As he tries to bounce back from last year's frustrations Lewis Hamilton was in upbeat mood following his first (and very brief) run in Scuderia Ferrari's SF-26 today: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a701124...

Here's a new documentary from Aston Martin and partner Maaden focussing on the world of the F1 mechanic. Worth a look: youtu.be/sMGYkrhSCvc?...

Thoughts on Ferrari's SF-26 from Charles Leclerc: "Everything went as planned, no big problems or unexpected things. Which is a good thing, because it's such a big regulation change, that's all you want really, on a day like this where you only do five laps. It's not about the performance now."

Something different on the F1 partnership front as restaurant brand Zuma - which has over 25 locations worldwide - becomes the 'Lifestyle & Dining Curator' for the Mercedes team. Here's Toto about to check out the sushi with CEO Sven Koch:

Confirmation that Williams "has taken the decision not to participate in next week’s shakedown test in Barcelona following delays in the FW48 programme as we continue to push for maximum car performance. The team will instead conduct a series of tests including a VTT [virtual track test]."

The first video clips of 2026 F1 active aero in action on Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari SF-26 show the HP logos on the front and rear wings disappearing. Perhaps some sponsors might not be getting full value for their money under the new rules... 🙂

First official look at Alpine F1's 2026 colours. The real car ran at Silverstone earlier this week:

Good move by the Audi F1 team to put Allan McNish in charge of its Driver Development Programme. He says: "This brand is built on a history of 'Vorsprung durch Technik', and that philosophy must apply to our young drivers as much as to our cars."

McLaren Racing has won its legal fight with Alex Palou, and has been awarded "damages of well over $12 million to compensate the business for the commercial loss and disruption" The company will also "be seeking interest and reimbursement of its legal expenses at a further hearing."

Charles Leclerc on Ferrari's SF-26: "Energy management and the power unit will be among the most significant aspects - a fascinating challenge which will require us drivers to adapt quickly, relying more on instinct to begin with, and then increasingly on precise data."

Lewis Hamilton on Ferrari's new SF-26: "As a driver, being involved from the very start in the development of such a different car has been a particularly fascinating challenge, working closely with the engineers to help define a clear direction for the it."

Retro livery with gloss finish on the new SF-26 is certainly eye-catching. Ferrari says: "The colour also maintains continuity with the red used around the turn of the millennium, reaffirming Ferrari’s core values of passion, courage, and identity."

The Mercedes W17 ran nearly 200kms today in the hands of RUS and ANT. Andrew Shovlin: “We have had a sensible first day of running with the W17 at Silverstone. As with any shakedown, the focus is on ensuring everything operates safely & reliably. We were able to get through our allotted mileage."

McLaren squeezed in as much R&D time as it could for 2026 - which is why the MCL40 will hit the track so late: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a700920...

I guess the next question about the Oscars is can Lewis Hamilton race in Shanghai on Sunday afternoon and still make it to LA for early evening? He's got a 16-hour time difference on his side, but a direct flight isn't much shorter...

Whatever you thought of the F1 movie ultimately it can't hurt our sport to see it join this exclusive list. Millions of Americans who know nothing about F1 will now be exposed to the Cadillac Super Bowl ad on Sunday Feb 8 and then clips of Brad Pitt and co in the Oscar show 5 weeks later. Good PR:

The F1 movie has landed an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, as well as for editing, sound and visual effects - recognition of its technical achievements by The Academy:

Toto Wolff on the new Mercedes W17: "The new regulations demand innovation and absolute focus across every area of performance. Our work on the new car, and the long-term development of the PU and advanced sustainable fuels with Petronas, reflects that approach."

Honda had some catching up to do after committing to a 2026 F1 power unit programme later than rivals. However as HRC boss Koji Watanabe explains the Japanese manufacturer has lofty ambitions for its new partnership with Aston Martin: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a700800...

Another big F1 partnership announcement as Microsoft joins forces with Mercedes GP. The US giant was previously involved with Alpine, but on a more modest scale. This one you can't miss!

Yesterday in Woking we were shown an early render of McLaren's MCL40, but we aren't allow to share it yet! Instead we have this teaser silhouette. The car won't run on track until the second or third day of the Barcelona test (teams choose which 3 of 5 days they use):

We've had our first look at Haas's new livery. Can the extra resources provided by Toyota's backing give the team a push in 2026?: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a700605...

A new NSX? Lawrence Stroll likes the idea of an Aston Martin F1/Honda road car collaboration - but he says that nothing has been discussed so far: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a700612...

Jonathan Wheatley on Audi F1: "We're not here to mess around. We have a journey. It's an ambitious journey, and we're humble. We know where we're starting from. But we know where we want to go, and we want to get this team ready. We want Audi F1 team to be the most successful F1 team in history."

