Lewis Hamilton's Mission 44 foundation received the Motorsport UK Inclusion Award at the Motorsport UK Night of Champions.

The seven-time Formula 1 champion founded the charity in 2021 with the aim of creating greater inclusion and diversity in motorsport. "I know not every young person has the same opportunities as me," Hamilton said on the foundation's official website. "That’s why, despite the championships, the wins and the pole positions, setting up Mission 44 has been my proudest achievement so far.

"I remember vividly just how difficult it was when I was a kid. Through the work that we’re doing, we have the chance to build a better future for today’s young people, both in the UK and around the world."

Mission 44 CEO Jason Arthur collected the award, and the Ferrari F1 driver's father, Anthony Hamilton, was also present at the ceremony.

"We were honoured to win the Inclusion in Motorsport Award at @ourmotorsportuk's ‘Night of Champions’! Since the launch of The Hamilton Commission in 2021, we’ve been working hard to open doors into STEM careers and build a more inclusive motorsport sector that recruits and empowers talented students from every background," the foundation posted.

"Our CEO @Jason_Arthur was there to collect the award on behalf of the @mission44 team. Whilst we’re proud to receive this award, we know there’s still a lot more work to be done to build a truly inclusive @F1 and motorsport industry."

“The Night of Champions always represents the very best of British motorsport, honouring our champions for their exceptional talent, commitment and determination across every discipline,” said David Richards CBE, chair of Motorsport UK.

“We also recognise the invaluable contribution of the wider motorsport community – our clubs, volunteers, officials and media – who all play a vital role in sustaining the sport at every level and helping to power its future. I sincerely congratulate all of this year’s award winners.”

Team Penske confirmed its lineup of race strategist for the upcoming IndyCar Series season on Thursday, which included the notable return of Tim Cindric.

Cindric, the organization’s former president, will be back on the timing stand and serve as the race strategist for Scott McLaughlin. Team Penske President Jonathan Diuguid will call strategy for Josef Newgarden, with Travis Law set to do the same for newcomer David Malukas.

“I am excited about our Team Penske lineup for the 2026 IndyCar season,” Diuguid said. “I look forward to continuing to work with Josef (Newgarden), as we have enjoyed a lot of success together. Travis Law will be a great leader for David (Malukas) as he makes his transition into Team Penske. Tim Cindric brings decades of experience to Scott’s (McLaughlin) timing stand, and given his experience and time within our organization, he will be a great addition to our lineup on race day in the role of race strategist.

“With the support of our strong and experienced engineering staff, technicians, and partners, the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 12 Team Penske entries are positioned well, and I am confident the team will fight for wins every race in the extremely competitive IndyCar field starting in St. Pete.”

Nine months ago, Cindric, along with IndyCar Managing Director Ron Ruzewski and IndyCar General Manager Kyle Moyer, were let go by team owner Roger Penske, who also owns the series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, on May 12, 2025. The trio’s dismissal was following two of the team's three entries failing technical inspection during qualifying for the 2025 Indianapolis 500, with infractions for unapproved modifications to the rear attenuator on the cars of Newgarden and Will Power. It was the second cheating event in as many years, with the push-to-pass scanal rocking the paddock in 2024 and leaving many teams questioning the integrity of how the series was being run. Following those events, it led to the creation of an Independent Officiating Board - still paid for by Penske - and is equipped with an FIA member along with two others appointed by the other chartered teams.

Unlike Ruzewski and Moyer, who both found new homes at Andretti Global and Arrow McLaren, respectively, Cindric is back at his old stomping grounds.

Cindric’s arrival is one of several key changes to McLaughlin’s team, with Raul Prados replacing Ben Bretzman as his race engineer, and David Hunt taking over as spotter from Adam Fournier.

D.C. race "would be massive opportunity for IndyCar" says Rahal

NASCAR's pre-season exhibition race known as 'The Clash' continues to face a major obstacle in the form of winter weather. As crews clear the track and surrounding area of snow and ice, another system is set to move into the area just in time for the race weekend.

