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When plucky private entrants could afford to go GP racing, and how F1 changed with the rise of commercialisation

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Formula 1
When plucky private entrants could afford to go GP racing, and how F1 changed with the rise of commercialisation

What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP

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Formula 1
Hungarian GP
What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP

Alonso delivers first verdict on Aston Martin F1 car upgrades

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Hungarian GP
Alonso delivers first verdict on Aston Martin F1 car upgrades

F1 Hungarian GP: Hamilton leads Ferrari 1-2 in FP2, Colapinto crashes for Alpine

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Hungarian GP
F1 Hungarian GP: Hamilton leads Ferrari 1-2 in FP2, Colapinto crashes for Alpine

Newey: Major Hungarian GP upgrade "just the first part" of new Aston Martin F1 car

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Hungarian GP
Newey: Major Hungarian GP upgrade "just the first part" of new Aston Martin F1 car

Why fans don't get true picture of driver performance with 2026 F1 rules - but it is fixable, according to Haas boss

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Hungarian GP
Why fans don't get true picture of driver performance with 2026 F1 rules - but it is fixable, according to Haas boss

F1 Hungarian GP: Leclerc tops FP1, Stroll suffers suspected suspension failure with upgraded Aston Martin

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Hungarian GP
F1 Hungarian GP: Leclerc tops FP1, Stroll suffers suspected suspension failure with upgraded Aston Martin

LIVE: F1 Hungarian GP updates - Hamilton heads FP2 after Colapinto crash, Stroll sidelined for Aston Martin

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Hungarian GP
LIVE: F1 Hungarian GP updates - Hamilton heads FP2 after Colapinto crash, Stroll sidelined for Aston Martin

Tech3 boss warns KTM will turn Moto2 into 'David vs Goliath'

Tech3 boss Herve Poncharal has warned KTM could dominate Moto2 in the future as other manufacturers will not be able to compete with "a real factory"

KTM teamed up with Ajo Motorsport, champion with Johann Zarco in the past two years, to enter Moto2 in 2017.

The Austrian brand's lead rider Miguel Oliveira was a regular podium finisher throughout the season and ended his campaign with three consecutive wins, ending Kalex's streak of 49 wins.

Tech3 has been a Moto2 bike manufacturer since the series was rebranded from 250cc in 2010, and Poncharal said KTM's edge over the rest of the field could limit the competitiveness of the category.

"The fact now you have a real factory involved, we always call it David versus Goliath, and in some nice stories David is winning, but in real life that doesn't last long," said Poncharal.

"My feeling is Moto2 is going to change.

"I am going to do next year the same project, same as it is [now] in Moto2 but I will have to see for the future.

"[We need to decide if it] is it worth it, do we want to carry on our project even if it is competitive, but we don't have the possibility to get the right riders to win.

"Or do we want to go back like when we were in 250cc with a factory Yamaha with Olivier Jacque.

"This is something I need to decide."

The French squad is not the first works team to consider quitting Moto2.

Suter had officially announced it would withdraw at the end of 2017, only to reverse the decision soon afterwards and team up with Forward.

Marc VDS boss Michael Bartholemy also has a Kalex team in Moto2, and said a change in strategy will be required next year to go up against KTM.

"KTM is coming very strong in Moto2, it is the first time that we are fighting against a manufacturer with a small company like Kalex in Germany," he said.

"For me, when I joined Moto2 there was always this thing that we don't have the money from the factories and the know-how and all this time that you can spend developing the bike.

"In this moment it is like this, we have to work, we have a very busy winter.

"We have to change our strategy and I hope that I can come back to Valencia in February with a strong bike."

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