Ferrari entered the 2026 season hoping their preparations for widespread rule changes covering cars and engines would give them a chance to become championship contenders.

But, although their chassis started the season regarded as the best in F1, their engine has fallen short of the performance set by Mercedes and Red Bull.

Ferrari are second in the constructors’ championship after 15 of a scheduled 23 races, but a massive 160 points behind leaders Mercedes and more concerned about fending off a challenge from McLaren, who are 72 points adrift in third place.

On Saturday after the race Lewis Hamilton was asked whether he was still confident Ferrari were heading in the right direction under Vasseur. He replied: “Yes.”

Vasseur said after the race in Baku in reference to speculation about his future: “We are not working in the perfect serenity. For me, first, but for everybody in the team, for the media, for 50% of the questions [to be] about this, it’s a bit of a frustrating situation.

“We are fighting for P2 in the championship, and at the end of the day we are all speaking a lot about this, and even for the guys in the garage, to discuss about this, it’s the best discussion that we can have.

“But it is what it is – it’s not in my hands. Mr Horner is looking for a job – that everybody knows – everywhere.

“But what can I do? Just try to do my best to push the team, to rise them to be motivated.”

Vasseur signed a new contract with Ferrari in July last year. Ferrari did not say how long it lasted beyond describing it as “a multi-year contract for the coming Formula 1 seasons”.

Vasseur joined Ferrari at the start of 2023 after former team principal Mattia Binotto was removed following a bright start to the previous regulation set in 2022 was followed by a slump marked by poor reliability and questionable operational decisions.

Sixteen-time world champion Phil Taylor will return to darts eight years after retiring to play in the Modus Super Series’ International Pairs tournament in November.

Taylor will play alongside another former world champion, Adrian Lewis, who himself has not played professionally on the PDC circuit since April 2023.

Taylor, 66, is the most-decorated player in the sport’s history. ‘The Power’ won 214 professional tournaments and a record 87 major tournaments between 1987 and 2018.

The doubles tournament takes place between 23 and 28 November in Portsmouth.

Nicknamed ‘Jackpot’, 41-year-old Lewis won the World Darts Championship in 2011 and 2012 and has faced Taylor in five Professional Darts Corporation major title finals, all of which were won by Taylor.

The duo are the most successful pairing in the history of the PDC’s World Cup of Darts, winning it four times as Team England in their six outings together.

“I’ve been asked plenty of times about coming back, but it would have to be for the right reason,” said Taylor.

“Adrian is one of the very few people I’d come out of retirement to play alongside, and the Modus Super Series is the place I wanted to do it.

“We’ve got a lot of history together, we know each other’s games inside out and I’m looking forward to getting back up there with him.”

While Taylor has not played professionally since 2018, he did feature at the World Seniors Darts Championship in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Lewis featured at Modus’ International Pairs Tournament for England last year alongside Steve Beaton, having announced he was taking a break from darts in April 2023.

“Phil and I have shared some brilliant moments playing together over the years, so to get the chance to do it again is really special,” said Lewis.

“We know what it takes to win as a pair and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do together.”