This new storm is expected to dump four to eight inches of snow and will cause temperatures to plunge into the low 20s with feel like temperatures in the single digits.

"Out of an abundance of caution," NASCAR has decided to cancel all on-track action for Saturday. There was supposed to be practice, qualifying, and several heat races with Sunday reserved for the last-chance qualifier and main event.

Instead, that will take place on Sunday, with the exception of the the heat races as qualifying will set the lineup for the main event. Additionally, Modified and Sportsman support races as part of the 'Madhouse Classic' will be rescheduled for a later date.

With no heat races, the top 20 qualifiers will go directly to the main event while the rest are moved to the LCQ to fight over the final few positions on the grid.

'The Clash Preview' at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Event Center is still scheduled to take place on Friday, running 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST, per track officials. However, 'The Clash Fan Fest' will no longer be open this weekend.

New Clash at Bowman Gray schedule

Practice & qualifying: Sunday, 2-4pm EST (FOX SPORTS 2)

Last-chance qualifier race: Sunday, 6pm EST (FOX)

The Clash main event: Sunday, 8pm EST

Even if the race goes as scheduled for Sunday, it will be frigid and crews will likely have to clear several inches of new-fallen snow from the short track. AccuWeather projects a high of 28 on race day and a low of 11. With some wind, the real feel temperature will likely be in the teens.

The National Weather Service forecast for Winston-Salem, North Carolina, says there could even be up to one foot of snow between Friday and Saturday, but most predictions put it in the four to eight inches range.

Ben Kennedy gives update on snow-impacted Bowman Gray ahead of Clash

The Williams Formula 1 team has announced a new partnership with Wilkinson Sword as the Grove outfit's official men's grooming partner.

The partnership with the British brand will see the Wilkinson Sword logo on the nose box, halo and engine cover of the highly anticipated FW48, which is due to be unveiled on 3 February. The branding will also be featured on towels and balaclavas, as well as Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz's helmets.

The new collaboration also promises to produce "impactful campaigns and experiences".

Williams team principal James Vowles said: "For both Atlassian Williams F1 Team and Wilkinson Sword, performance means pushing boundaries and innovating for the future. We are proud to have Wilkinson Sword by our side as we drive performance to razor thin margins."

Jonathan Norman, marketing director for Europe at Edgewell Personal Care, added: "We’re incredibly proud to partner with Atlassian Williams F1 Team, one of the most iconic teams in Formula 1, as they continue their transformation journey both on and off the track. 

"It’s a natural and compelling alignment. At their core, both brands are performance-led, shaped by British heritage, precision and mastery, and defined by an ability to evolve through periods of change while staying true to what makes them distinctive. 

"By bringing together two brands united by the same challenger mindset, we’re excited to accelerate forward together on this journey."

Williams recently made the decision to skip private testing in Barcelona ahead of the 2026 F1 season, which welcomes a new set of regulations. Instead, Vowles confirmed that the team will be ready for testing in Bahrain, which will take place on 11-13 February, and again on 18-20 February before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on 6-8 March.

Approaching Year Six as a full-time 410 Sprint Car racer, Spencer Bayston has made a lot of stops from the Indy Race Parts 71, to Roth Motorsports, to full-time runs at CJB and Jason Meyers Racing in pursuit of a home.

That is frequently the first step in a championship caliber career -- meshing various approaches and personality types into one figurative well-oiled machine. For a variety of reasons, Bayston hasn’t found that yet, but seemingly everyone in the industry believes in the potential, which is what led him to Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing for the 2026 World of Outlaws season.

“Kind of jumping around into a handful of different cars the past few years, not every scenario is going to be the perfect scenario,” Bayston told Motorsport.com on Thursday. “The teams I’ve been a part of, we’ve had some success but obviously some struggles too, and some of the teams I’ve driven for have had the same story, in that they’ve won some races but struggled in other races.

