Formula 1 and the Dutch Grand Prix promoter have agreed a one-year contract extension that will keep Circuit Zandvoort on the Formula 1 calendar until the 2026 season. The promoter has decided not to continue on the schedule after 2026, following extensive thought and debate.

The resumption of the Dutch Grand Prix in 2021 coincided with an era of dominance for local star Max Verstappen, who has won the race three times and been named World Champion in each of the event's four editions. The event has become well known for its experience, with Dutch and foreign tourists alike converging to see the thrill of Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3, F1 Academy and other teams battle around the circuit's famed banked bends. It has also established itself as a premier sustainable sports event, pioneering technology that are now utilised throughout the Formula One season.

The 2025 edition of the event is scheduled to take place from 29 to 31 August. The date for the last race in 2026, which will feature a Sprint for the first time at the Dutch Grand Prix, will be confirmed next year. Tickets for the 2025 race are already being sold, and details on the 2026 final event will be released soon.

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO, Formula 1, said, “I am incredibly grateful for the work that the team at the Dutch Grand Prix have done in recent years. They raised the bar for European Grands Prix in terms of event spectacle and entertainment, supported the development of young talent by hosting F2, F3 and our F1 Academy series and have also pioneered sustainable solutions that have inspired our events around the world as we drive towards being Net Zero by 2030. All parties positively collaborated to find a solution to extend the race, with many options, including alternation or annual events on the table, and we respect the decision from the promoter to finish its amazing run in 2026. I want to thank all the team at the Dutch Grand Prix and the Municipality of Zandvoort who have been fantastic partners to Formula 1.”

Robert van Overdijk, Director, Dutch Grand Prix, said, “The Dutch Grand Prix is the result of a unique collaboration between SportVibes, TIG Sports and Circuit Zandvoort, who shared the ambition of bringing the race back to the Netherlands. What we have achieved so far is undoubtedly a huge success. The appreciation from our visitors, drivers and teams has been unprecedented, and we are incredibly proud of that. While today’s announcement signals the end of a monumental era, we are confident there is plenty more for fans to look forward to at the Dutch Grand Prix in 2025 and 2026, including the Sprint in 2026. We are a privately owned and operated business, and we must balance the opportunities presented by continuing to host the event, against other risks and responsibilities. We have decided to go out on a high with two more incredible Dutch Grands Prix in 2025 and 2026. We wanted to take this step while our event is adored and supported by passionate fans, residents and the Formula 1 community. I want to thank Stefano Domenicali and all the team at Formula 1 for the hard work that has seen multiple contract extensions realised and the Dutch Grand Prix be such a success.”

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Global vehicle safety assessment organisation Euro NCAP has released its latest testing results under 2026 evaluation protocols, highlighting a growing industry trend toward reintroducing physical buttons and switches for core driving functions. The update comes as European safety testing increasingly penalises reliance on central touchscreen interfaces for primary controls.

Under Euro NCAP's 2026 Safe Driving protocols, primary vehicle controls – including direction indicators, windscreen wipers, hazard lights, horn and emergency call buttons – must be accessible via physical controls rather than buried within touchscreen menus.

In the latest assessments, the Audi Q7 achieved a 90 percent score for driving controls, including a 100 percent rating for primary driving tasks, while the Kia EV2 also received high marks for ergonomic physical switchgear. Both vehicles secured 5-star overall safety ratings.

Conversely, Chinese manufacturer XPENG scored 20 percent for primary driving controls on its X9 MPV due to touchscreen menu dependence, despite obtaining a 5-star overall rating supported by crash avoidance and post-crash safety performance. Comparative testing across 2026 models showed European manufacturers generally scoring higher for physical switchgear, with the BMW iX3 scoring 100 percent and the CUPRA Raval scoring 80 percent, compared to lower scores for the ZEEKR 7GT at 20 percent and the Leapmotor B05 at 0 percent.

Dr. Aled Williams, Programme Director at Euro NCAP, said, "Euro NCAP is continually monitoring market trends, and the move toward placing as many driving controls within a car’s touchscreen system is one that has concerned us just as much as it has annoyed consumers. It is clear in these results that the XPENG adheres to the mantra that everything must be included in the touchscreen, despite overwhelmingly negative feedback by European car buyers. We applaud Audi and Kia for taking a more common-sense approach. Our latest protocols reward the intelligent use of physical buttons and controls, as this can reduce driver distraction, and both Audi’s new Q7 and Kia’s EV2 do an excellent job of keeping safety simple. Other manufacturers, including XPENG, would do well to follow this strategy."

The latest round of evaluations also awarded 5-star safety ratings to the BYD SHARK pickup truck under 2025-adapted protocols and a 4-star rating to the Mazda 2 Hybrid, carried over from the platform's Toyota Yaris architecture.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Stellantis India, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility have signed a definitive agreement expanding their long-standing partnership into vehicle technology and product architecture collaboration. The agreement builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed in February 2026.

