1) Mercedes W17 E Performance

Feast your eyes on the all-conquering, 2026 championship-winning entry from Mercedes (if depressing paddock rumors are to be believed). The last time F1’s engine regs went through a shake-up this big, Merc won eight years straight…gulp. Testing hasn’t even started yet, but the early money is already on one of George Russell or Kimi Antonelli claiming a maiden title in Abu Dhabi in December.

2) Audi R26

No, this isn’t a remix of late 2000s McLarens, it’s an all-new thing from a sort-of-new team. The Audi brand has finally landed in F1, consuming the old Sauber outfit in one big mouthful and with an appetite to “embed a championship DNA into every fiber of this team,” so says Top Gear’s Jonathan Wheatley. Good luck to ‘em: Sauber won one race in 32 years, and that was when it was paired with…BMW.

3) Haas VF-26

No big overhaul here: the 2026 Haas F1 car looks a lot like the 2025 Haas F1 car. Except this one is sporting a tribute to George Russell on its engine cover. Kidding, the massive ‘GR’ is of course a nod to Gazoo Racing, the sporty sub-brand of Toyota with which Haas has agreed a technical partnership. Clearly, it didn’t Google ‘Toyota F1 wins 2002 to 2009’ before it signed that deal. But you never know, maybe this time will be different…

4) Red Bull RB22

What’s the first thing you notice about the 2026 Red Bull? No, not that the livery is more or less identical to every F1 Red Bull you’ve ever seen: it’s that the team has gone back to using glossy paint now. [Pause for the sound of crickets chirping] Aaaanyway…now that Red Bull has decided to make its own engine (with a bit of help from Ford), Max Verstappen will be praying that the new hires have made a half-decent powertrain, or else the threat of being repeatedly lapped by a Merc-powered Alpine will be very, very real. Can you imagine?

5) Racing Bulls VCARB 03

Ostensibly, RB’s raison d’etre is to nurture talent for the Red Bull mothership, though lately it’s been more of a holding pen for the live prey the team is contractually obliged to feed to the Max Verstappen juggernaut. New to the keep is teenager Arvid Lindblad, who, if nothing else, is marching towards the dragon with a set of very fetching white alloys. Oh, and that airbox looks massive.

Not six weeks have passed since Lando Norris clinched the Formula 1 title in Abu Dhabi, but—like the Easter eggs popping up on supermarket shelves on New Year’s Day—we already have our first glimpse of what the 2026 Formula 1 grid will look like. There should be a law against this. Or something.

Anyway, this time it’s Red Bull and sister squad Racing Bulls first out of the blocks, unveiling their new carbon-fiber gowns at a glitzy, live-streamed ceremony held at a former train station in Detroit.

Why? The building is owned by Ford, you see, and that’s significant because Red Bull has partnered up with the Blue Oval to build its very own engine for the first time. No more complaining about Renault or going cap in hand to Honda—Red Bull is the master of its own fate now.

So, in a nod to the upheaval behind the scenes, the team has returned to the glossy paint it began with when it made its debut in the sport in 2005.

“I love the new livery,” said Max Verstappen, no doubt plucked several weeks earlier than he would’ve liked from an extra-long winter holiday. “It is a more retro look, the color is really bold and blue, I really like it.”

“I’m not sure the mechanics will be happy about the time it’ll take to keep this clean! But it’s going to look really slick and will be nice for everyone to see out on track.”

Meanwhile, Racing Bulls—or RB, or VCARB, or however you want to refer to it—has stuck with the predominantly white scheme that served it so well as it finished sixth in the standings last season.

Naturally, there are flashes of blue because of the Ford association, but the junior team scores additional cool points with us for those white wheels. Check out the galleries below…presumably those aren’t steelies?

As Isack Hadjar has been promoted to the full Red Bull team, that has opened up a slot at RB for rookie Arvid Lindblad. The 18-year-old Brit finished sixth in F2 last year, and steps up to the big time alongside teammate Liam Lawson.

“This moment is honestly surreal,” said Lindblad. “To be introduced as a Formula 1 driver at an event like this, in such an iconic setting, is something I’ll never forget. I’m ready to learn, to work, and to give everything on track as we start this new chapter together.”