“For me, I think it’s come down to me wanting or requiring a certain feel, what I want the car to be able to do and if I can find that or not. Ultimately, that’s where I think my time with CJB started to dwindle, that we were starting to venture into the unknown when it comes to set-ups.

“So then I get into the (Works Limited) car or the (Tarlton) 21 and things just click. They handled and drove exactly how I wanted them to right off the bat without me having to say a word and it showed in the speed we had.”

Logan Schuchart hopes new approach in 2025 pays off in 2026

So Richard and Jennifer Marshall, plus Ricky Stenhouse Jr., they all saw that potential and believe there is something to unlock there and want to do it in the No. 17 with crew chief Kyle Pruitt.

“Spencer wasn’t going to take a job that was just going to have him on the road,” Stenhouse said. “It had to be a good fit. Even before he said yes to us, he needed to sit down with our crew chief and talk to him, and vetted the whole process.

“He believes strongly in our process and so does NOS Energy Drink. We’ve been fast since we added Kyle as our crew chief. I felt like there was an uptick in performance and consistency, the way it looks going around the race track, so I’m happy with where the team is.

“I am so happy that we added Kyle because within a day or two, we were ordering parts and selling things, and making sure we had what we needed to do things his way.”

Bayston and Pruitt got a head start on 2026 in November at the World Finals at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Together, they ended the season with finishes of fifth and fourth and started third and sixth.

“It went very well,” Bayston said. “When I first started having conversations with Richard and Ricky about running the 2026 season, there was an idea to get us to race together at Charlotte to get a head start but that doesn’t happen without risk, right?

“It’s a new relationship and they accomplished a lot as a team together with Sheldon Haudenschild, won a lot of races. So the risk is going to Charlotte and struggling to get up to speed and ending the season on that note. But we had speed out of the gate. We were fast, qualified well, finished in the top five, and it was a big success.”

Again, more than anything, Bayston just wanted to land at a place where he hopes he could spend the next decade plus as an emerging championship contender who wins races in bulk. He’s known the Marshall family for over a decade and raced with Stenhouse at Chili Bowl over the years.

“It’s important to have people that believe in you,” Bayston said. “Ricky believes in me and Kyle and our guys to go out and chase this. I never got to the point where I started to think I couldn’t do it. It’s just, when you go on the road for a full season, and need to string runs together against the elite teams as a young driver, that’s the hard part.

“It takes time to get to that point where you’re an elite combination so having Ricky, Richard and Jennifer believing with their whole heart that Kyle and I can go out, be successful, win races and compete for a championship, that’s everything in this sport.”  

The first race of the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season will feature the usual stars of NCTS, but several other notable names.

It's already been announced that NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart will join the Kaulig Racing Ram squad, making his first appearance in the Truck Series in almost 20 years. The field will also feature former Daytona 500 winners Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell, extreme sports star Travis Pastrana, as well as experienced Cup drivers like John Hunter Nemechek and Corey LaJoie.

Tony Stewart to make surprise NASCAR return with first Truck start in 20 years

Travis Pastrana to make NASCAR return in Daytona Truck race

On Thursday, Spire Motorsports added another name to this impressive list, and it's none other than Carson Hocevar. The aggressive driver is a proven winner in the Truck Series, securing five wins with Niece Motorsports and starting 81 races over the past few years. 

Hocevar, who is now full-time in the Cup Series as the driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, will also pilot the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet *Silverado* in the Truck Series race at Daytona.

IKEA and Best Buy will back the effort as co-primary sponsors.

“Ultimately, it's super cool to represent two major brands that I'm familiar with and have strong connections to the NASCAR fan base,” said Hocevar. “My first time ever building furniture was an IKEA set, and I obviously play a lot of video games and get my electronics from Best Buy. To have both of them connected and riding with me on the No. 77 Silverado at Daytona is really special. I’ve enjoyed watching the Spire Motorsports trucks there the last two years, and I’m excited to be part of it now."

