protect Red Bull's DNA, not to change it"

Honda reveals cause of "extremely challenging" Aston Martin F1 engine issue

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Bahrain Pre-Season 2
Honda reveals cause of "extremely challenging" Aston Martin F1 engine issue

Will nobody win the Australian GP? Why sandbagging is an art form in F1

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Will nobody win the Australian GP? Why sandbagging is an art form in F1

Why rain is a growing concern for teams early in the 2026 F1 season

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Bahrain Pre-Season 2
Why rain is a growing concern for teams early in the 2026 F1 season

F1 considering format changes, 12 sprints from 2027

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Bahrain Pre-Season 2
F1 considering format changes, 12 sprints from 2027

Domenicali urges F1 'not to panic or overreact' over 2026 rules

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Bahrain Pre-Season 2
Domenicali urges F1 'not to panic or overreact' over 2026 rules

Why McLaren is now encouraged by F1 practice starts as Bahrain trials continue

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Bahrain Pre-Season 2
Why McLaren is now encouraged by F1 practice starts as Bahrain trials continue

F1 and manufacturers to vote on extra engine tests over compression ratio saga

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Bahrain Pre-Season 2
F1 and manufacturers to vote on extra engine tests over compression ratio saga

FIA to trial start procedure tweaks at Bahrain F1 test

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Bahrain Pre-Season 2
FIA to trial start procedure tweaks at Bahrain F1 test

Red Bull chief designer leaves F1 team

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Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Session 1
Red Bull chief designer leaves F1 team

Pirelli to host Bahrain wet-weather test with two F1 teams partaking

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Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Session 1
Pirelli to host Bahrain wet-weather test with two F1 teams partaking

Barcelona joins F1 rotation with new three-race deal

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Barcelona-Catalunya GP
Barcelona joins F1 rotation with new three-race deal

The safety warnings that trump driver complaints on F1 2026 cars

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Bahrain Pre-Season 1
The safety warnings that trump driver complaints on F1 2026 cars

McLaren: Ferrari and Mercedes are top of early F1 2026 pecking order

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Bahrain Pre-Season 1
McLaren: Ferrari and Mercedes are top of early F1 2026 pecking order

Mercedes suffers "reality check" in Bahrain F1 test with Red Bull ahead - Russell

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Bahrain Pre-Season 1
Mercedes suffers "reality check" in Bahrain F1 test with Red Bull ahead - Russell

McLaren pleas for "imperative" safety changes before start of F1 2026

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Bahrain Pre-Season 1
McLaren pleas for "imperative" safety changes before start of F1 2026

Why Russell won't judge F1’s new rules just yet: “We've got to give it time”

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Bahrain Pre-Season 1
Why Russell won't judge F1’s new rules just yet: “We've got to give it time”

Where McLaren feels it is still lacking in F1 2026 testing

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Bahrain Pre-Season 1
Where McLaren feels it is still lacking in F1 2026 testing

Norris on Verstappen criticism: F1 drivers have "nothing to complain about" with 2026 car

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Bahrain Pre-Season 1
Norris on Verstappen criticism: F1 drivers have "nothing to complain about" with 2026 car

Verstappen slams "anti-racing" and "not fun" F1 2026 cars

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Bahrain Pre-Season 1
Verstappen slams "anti-racing" and "not fun" F1 2026 cars

Sainz offers intriguing F1 2026 engine insight as Red Bull Ford "a step ahead"

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Bahrain Pre-Season 1
Sainz offers intriguing F1 2026 engine insight as Red Bull Ford "a step ahead"

Which Lando Norris will F1 get in 2026?

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Which Lando Norris will F1 get in 2026?

McLaren explains "brutal" hidden design challenges of 2026 F1 rules

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McLaren launch
McLaren explains "brutal" hidden design challenges of 2026 F1 rules

McLaren: Engine compression ratio saga "typical politics of F1"

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Bahrain Pre-Season 1
McLaren: Engine compression ratio saga "typical politics of F1"

McLaren unveils papaya livery for 2026 F1 car

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Cadillac launch
McLaren unveils papaya livery for 2026 F1 car

The challenges facing McLaren ahead of F1 2026

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The challenges facing McLaren ahead of F1 2026

The challenges facing Cadillac ahead of F1 2026

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The challenges facing Cadillac ahead of F1 2026

Antonelli: Younger drivers should benefit from F1 regulation change

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Antonelli: Younger drivers should benefit from F1 regulation change

Why Russell is confident following will be "easier" in F1 2026 with nimbler cars

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Why Russell is confident following will be "easier" in F1 2026 with nimbler cars

Piastri wants McLaren to avoid papaya rules "headaches" in 2026

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Piastri wants McLaren to avoid papaya rules "headaches" in 2026

Russell eager for F1 2026 title battle against Verstappen

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Mercedes launch
Russell eager for F1 2026 title battle against Verstappen

What Mercedes is wary of despite starting F1 2026 on the front foot

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Mercedes launch
What Mercedes is wary of despite starting F1 2026 on the front foot

Wolff tells Mercedes' F1 rivals to "get your s*** together" over engine complaints

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Mercedes launch
Wolff tells Mercedes' F1 rivals to "get your s*** together" over engine complaints

Russell confident Mercedes 2026 car isn't a "turd" - but too early for F1 title talk

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Mercedes launch
Russell confident Mercedes 2026 car isn't a "turd" - but too early for F1 title talk

Horner: "I have unfinished business in F1", targets project that can "win"

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Barcelona-Catalunya Pre-Season Testing
Horner: "I have unfinished business in F1", targets project that can "win"

Team by team: How Barcelona's F1 shakedown went for the 2026 field

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Barcelona-Catalunya Pre-Season Testing
Team by team: How Barcelona's F1 shakedown went for the 2026 field

What happened on day four of F1's secretive 2026 shakedown

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Barcelona-Catalunya Pre-Season Testing
What happened on day four of F1's secretive 2026 shakedown

Exclusive interview: Lowdon on why Cadillac F1 hired on values over ability

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Exclusive interview: Lowdon on why Cadillac F1 hired on values over ability

How Williams benefits from F1 Barcelona shakedown - despite no running

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Barcelona-Catalunya Pre-Season Testing
How Williams benefits from F1 Barcelona shakedown - despite no running

Mercedes impresses with first race sim at F1's Barcelona shakedown

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Barcelona-Catalunya Pre-Season Testing
Mercedes impresses with first race sim at F1's Barcelona shakedown

Norris: "Surreal" to see number 1 on my car as McLaren kicks off F1 2026 testing

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Barcelona-Catalunya Pre-Season Testing
Norris: "Surreal" to see number 1 on my car as McLaren kicks off F1 2026 testing

Seven key takeaways from Williams' missed Barcelona F1 test and what's next

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Barcelona-Catalunya Pre-Season Testing
Seven key takeaways from Williams' missed Barcelona F1 test and what's next