Our first look at the definitive livery on the Audi R26. Pretty impressive...:

The start of the 2026 F1 season is set to be dominated by talk of the advantage Mercedes and Red Bull may have gained by exploiting a more favourable compression ratio - and Honda is relying on the FIA to address the controversy: adamcooperonf1.substack.com/p/honda-rely...

A first look at Honda Racing's F1 new RA626H F1 power unit:

A new look for Honda's F1 logo at Aston Martin this year - including the revised 'H mark' that it revealed last week, and which will be on road cars from 2027:

Esteban Ocon on Haas and the 2026 F1 pecking order: "It’s definitely worth taking all the points you can as early as you can, but even if we’re not exactly where we want to be, there are still things to grab in the middle of the season where lots of teams will be bringing updates."

Ollie Bearman on the new Haas and 2026 form. "I feel like in the first few races reliability is going to be playing a big factor. There are going to be teams and people making mistakes with these new regulations. It's going to be tough to establish a true pecking order."

Our first look at the new Haas VF-26 and the team's latest livery. Ayao Komatsu says: "How we’re going to use that PU, that’s the biggest thing. In Barcelona, everybody is going to be focused on how best to optimise energy usage, and that needs to develop very quickly for everyone.”:

Power units will be a key element of F1 in 2026. So what has changed - and what are the biggest challenges that the five PU manufacturers face?: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a700247...

A huge landmark for the Cadillac F1 team today as Sergio Perez gave the new car its first track outing at Silverstone. It's been a long road to this point...: adamcooperonf1.substack.com/p/perez-give...

A not unexpected change as Scuderia Ferrari moves Riccardo Adami out of a frontline F1 team role into the Driver Academy. The new race engineer for Lewis Hamilton has yet to be confirmed.

Max Verstappen on 2026: "It's all still a bit unknown. Of course, it's very big change, with the engine. the car. As you can see also the dimension of the car has changed a bit. So for us drivers I think as well initially we'll take a bit of time to adjust."

With Red Bull and Ford kicking off the F1 launch season later today a look at what's new in 2026 - and why it's been so challenging for the teams: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a699997...

F1 has announced that we will be going back to Portimao in 2027 and 2028 as the replacement for Zandvoort. The track hosted GPs during the Covid-19 era in 2020 and 2021, with both won by Lewis Hamilton.

It's been a long journey for Lando Norris and McLaren - and some crucial lessons made the difference on the way to the title: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a696620...

Lewis Hamilton is keen to move on: "At the moment, I'm only forward just to the break, just disconnecting, not speaking to anyone. No one's going to be able to get hold of me this winter. I won't have my phone with me. I'm looking forward to that. Just a complete unplug from the matrix..."

Charles Leclerc on a first F1 World Championship for Lando Norris: "I think that's why I love sport so much, it's the emotions, and no matter how much you want to beat your opponents, to see someone's face as happy as Lando's is something that is beautiful to see."

Andrea Stella suffered a "painful" title defeat with Fernando Alonso in Abu Dhabi 15 years ago. Now he has a shot at redemption with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a696515...

I've been to all F1's final round showdowns since my first in Adelaide in 1994 (585 races ago!). The one in which I had the most personal connection involved my pal Eddie Irvine, who lost out to Mika Hakkinen at Suzuka in 1999. Here we are post-race with his boss Jean Todt:

Toyota will join Audi, Cadillac and Ford on the F1 grid in 2026 - albeit by proxy via a higher profile involvement with Haas. What does the deal mean for the team?: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a696465...

After 24 race weekends the F1 World Championship reaches a conclusion in Abu Dhabi on Sunday - and history suggests that even third man Oscar Piastri still has a chance: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a696342...

With Moneygram departing Toyota Gazoo Racing will step up to become title sponsor of Haas in 2026 under the TGR Haas F1 Team name as the Japanese manufacturer takes another step towards fully embracing F1. The livery will be unveiled on January 23.

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both referenced a lack of development on the SF-25 after a difficult Qatar GP. However Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur says other factors came into play last weekend: www.roadandtrack.com/news/a696058...

Great to hear that Dutch F1 photographer Peter van Egmond, who sadly lost his battle with cancer in January, will be remembered via a contest to celebrate the best work by his accredited colleagues. Supported by the FIA, it will be partly judged by a public vote, so keep an eye open for info:

No big surprises in the 2026 Racing Bulls line-up as 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad is fast-tracked into a Faenza race seat alongside Liam Lawson. He's done well in FP1 running but it's still a huge ask for a rookie to jump in amid all the rule changes, and with the new Ford PU to be sorted.

F1's worst kept secret is finally made official - Isack Hadjar is moving to Red Bull Racing in 2026 to become Max Verstappen's seventh team mate there in 11 years, after RIC, GAS, ALB, PER, LAW and TSU. We know he's quick and ultra determined, but how will he fare against VER?:

New FIA F2 champion Leo Fornaroli already has an F1 testing deal - with sources suggesting that it's with McLaren: adamcooperonf1.substack.com/p/fornaroli-...