McLaren’s second day of running at Formula 1’s Barcelona pre-season test was cut short by a fuel system issue.

With teams allowed just three days on track within the five-day test, taking place behind closed doors from Monday to Friday, the MCL40 first emerged from the garage on Wednesday with Lando Norris at the wheel.

The Briton completed 62 laps – according to SoyMotor’s timing data – as he spent most of the afternoon in the garage. On Thursday, his team-mate Oscar Piastri took over but covered just 48 laps, as a fuel system issue ruled him out of the action for the remainder of the day.

“It’s a shame we could not run in the afternoon as every minute of track time is precious at such an early stage of the season,” performance technical director Mark Temple said. “We discovered a fuel system problem, which meant we haven’t been able to do all the running we would like.

“The car is very complex, so we decided to bring the car back into the garage and strip it down to fully understand where the problem is coming from, ahead of tomorrow’s running.”

Other than those mechanical gremlins, Temple said McLaren ‘didn’t encounter anything too unexpected’.

“The behaviour and handling of the car is in line with what we thought, so nothing is catching the drivers out,” he added. “It’s just about learning and getting to know it, and then as we get more time, we’ll look to try and tweak or tune the car.”

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: McLaren

Speaking to F1, Piastri said the priority was “just trying to iron out all these bugs, find the problems”, but he unfortunately wasn’t pressed on the fuel system issue or any other loosely mentioned gremlins by the interviewer.

“I think we've already identified a few things we can try and improve on the car to make it feel a bit nicer, you know they're all going to be different to what we've had, so just trying to find all the bugs, all the problems and then try and make the car faster,” the Australian subsequently commented.

Piastri’s fastest lap on Thursday was, again according to unofficial timing, a 1m18.419s, which would be nearly two seconds slower than George Russell’s benchmark, a 1m16.445s.

McLaren’s end-of-day press release features an interesting statement: “From these very early hours of track time, it looks like some competitors have set a very high bar for performance.”

This will no doubt point to Mercedes’ relentless running with a potentially ominous pace – though it obviously is too early to draw any conclusions.

Barcelona F1 shakedown Day 4: Mercedes reliable as Aston Martin makes overdue debut

Netflix has confirmed that a new Michael Schumacher documentary will be released on the streaming service in 2026.

The documentary, Schumacher ’94, is set to centre around the seven-time champion's first title-winning season in 1994, and will be a German-speaking non-fiction feature.

Schumacher, in his first season with Benetton in 1994, won eight of the 12 grands prix, finished second in two races and retired from the remaining two, clinching his first championship title.

Directed by Christin Freitag and produced by LEONINE Documentaries, the documentary will feature Schumacher's wife, Corinna, as well as others who are close to the former Ferrari driver.

"1994 marks a turning point in Formula 1 history: 25-year-old Michael Schumacher wins the first Grand Prix of the racing season in Brazil, setting the stage for an unprecedented career," the synopsis from Netflix reads.

"The year 1994, which is among the most dramatic and exciting racing seasons in Formula 1 history, featured impactful events such as Ayrton Senna's lethal accident, as well as accusations of manipulation and unfair driving maneuvers. At the same time, a true 'Schumi Mania' emerged.

"Michael Schumacher's wife, Corinna Schumacher, and other people close to him reminisce about him at that time. They remember an uncompromising fighter on the racetrack and a sensitive, empathic man off the course.

Michael Schumacher celebrates championship victory with his team

Photo by: Ercole Colombo

"Corinna Schumacher, who has always been his emotional support, also offers insight into the beginnings of an extraordinary love story - one that is still going strong today."

Katja Hofem, Netflix vice president content DACH, said at a Berlin event where Netflix announced all of the upcoming German-speaking shows and films: "The successes of recent years shows how truly diverse entertainment today can be. But we’re not stopping there.