Anyhow, what do you think of the new liveries? Are they hot? Are they not? Or have we simply not had enough of a break from F1 to care just yet?

The comments section is all yours…

More photos of Oracle Red Bull Racing’s 2026 Formula 1 livery:

More photos of Visa Cash App Racing Bull’s 2026 Formula 1 livery:

Will the new rules deliver the promised better racing?

F1 faces the biggest rules overhaul in its history, one that in an explainer of the new regulations, it stated that “these changes will shake up the order and create new excitement, while delivering incredible racing”. That’s quite the promise.

The cars will be smaller, lighter, with reduced downforce and drag, whilst there will also be active aerodynamics, with moveable front and rear wings, designed to aid overtaking, given the DRS [drag reduction system] has been axed.

Predominantly, there will be a 50/50 split between internal combustion and electric power, a simplified hybrid, as the MGU-H has been removed, whilst the power of the MGU-K has been increased for enhanced overtaking and straight-line speed. The cars will also run on 100% sustainable fuel.

As with any new regulation set, there is definitely the propensity for upset, entertainment, and, of course, a myriad of early issues and complaints from the drivers, especially. Let’s hope it does, indeed, deliver.

Lando Norris v Oscar Piastri Pt II

Last season might not have led to the war waged by team-mates of the past  – McLaren’s robust ‘Papaya rules’ saw to that – but the two drivers were still embroiled in their fare of controversy and spectacle.

Various team orders gave rise to suggestions of favouritism towards Norris, which were wholly disputed by the team, yet you could not ignore the radio complaints of Piastri on occasion, notably during the Italian and Singapore Grands Prix.

In the end, Piastri let his grip on the championship slip, whilst Norris seemingly discovered a way to control his inner demons that allowed him to claim his maiden drivers’ title by just two points ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who staged an astonishing charge after the summer break.

Whilst there are no guarantees McLaren will maintain its dominance this year, given the above-mentioned regulations changes, the second chapter of the Norris v Piastri battle threatens to again captivate. 

Lewis Hamilton’s final season in F1?

It was not the debut campaign with Ferrari that Lewis Hamilton would have envisaged before the start of the 2025 season.

If anything, it was a nightmare, as for the first time in the seven-time champion’s 19-season F1 career, he finished the year without a grand prix podium. A quite staggering scenario.

Hamilton was, understandably, disconsolate as the season wore on, hindered by the fact that Ferrari had opted to curtail aerodynamic development on the SF-25 at the end of April as it knew, at that stage, it was not in the title hunt.

Hamilton revealed to sending dossiers to team principal Fred Vasseur of changes he felt were needed to turn him and the Scuderia into winners again.

In truth, that will depend on whether this year’s car, under the new rules, plays to Hamilton’s strengths, as it has been suggested will be the case. If not, could we be saying farewell at the end of the year to one of the all-time greats?  

Another new team-mate for Max Verstappen

After proving himself to be the rookie of the year in 2025, Isack Hadjar now faces the ultimate test in 2026, that of being the latest team-mate to Max Verstappen.

Following Hadjar’s crash on the formation lap of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, he picked himself up, dusted himself down and proved himself to be a driver of considerable talent.

It was enough for Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, and Helmut Marko, in one of his final acts after 20 years of service as an advisor before opting to bow out, to promote the French-Algerian and demote Yuki Tsunoda to the role of test and reserve driver.

But now Hadjar faces the acid test of his credentials, and to prove himself, where Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, Tsunoda, and Sergio Perez, to a certain extent, all failed, alongside four-time champion Verstappen.

The new rules afford him a level playing field to a degree, as he will at least have some say in the early direction of the car and how he would like it to be developed, rather than it solely being catered to Verstappen’s needs. He still faces an almighty task.

How will Adrian Newey fare as team principal at Aston Martin?

You sense it is now or never for Aston Martin. After years of staggering investment in infrastructure and personnel, and with a new regulatory set to pore over in the hands of F1’s greatest designer, surely, grand prix wins and titles now beckon.

Following his arrival in May as managing technical partner, Newey spent the overwhelming majority of last year working on this season’s car.

With 26 F1 titles to his name – 14 drivers’ and 12 constructors’ – this season represents a golden opportunity for the big-money signing to work his magic on a set of regulations seemingly perfect for him.

