The British newspaper Daily Mail has announced a boycott of Formula 1 coverage for the remainder of the 2026 season after motorsport’s governing body, the FIA, revoked the accreditation of veteran journalist Jonathan McEvoy over a column criticising Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
McEvoy, who has covered motor racing for the newspaper for more than two decades, was informed on Thursday that his accreditation had been withdrawn following an opinion piece published on November 4.
The column criticised Leclerc’s conduct during an opening-lap collision with Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton at the Mexico City Grand Prix on November 1, describing the Monegasque driver as a “sneaky little bastard”.
In a statement to Front Office Sports, the FIA defended its decision, saying McEvoy’s article had failed to meet the professional standards expected of accredited journalists.
“The FIA considers that the article by Jonathan McEvoy on 4 November fell short of the standards of professionalism expected, and as such his media accreditation has been temporarily withdrawn,” the governing body said.
Responding on Friday, the Daily Mail announced that it would suspend coverage of the season’s final three Grands Prix in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, including race reports and press conferences.
The newspaper’s head of sport, Chris Dean, strongly condemned the FIA’s action, describing it as “an unprecedented and outrageous attack on the freedom of the Press”.
“We are in dangerous territory when the FIA react in such a heavy-handed way to some mild and fair criticism of one driver,” Dean said, demanding McEvoy’s immediate reinstatement.
The dispute stems from an incident at the Mexico City Grand Prix in which Leclerc and Hamilton went off the circuit while battling for the lead on the opening lap.
Leclerc cut across the grass and rejoined ahead of his Ferrari teammate, subsequently receiving a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage by leaving the track.
The penalty undermined Ferrari’s chances of victory, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen eventually winning the race ahead of Hamilton, while Leclerc finished fourth.
McEvoy defended his controversial description of Leclerc as light-hearted criticism rather than a serious personal attack.
He also suggested that Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur may have played a role in prompting the FIA’s decision. However, a Ferrari source told The Athletic that Vasseur had not submitted a complaint.
The withdrawal of McEvoy’s accreditation prevents him from covering the remaining three races under FIA media credentials, while the Daily Mail’s decision extends the dispute beyond the individual journalist.
The controversy has raised questions about the boundaries between professional conduct and editorial freedom in Formula 1, particularly the authority of the sport’s governing body to sanction journalists over critical commentary.
With the newspaper demanding McEvoy’s reinstatement and the FIA maintaining its position, the dispute remains unresolved ahead of the final three races of the 2026 season.