"2026 is our most ambitious year yet, with more German-language series, films and non-fiction projects and in greater variety than we have ever seen before.

"This is only made possible by years of work to develop the right projects, the courage to try something new, and close collaboration with our creative partners and producers on the ground. With ‘What Next’, we show what Netflix stands for: strong local stories, executed at the highest level."

A release date is yet to be confirmed.

Aston Martin finally appeared on track in the latter stages of the fourth day of the Barcelona Formula 1 shakedown, while Mercedes kept collecting miles and McLaren's day was cut short with trouble.

Fresh from turning over 90 laps apiece on Wednesday, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell traded turns again on Thursday with a combination of long runs and shorter outings to get on top of various power unit modes.

Russell was unofficially fastest with a 1m16.6s, but rather than being fooled by flashy headlines about fastest laps or alleged benchmark times, the big-ticket item in Barcelona is gathering data and mileage, and that has been an area Mercedes has been undeniably strong at.

It meant Mercedes has now used up its three test days allowed in Barcelona and can head home knowing it will have turned by far the most laps out of all the teams with its W17, which has run reliably throughout and earned positive feedback from its drivers.

"We go [to Bahrain testing] with high confidence and high hopes because, definitely, it's been good," said Antonelli. "Obviously, we had our issues during the shakedown, but we were able to fix them and now we can be sure that in Bahrain we can more or less hit the ground running there as well."

On the other side of the spectrum, Aston Martin only just made it out on day four after flying its car to the track on Wednesday, having previously announced it wanted to delay its shakedown appearance to get its AMR26 in working order.

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

Photo by: Aston Martin Racing

In the hands of Lance Stroll, the unpainted Adrian Newey-designed AMR26 finally broke cover to turn a total of five laps in the final hour, sporting what looked like an intriguingly unique sidepod and engine cover design compared to its rivals.

Stroll caused a late red flag by grinding to a halt mere minutes before the projected 6pm local time finish of the session. Fernando Alonso is expected in the Honda-powered car on Friday's fifth and final day of the shakedown week.

Oscar Piastri took over the new McLaren MCL40 from team-mate and defending world champion Lando Norris on the second day of running for the 2026 McLaren. After 48 laps the Australian remained in the garage during the afternoon after the team encountered a fuel system issue which required an investigation.

“It was nice to be back out today, especially in the new car," Piastri reported. "There’s a lot of challenges this year up and down the grid, so it was good to get stuck in. We had a fuel system issue, which cut our day short, but the team’s working hard to get that fixed and back out tomorrow."

McLaren's technical director for performance, Mark Temple, added: "The car is very complex, so we decided to bring the car back into the garage and strip it down to fully understand where the problem is coming from, ahead of tomorrow’s running."

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: McLaren

After only being able to run in the wet on Tuesday, Lewis Hamilton reconvened with his the Ferrari SF-26 and said it was "amazing" to run 85 laps in the dry, despite suffering an early spin out of Turn 11 on his out-lap as his cold tyres struggled with the chilly Catalan circuit.

Another morning runner was Liam Lawson in the Racing Bulls VCARB 03, a team which has now also used up its three-day allowance. After a low-key debut on Monday, Cadillac returned for its second day with Sergio Perez behind the wheel.

Alpine, Audi, Haas and Red Bull all sat out the Thursday running and are expected on track again on Friday. In Red Bull's case, the team is understood to have flown spare parts over from Milton Keynes to help repair the damage from Isack Hadjar's crash on Tuesday.

Barcelona F1 shakedown - Day 4 lap counts

Aston Martin's 2026 F1 car is finally on track, causes red flag

Lewis Hamilton: "Today I did 85 laps in the morning, which is amazing"

Aston Martin has finally taken to the track at Formula 1’s Barcelona pre-season test, but caused a red flag within just an hour.

The Silverstone-based team skipped the first three days of testing as it couldn’t produce its new challenger, the AMR26, on time.