The surprise is that in late November, Aston Martin announced a change to its leadership structure, with Newey named its new team principal, a role, it is fair to suggest, that barely anyone in F1 would have bet on him becoming in his illustrious career.

Will it prove a distraction? Will it take him away from his beloved drawing board? Or will he prove to be an inspirational leader, as well as a staggering designer of title-winning F1 machinery?

The arrival of two automotive heavyweights

It is the heavily mentioned regulations that have attracted two powerhouses of the automotive industry – Audi and Cadillac – to F1.

Both teams start from very different positions. In making its first foray into F1, Audi at least can build on the base provided by its acquisition of Sauber, taking over the Swiss organisation’s headquarters in Hinwil to design and build the chassis.

The new power unit, which attracted the German manufacturing giant to enter F1, has been built from scratch in a new factory in Neuberg, Germany. Despite such infancy, much will be expected of the four-rings brand.

In contrast, little is anticipated of Cadillac, which only 10 months ago was finally granted a licence to compete in F1 following a long, arduous process to become the sport’s 11th team.

It will be operating out of numerous bases and has spent the past few months heavily recruiting to build up a workforce to get its cars on track, which will be in the hands of veterans Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.

It will at least have what you would anticipate to be reliable Ferrari power units to work with, but you would also expect its maiden campaign to be as tough as it gets. 

Alpine managing director Steve Nielsen downplayed the idea of long-term recovery timelines as the Enstone-based team looks to rebuild itself in Formula 1.

This marks a clear departure from the philosophy of Alpine’s previous management, which committed to a so-called 100-race plan designed to return the team to the front of the grid. That project began in 2021, when Renault rebranded its Formula 1 operation as Alpine, with the expectation that the team would be fighting for podiums by 2024 and victories in 2025.

Instead, Alpine has just completed its most difficult season in Formula 1, finishing last in the constructors’ championship after halting development of the A525 in early June to focus fully on the 2026 regulations.

Nielsen, who joined the team in September, insists there is no fixed timeframe for Alpine’s return to competitiveness.

“I’m not a person who believes in a 100-race plan or a three-year plan or a five-year plan,” Nielsen said in Abu Dhabi. “I believe you put the best people you can get in the right positions, you give a clear mission, get the army marching all in the same direction, and you work as hard as you can and do the best job you can.

“You mill away at it, it’s a slow grinding process, and you hope, eventually, you do a better job than everybody else.

“I can tell you we’re building a better car next year than we have this year. I can’t tell you whether that will line up first, 10th or 20th on the grid. I’m confident we’ve made a step, but the other nine teams are doing the same, so you don’t know how much progress they’ve made.

“All I know is we’re improving our structure, we’re recruiting in the areas where we’re weak, and that grinding process starts now. You can’t turn these things around in a few months or even a year.”

Nielsen previously spent multiple stints at Enstone during the Benetton and Renault eras, including serving as sporting director during the title-winning seasons of 2005 and 2006. Drawing on that experience, he recalled how long it took the team to become a championship-winning operation and how difficult it is to apply that metric to Alpine now.

“I was here when Renault bought Benetton the first time around,” Nielsen added. “It took three years to win a race and five years to win the championship, and that metric doesn’t necessarily apply today. It might be shorter, it might be longer – you just do the best you can.”

Alpine ended the 2025 season last in the standings with 22 points, scoring points in only one of the final 11 grands prix. Nielsen says the priority for 2026 is to ensure the team is competitive on a far more consistent basis and can contend at the top of the midfield.

“I want to be racing every week, ideally for points,” he said. “We’ve managed that on the odd weekend this year, but too often we’ve been a long way off at the back. That’s not where this team belongs, it’s not where Enstone traditionally is, and it’s not where we want to be. We need to be fighting at the top end of the midfield for points every weekend.”

However, Binotto warns that in the longer term, “the background of what is Audi”, and the “knowledge” which comes with it, will “certainly make the difference” for Audi.

Audi vs Red Bull-Ford: F1’s new players

The regulations have received a major overhaul for F1 2026. Smaller, lighter cars, utilising active aerodynamics, are on the way, while 50/50 electric and biofuel engines will arrive. It is one of the biggest season to season shake-ups which the sport has ever seen.

