LONDON : Britain’s Daily Mail will boycott the final three races of the 2026 Formula One season after the governing FIA revoked veteran journalist Jonathan McEvoy’s media accreditation over an opinion column criticising Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
The newspaper announced on Friday that it would not cover races or news conferences at the Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi grands prix in protest against the decision to prevent McEvoy from reporting at the events.
McEvoy, who has covered Formula One for more than two decades, was informed on Thursday that his accreditation had been withdrawn following a Nov. 4 column in which he described Leclerc as a “sneaky little bastard”.
The comments followed an opening-lap incident at the Mexico City Grand Prix involving Leclerc and his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton. Both drivers went off the track while battling for the lead at Turn Four, with Leclerc cutting across the grass to rejoin ahead. Max Verstappen subsequently passed Hamilton for second place, while Leclerc 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” of accredited journalists.
The governing body added that its accreditation guidelines allowed it to withdraw credentials without notice, while stressing that the decision did not prevent the Daily Mail from sending another reporter.
Daily Mail head of sport Chris Dean described the punishment as “an unprecedented and outrageous attack on the freedom of the Press” and called for McEvoy’s accreditation to be reinstated.
In a subsequent column, McEvoy suggested that Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur had influenced the FIA’s decision. However, a Ferrari source told The Athletic that Vasseur had not lodged a complaint.
The Society of Editors also condemned the FIA’s move on Friday, arguing that withdrawing a journalist’s accreditation over published criticism posed a threat to independent sports journalism.
McEvoy said he had been told his accreditation would be restored next season, although the FIA had not publicly confirmed the arrangement.
