F1: FIA withdraws accreditation of Daily Mail journalist
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on TimesLIVE
The FIA has withdrawn the accreditation of journalist Jonathan McEvoy, who has covered F1 for more than two decades, after a column criticising Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. In response, the Daily Mail will boycott the last three Grands Prix of 2026, according to TimesLIVE.
The Daily Mail announced on Friday that it would boycott the last three races of the 2026 Formula 1 championship after the FIA withdrew the accreditation of its journalist Jonathan McEvoy. The British daily will therefore not cover the Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix, according to Reuters.
McEvoy, who has covered F1 for more than 20 years, lost his accreditation after a column published on 4 November in which he criticised Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. The FIA considered that the text did not meet the professional requirements applicable to accredited journalists, and recalled that its rules allow it to withdraw accreditation without notice. It specified that the Daily Mail could send another journalist.
Chris Dean, the Daily Mail’s head of sport, called for McEvoy’s accreditation to be reinstated and denounced an attack on press freedom. The Society of Editors, a British organisation that defends journalistic standards, also criticised the decision, arguing that a sanction linked to a published opinion could threaten independent sports journalism, according to Reuters.
McEvoy subsequently suggested that Fred Vasseur, director of the Ferrari team, had played a role in the FIA’s decision. However, a Ferrari source quoted by The Athletic said that Vasseur had not filed any complaint. McEvoy indicated that his accreditation should be reinstated next season, without public confirmation from the FIA, according to Reuters.