As per the terms, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles will grant Stellantis access to its vehicle architectures and technology platforms. Stellantis will utilise its engineering resources in India to adapt these architectures for more than 50 international markets. Vehicles developed through the collaboration will be manufactured in India at Fiat India Automobiles, the 50:50 joint venture facility between Tata Motors and Stellantis located in Ranjangaon.

Shailesh Chandra, MD and CEO, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, said, "Our partnership with Stellantis has grown steadily over more than two decades, built on mutual trust and complementary strengths. This Agreement marks an important next step, extending our relationship into advanced vehicle technology and architecture, reflecting the strength and competitiveness of TMPV’s capabilities in these areas. We are delighted that Stellantis will leverage them to develop products for global markets. Together, we have an exciting opportunity to combine our respective strengths to create compelling vehicles engineered and made in India for customers in India and around the world."

Tianshu Xin, COO for Stellantis Asia-Pacific Region, said, "Partnerships are central to how Stellantis creates value across Asia-Pacific. By combining Tata Motors' strong capabilities in India with Stellantis' global product development and market reach, this Agreement will help us develop competitive vehicles in India and expand our export potential across international markets. It also reinforces India's growing role as a strategic manufacturing and development hub for Stellantis."

The agreement reinforces India's positioning as an engineering, product development and manufacturing export hub for both multi-national automotive corporations, integrating local supply chain scale with international market distribution networks.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

TIP Group has been named one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For in Europe. The list, produced by Great Place to Work, draws on employee feedback gathered through the Trust Index survey, so it mirrors workers’ own experiences on the job rather than external assessments.

This honour represents the newest step in TIP’s broader Great Place to Work journey, which has brought employer recognition across Europe for several years. The company’s workplace culture rests on three core values: team spirit, integrity and reliability and people. These principles guide how colleagues collaborate, serve customers and fuel success across the region.

TIP earned Great Place to Work certification in all nine countries surveyed in 2023 and has since extended it to 11 European nations. TIP France was recognised among France’s Best Workplaces for companies with 250 to 1,000 employees in March 2026, while TIP UK was named a Best Workplace in Manufacturing, Production & Transportation in September 2026. Rooted in employee experience, these honours reflect a culture of collaboration, trust and mutual support. As TIP expands across Europe, it stays committed to investing in its people and fostering an environment where careers grow and success is shared.

Arjen Kraaij, CEO, TIP Group, said, “This recognition reflects our people and the culture they create every day. It is especially meaningful because it is based on the experiences and feedback of our employees. Their teamwork, dedication and willingness to support one another are what make TIP special. I would like to thank all colleagues across Europe for helping build the company we are today.”

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Good Business Lab brought together senior automotive executives, industry actors and shopfloor workers at a leadership conference in New Delhi to discuss strategies for increasing female workforce participation across India's automotive manufacturing sector.

The event followed the organisation's September research report, which revealed that women account for 8.7 percent of the combined original equipment manufacturer and component manufacturing workforce across the country.

The conference addressed findings from a three-year study by Good Business Lab spanning over 55 automotive firms, 400 stakeholders and 1,900 individuals. Discussions focused on practical shopfloor interventions to improve recruitment and retention, including talent supply chains, night-shift operational frameworks, last-mile transportation solutions and childcare infrastructure.

Industry panels examined career progression pathways, performance metrics for middle management retention, and workplace safety conditions required to support long-term employment.

The event featured three panel sessions covering business metrics, worker perspectives, and sector-wide operational scalability. Executives participating in the discussions included Suman Mishra, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Mahindra Last Mile Mobility; Viveka Bhandari, Chief Operating Officer of Padmini VNA Mechatronics; Sunil Arora, Managing Director of Abilities India Pistons & Rings; Satyaprakash Patil, Chief Human Resources Officer of Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India; and Vinkesh Gulati, Chairperson of the Automotive Skills Development Council.

A panel of female shopfloor associates from Abilities India Pistons & Rings, Asahi India Glass, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India and Sansera Engineering detailed their career trajectories and operational experiences in vehicle assembly and component production.

Nirmal Deshpande, Managing Director of Good Business Lab, said, “The evidence increasingly mirrors what we are hearing from industry: women’s participation is no longer just an inclusion imperative, but a business necessity. Several leading firms are already showing what is possible; the challenge now is scale. We brought business leaders, women workers and the wider ecosystem together to chart the path ahead. The opportunity is clear: now we need to turn what works into action across the sector.”

Good Business Lab plans to collaborate with automotive manufacturers, philanthropic organisations and industry bodies to pilot shopfloor solutions and co-design workforce frameworks across the manufacturing sector.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!