The revamped engine rules attracted two new manufacturers to the sport. Ford has partnered with Red Bull to form Red Bull Powertrains-Ford, while Audi has arrived via a takeover of the Sauber team.

Mattia Binotto sits at the head of Audi’s F1 project, while team principal Jonathan Wheatley has impressed since his arrival from Red Bull.

Binotto, when speaking with Reuters, stated that the Audi F1 project is “going in the right path, the right direction”, and is “building some credibility”.

With the team now part-owned by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), and having penned a title-sponsorship deal with Revolut, Binotto says the rumblings over Audi’s commitment to the F1 project have been silenced.

“For the employees, that’s pretty clear. We are expanding, we are investing in the long term. Those facts are bringing a lot of credibility towards the project for the employees. There is no doubt that Audi is fully committed.

“The investments that we are doing currently with Audi, all of them are long-term projects because they are investments that we will see the return on them, in terms of performance, maybe in three or four years’ time.”

Binotto has made it clear now that he is “not expecting to have the best engine next year at all”, with Audi having given itself to 2030 to enter the F1 title scene.

“We don’t intend to be a surprise next year,” he added.

But, how will Audi stack up against fellow newcomer Red Bull-Ford.

Former Red Bull team boss Christian Horner spoke of “over 200 people from Mercedes” being poached for Red Bull Powertrains-Ford. Binotto admits that this will bring an immediate benefit for that project.

Binotto is confident of an Audi counter punch, however.

“I think, they’ve got more specific skills,” Binotto stated. “We’ve got the background of what’s Audi, what’s the knowledge of Audi, which in the long term will certainly make the difference.”

Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto proved an impressive duo, and will race on into the Audi F1 era.

Hulkenberg believes that integration in the team will be vital, as it goes from Sauber to the Audi F1 works team.

“The progress this year has been really good,” Hulkenberg told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media, “also how we work together as a team, how we communicate, just how we operate, I feel, a lot of improvement has happened and taken place on that side.

“So I think we’re not in a bad spot.

“There’s always more things to do and then things to improve, but that’s part still of the process. We’re still growing, obviously, as a team and in headcount, and it’s also about integrating now the new power unit people with Hinwil and the race team.”

59c.com

It comes after PlanetF1.com revealed earlier this month that the Australian is in line to become Haas’s new reserve driver for the F1 2026 season.

Jack Doohan appears to bid Alpine farewell ahead of Haas F1 2206 reserve role

After making his F1 debut at the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi, Doohan contested the first six races of F1 2025 in Alpine colours.

However, the 22-year-old was replaced by Franco Colapinto ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May having failed to score a point.

The mid-season swap effectively saw Doohan revert to his former role as reserve driver, with Doohan continuing to attend races with Alpine and assist the team with simulator work.

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PlanetF1.com revealed following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that Doohan had emerged as a contender to become Haas’s reserve driver for the F1 2026 campaign.

It comes as Doohan evaluates a return to competition in the Japan-based Super Formula series next season.

With Doohan’s move to Super Formula set to come with support from Toyota, the Japanese manufacturer’s ties to Haas has opened the door to a reserve role with the F1 team.

Toyota, which withdrew from F1 at the end of 2009, returned to F1 activities in October 2024 by becoming technical partner to Haas.

The team announced earlier this month that the relationship is to be expanded for F1 2026 with Haas set to compete as TGR (Toyota Gazoo Racing) Haas F1 Team next season.

Doohan is expected to combine his Super Formula activities with the role of Haas F1 reserve, supporting race drivers Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon.

In a post to social media, Doohan has published a series of images of him embracing various members of the Alpine team.

The post also shows Doohan holding his signed Alpine contract after sealing a 2025 race seat as well as other milestones from his stint with the team.

Doohan attached no caption to his post, which was closing in on 100,000 ‘likes’ on Instagram at the time of writing.

The official account of the Australian Grand Prix was among the accounts to comment on Doohan’s post, simply positing emojis of a love heart and the Australian flag.

PlanetF1.com has approached Alpine for comment.

Doohan took his first steps in Super Formula earlier this month, participating in the series post-season test at Suzuka, the home of the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Australian crashed three times at the challenging Degner corners over the course of the test.

