The Daily Mail will boycott the final three races of the Formula One season after the sport’s governing body withdrew the media credentials of veteran journalist Jonathan McEvoy over an opinion column criticising Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
The British newspaper announced on Friday that it would not report on races or news conferences for the rest of 2026 in protest at the decision by the FIA, motor racing’s world governing body, to bar McEvoy from covering the Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi grands prix.
McEvoy, who has covered Formula One for more than two decades, learned on Thursday that his accreditation had been withdrawn after a column published on 4 November in which he called Leclerc a “sneaky little bastard”.
The column followed an opening-lap incident at the Mexico City Grand Prix, where Leclerc and Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton both went off the track while fighting for the lead at Turn 4. Leclerc cut across the grass to emerge ahead, while Max Verstappen passed Hamilton for second. Leclerc later received a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage off the track.
The FIA defended its decision, saying McEvoy’s column “fell short of the standards of professionalism expected” from accredited journalists. The governing body said its accreditation guidelines allow it to revoke credentials without notice, and stressed that the decision did not prevent the Daily Mail from sending another reporter.
Chris Dean, the Daily Mail’s head of sport, called the punishment “an unprecedented and outrageous attack on the freedom of the Press” and demanded McEvoy’s reinstatement.
In a subsequent column, McEvoy suggested that Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur had prompted the FIA’s decision, although a Ferrari source told The Athletic that Vasseur had not lodged a complaint.
The Society of Editors also condemned the decision on Friday, arguing that withdrawing accreditation over published criticism threatened independent sports journalism.
McEvoy said he had been told his accreditation would be reinstated next season, although the FIA has not publicly confirmed that.
This account rests on a single report by Reuters, and the FIA has not published a detailed account of its reasoning beyond its statement on accreditation standards.
Sources: Reuters — https://www.reuters.com/sports/formula1/fia-bans-journalist-criticizing-ferraris-charles-leclerc–flm-2026-11-14/
