The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) has revoked the accreditation of longtime Daily Mail motorsport correspondent Jonathan McEvoy until the end of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The decision takes immediate effect and means that the journalist will be unable to attend the remaining races on the calendar.
The reason is a commentary article about Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, written after an incident involving his teammate Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap of the Mexico City Grand Prix. Following the collision, Hamilton questioned Leclerc’s state of mind. In his article, McEvoy called the Monegasque driver “a nasty little bastard” and recounted a tense conversation after the race with Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur.
FIA: The article does not meet professional standards
In a letter to the Daily Mail, FIA General Manager Alberto Villarreal wrote: “The FIA considers that your article does not meet the professional standards expected of media representatives accredited to cover the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.”
The letter adds that the federation is exercising its rights under the accreditation guidelines for the 2026 season and is withdrawing McEvoy’s access “for the remainder of the 2026 season, with immediate effect”. The FIA’s guidelines provide that media accreditation is granted at the federation’s discretion and may be revoked.
The measure is directed at the journalist himself, not at the Daily Mail as a media outlet. This means that the publication may nominate another representative for the remaining races. The races in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi are scheduled to take place before the end of the season.
Daily Mail and Ecclestone defended the journalist
Daily Mail sports editor Chris Deane described the decision as “an unprecedented and outrageous attack on press freedom”. He said that the federation had overreacted to criticism of a driver and called for McEvoy’s accreditation to be reinstated.
“Jonathan McEvoy is a brave and first-class journalist who takes readers behind Formula 1’s glossy façade,” Deane said.
Former Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone also spoke out in the journalist’s defence. “This is crazy. I don’t know why the FIA would do such a thing,” he said, adding that McEvoy does “a fantastic job”.
McEvoy has devoted the past 21 years to covering Formula 1 for the Daily Mail. During that time, he has travelled tens of thousands of kilometres and attended almost 400 races, interviewing figures such as Bernie Ecclestone, Jackie Stewart, Christian Horner and Max Verstappen.
The FIA’s decision does not end his journalistic work, but it bars him from the paddock and official areas at the final three rounds of the season. The federation has not publicly announced whether his accreditation will be automatically reinstated for the 2027 season.
Sources: dailymail.com, frontofficesports.com, aol.com