As reported at the time by PlanetF1.com, it is thought that extensive experimentation with setup had contributed to Doohan’s trio of near-identical accidents.

Doohan also crashed out at Suzuka during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend in April, hitting the barriers at Turn 1 in the opening minutes of FP2.

33nn.com

The 82-year-old has been an integral part of Red Bull’s success since the team formed in 2005, as they won six constructors’ championships and eight drivers’ titles.

Marko, who was the right-hand man of the late Red Bull co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz, has overseen the development of 20 drivers, most notably world champions Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, with whom the Austrian has a close relationship.

A statement from Red Bull said Marko, a former F1 driver and Le Mans winner, had “decided to step down at the end of 2025”.

Marko added: “I have been involved in motorsport for six decades now, and the past 20-plus years at Red Bull have been an extraordinary and extremely successful journey.

“It has been a wonderful time that I have been able to help shape and share with so many talented people. Everything we have built and achieved together fills me with pride.

“Narrowly missing out on the world championship this season has moved me deeply and made it clear to me that now is the right moment for me personally to end this very long, intense, and successful chapter.”

Oliver Mintzlaff, who is in overall charge of Red Bull’s F1 programme in his role as chief executive officer of corporate projects and investments, said the decision came after “a long and intense conversation”.

He added: “Helmut approached me with the wish to end his role as motorsport adviser at the end of the year. I deeply regret his decision, as he has been an influential figure for more than two decades, and his departure marks the end of an extraordinary era.”

Mintzlaff added: “Over more than 20 years, Helmut has earned incomparable merits for our team and the entire Red Bull motorsport family. He played a decisive role in all key strategic decisions that made Red Bull Racing what it is today: a multiple world champion, an engine of innovation, and a cornerstone of international motorsport.

“His instinct for exceptional talent not only shaped our junior programme but also left a lasting impact on Formula 1 as a whole.

“Names like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen stand for the many drivers who were discovered, supported, and guided to the very top under his leadership.

“His passion, his courage to make clear decisions, and his ability to spot potential will remain unforgettable.”

Verstappen has spoken to Marko and, although he is emotional about the move, has accepted it is time for his ally to move on, according to insiders.

At the beginning of 2024, Verstappen was instrumental in ensuring Marko kept his role in the team in the midst of a power struggle with former team principal Christian Horner.

Marko’s decision is said to have been influenced by the fact he realised he no longer had the control he once had, following the changes that have been made in the wake of Horner’s sacking in July.

One flashpoint late in 2025, according to sources close to Red Bull, has been that Marko signed Irish racing driver Alex Dunne to the Red Bull programme against the wishes of Mintzlaff and team principal Laurent Mekies.

Dunne has had to be paid off and is currently looking for another way into F1 after his ties with McLaren were severed earlier this year.

Marko was also at the centre of a number of controversies.

These included blaming former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez’s inconsistent form in 2023 on his ethnicity, remarks for which he later apologised.

cf999.com

Next year, the sport will enter a new dawn of technical regulations and also welcome an 11th team on the grid.

BBC Sport runs down the key things to look out for in the 2026 season.

Bold new era of rules

The new rules being brought in for 2026 are the biggest change in F1 for years – if not ever.

Cars will be smaller, nimbler and more environmentally friendly.

They will be 30kg lighter, 10cm narrower and have engines with a near 50-50 split between electric and internal combustion power – and use fully sustainable fuels.

Will the racing be any different? Yes, but how different is one of many unknowns.

The chassis and engine rules have never both been changed at the same time to this extent.

There will be new aerodynamic rules, and the power units, while of similar architecture to the past 12 years, have been significantly modified in terms of technology.

The engines remain 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrids, but the MGU-H, which recovers energy from the exhaust and turbo, has been removed, while the proportion of power produced by the hybrid part of the engine has been more or less doubled to about 50%.

This has required major changes to aerodynamics. Not only has the venturi-underbody ground effect philosophy introduced in 2022 been abandoned, but movable front and rear wings have been introduced. That’s to increase straight-line speed to enable more energy harvesting under braking.

For some time, there have been varying levels of concern expressed by the drivers about how this will affect the racing.

There will be some idiosyncrasies, it seems. The internal combustion engine will spend a fair bit of its time acting as a generator for the battery. So engines will be at maximum revs in some corners, for example.

The DRS overtaking aid has gone, because the opening of the rear wing is required for other purposes. So instead there will be a push-to-pass button that gives extra electrical energy for a time.

“It’s really, really hard to predict what it’s going to be like,” says Lewis Hamilton. “I don’t want to dog it. I don’t want to say too many negative things.

“It feels so much different and I’m not sure you’re going to like it. But maybe I’ll be surprised. Maybe it’ll be amazing. Maybe overtaking will be incredible. Maybe it’ll be easier to overtake. I don’t know.

“We have less downforce, more torque. Driving in the rain, I can imagine it’s going to be very, very, very tough. Much harder than it is already with what we have today. But as I said, we might arrive and we might have better grip than we anticipated.”

The new rules being brought in for 2026 are the biggest change in F1 for years – if not ever.

Cars will be smaller, nimbler and more environmentally friendly.

They will be 30kg lighter, 10cm narrower and have engines with a near 50-50 split between electric and internal combustion power – and use fully sustainable fuels.

Will the racing be any different? Yes, but how different is one of many unknowns.

The chassis and engine rules have never both been changed at the same time to this extent.

There will be new aerodynamic rules, and the power units, while of similar architecture to the past 12 years, have been significantly modified in terms of technology.

The engines remain 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrids, but the MGU-H, which recovers energy from the exhaust and turbo, has been removed, while the proportion of power produced by the hybrid part of the engine has been more or less doubled to about 50%.

This has required major changes to aerodynamics. Not only has the venturi-underbody ground effect philosophy introduced in 2022 been abandoned, but movable front and rear wings have been introduced. That’s to increase straight-line speed to enable more energy harvesting under braking.

For some time, there have been varying levels of concern expressed by the drivers about how this will affect the racing.

There will be some idiosyncrasies, it seems. The internal combustion engine will spend a fair bit of its time acting as a generator for the battery. So engines will be at maximum revs in some corners, for example.

The DRS overtaking aid has gone, because the opening of the rear wing is required for other purposes. So instead there will be a push-to-pass button that gives extra electrical energy for a time.

“It’s really, really hard to predict what it’s going to be like,” says Lewis Hamilton. “I don’t want to dog it. I don’t want to say too many negative things.

“It feels so much different and I’m not sure you’re going to like it. But maybe I’ll be surprised. Maybe it’ll be amazing. Maybe overtaking will be incredible. Maybe it’ll be easier to overtake. I don’t know.

“We have less downforce, more torque. Driving in the rain, I can imagine it’s going to be very, very, very tough. Much harder than it is already with what we have today. But as I said, we might arrive and we might have better grip than we anticipated.”

• Active aero and overtake mode – F1’s new terminology
  • Published17 December

Brit teenager Lindblad makes debut

The majority of the drivers will remain the same in 2026, but there are a few changes to look out for, including a British rookie.

Frenchman Isack Hadjar, who claimed his first F1 podium at the Dutch Grand Prix, makes the step up from Racing Bulls to replace Yuki Tsunoda as Max Verstappen’s team-mate at Red Bull.

Taking Hadjar’s seat at Red Bull’s sister team will be 18-year-old Briton Arvid Lindblad.

Lindblad, who has a Swedish father and a mother of Indian descent, finished his Formula 2 campaign with Campos Racing in sixth place and will be team-mate to New Zealander Liam Lawson.

Cadillac joins the grid

Ten teams will become 11 next season when Cadillac, backed by US car giant General Motors, joins the grid.

Cadillac have opted for experience over youth and chosen ex-Mercedes man Valtteri Bottas and former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, with 106 podium finishes between them, as their inaugural line-up.

Briton Graeme Lowdon, who has previously worked for former F1 teams Virgin and Marussia, will be team principal.

The American team will purchase and use power units from Ferrari for their first three seasons, with their own GM-developed engines set to arrive for 2029.

Sauber become Audi

Audi are another new name for next season, but – unlike Cadillac – the German manufacturer has taken over the Swiss-based Sauber team, who finished ninth in the 2025 constructors’ championship.

Audi is designing an engine for its entry, which coincides with the introduction of the new power-unit regulations.

Jonathan Wheatley will be team boss and work alongside former Ferrari principal Mattia Binotto, who is head of Audi’s F1 project.

German driver Nico Hulkenberg and Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber’s driver pairing in 2025, will be Audi’s maiden line-up.

Ford return and Renault engines fall silent

Red Bull will begin an engine partnership deal with US car giant Ford, which is part-funding the power-units Red Bull are designing for the new regulations.

That brings to an end Red Bull’s partnership with Honda. The Japanese manufacturer will now be the works power unit supplier to Aston Martin, where F1 design legend Adrian Newey is to become team principal as part of a major restructure.

There is another significant engine change after Renault ended its F1 power unit programme. Renault’s Alpine team will now be paying to use Mercedes engines.

Madrid replaces Imola on calendar

The F1 calendar is once again 24 races – starting in Australia in March and ending in Abu Dhabi in December – but there will be two trips to Spain instead of one next year.

The Spanish Grand Prix will be held on a new circuit in Madrid and effectively replaces the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola.

The Madring will be a hybrid track, a mixture of public roads and private land with that section under construction.

It will be held from 11-13 September as the final race of an uninterrupted European leg of the season.

Barcelona remains on the calendar and is now known as the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, taking place 12-14 June.

Canada’s race weekend switches from June to 22-24 May so it can take place in the same month as the Miami Grand Prix, which is pencilled in for 1-3 May.

As a result, Monaco moves back, from May to 5-7 June.

As for sprint events, Silverstone is among the six tracks chosen to host a shorter race next season along with China, Miami, Canada, the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort – which is in its final year on the calendar – and Singapore.

PGTTT.com

A decision has reportedly been made for Lewis Hamilton to continue his Riccardo Adami Ferrari alliance, while PlanetF1.com’s own Oliver Harden states that a special place in hell awaits the Ferrari SF-25. All this and more, so let’s get to it.

Lewis Hamilton and Riccardo Adami alliance to continue?

Hamilton struggled in his first season with Ferrari, and one of the subplots was some apparent tense exchanges with race engineer Riccardo Adami.

Adami is reportedly set to stay in his role for F1 2026, after what has been described as a ‘very positive’ dinner with Hamilton.

Read more – Key Lewis Hamilton decision made for F1 2026 after Adami talks – report

Ferrari SF-25 consigned to hell

Ferrari’s 2025 car, the SF-25, failed to produce a single grand prix victory with Charles Leclerc and Hamilton at the wheel.

PlanetF1.com’s Oliver Harden analyses why a ‘special place in hell’ has been reserved for this Ferrari.

Read more – A special place in hell awaits the Ferrari SF-25

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Max Verstappen’s race engineer linked with Aston Martin

A report has emerged claiming that Gianpiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen’s long-serving race engineer, could have an Aston Martin move in his future.

Lambiase could join Aston Martin in a role at ‘team principal or CEO level’, it is alleged.

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It comes after Hamilton and team principal Fred Vasseur both left the door open to a potential change to the seven-time world champion’s inner circle for 2026.

Rumour: Riccardo Adami to continue as Lewis Hamilton race engineer for F1 2026

Hamilton endured a disastrous first year with Ferrari in F1 2025, failing to score a podium finish across a season for the first time in his illustrious career.

The British driver’s campaign was defined by a series of awkward team radio exchanges with Adami, who previously served as race engineer to Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz.

As reported by PlanetF1.com last week, Vasseur refused to rule out a change of race engineer for Hamilton for F1 2026, simply commenting: “We are evaluating all options.”

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That came after Hamilton himself had teased potential changes to his “personal team” for next season at the 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Asked what needs to happen over the winter for him to approach the 2026 season with confidence, Hamilton told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “I think we just need to analyse where we’ve been, what’s been good, areas that we can improve on.

“I’ve highlighted and I know where they all are. It’s sitting down with the team at the end of the year.

“I’ll look internally at my personal team, away from the track, and see what we can do more to make more efficient with the timing and traveling and all these different things.

“I’ll do the same with the team.”

A report by Italian publication Auto Racer has claimed that Adami is set to stay in his role for F1 2026 after what has been described as a ‘very positive’ dinner with Hamilton away from the track.

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