The Barcelona shakedown is taking place behind closed doors over five days with each team entitled to three days’ running, which softened Aston’s setback.

Still, instead of three days, the team is getting just over one day – at best – as it took to the track around 5pm local time on Thursday, after reaching the circuit on Wednesday evening.

Shortly before the chequered flag was due to be waved at 6pm, the red flag put a definitive end to proceedings as Lance Stroll stopped at the pitlane entry, SoyMotor reports.

"We are in a bit of a unique situation," Mike Krack, Aston Martin's chief trackside officer, told F1 after the day's running.

"We welcome Honda, our new power unit partner. We have made our first gearbox in very many, many years, and you pair that with new chassis regulations, new power unit regulations... basically you could say it's the worst case or the best case, but it's a huge change for us as a team, to be a works team, a factory team, together with these regulations. Then we have Adrian [Newey] on board, so it's all very exciting and a lot of change.

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

Photo by: Aston Martin Racing

"Formula 1 is not waiting for you, so you have to be ready. We were now a little bit late, but we made it to this test, so I think we can be proud and happy of that achievement."

According to the Spanish publication, Stroll’s fastest time was a 1m46.404s, some 30 seconds slower than Mercedes’ benchmark. He completed just five laps.

The AMR26 is Aston’s first Adrian Newey-designed challenger, as well as the only Honda-powered machinery on the grid, meaning the Japanese manufacturer has been unable to collect any data so far.

Honda: “Perhaps we will struggle” in 2026 F1 season

Last week, Honda leaders displayed startling pessimism about their new F1 power unit. “The 2026 regulations are technically extremely challenging, and perhaps we will struggle,” said Koji Watanabe, president of Honda Racing Corporation.

Tetsushi Kakuda, Honda’s F1 project leader, told Motorsport.com: “The electrification side is progressing as planned. However, that is not necessarily the case for the internal combustion engine.”

Since its inception in 2022, the Miami Grand Prix has pushed to forge a distinct identity which reflects the city's culture. One of the mainstays of the Miami International Autodrome since then has been the ersatz marina – the sea may be fake but the boats are real – on the inside of the Turns 5-9 complex.

For 2026 this section is receiving an upgrade in the form of a superyacht-themed multi-floor hospitality enclosure promising better views as well as a luxurious weekend experience. The four-floor edifice is presented in partnership with F1 sponsor MSC Cruises.

Officially named the MSC Yacht Club, the new hospitality enclosure will be 264ft long, 96ft wide, and 50ft tall at its highest extremity. The four decks will offer separate spaces and moods, from an open-air section with a pool and lounge seating on deck one to a shaded seating area on deck three with a Jack Daniel's Bar. The second deck will also offer shaded seating as well as fine dining operated by French hospitality brand Bagatelle; those wishing for an even more rarefied culinary adventure can take advantage of the Chef's Table experience.

The Captain's Deck, the highest viewpoint, is a private space with panoramic views of the circuit campus.

MSC Yacht Club at Miami GP

Photo by: Formula 1

As part of the wider revamp of the marina area, there will be a new, elevated general admission section overlooking Turn 7, in what had previously been an area reserved for specific ticket holders.

Besides providing another talking point for the Miami International Autodrome, the new area will provide much-improved views of what is one of the track's most dynamic and demanding sections.

"From the very beginning, the Marina presented by MSC Cruises has been one of the defining features of our race," said Miami GP president Katharina Nowak.

"In creating the MSC Yacht Club, we wanted to elevate that iconic space by providing something even more immersive, refined and connected to racing. With a great partner in MSC Cruises, we have curated an outstanding guest experience while staying true to the energy of Miami that makes our race so unique."

F1 Miami Grand Prix gets 10-year extension to run until 2041

Miami Grand Prix named Autosport’s Promoter of the Year

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton branded his Thursday morning mileage “amazing” at Formula 1’s Barcelona ‘shakedown’.

As the world championship holds its first pre-season test behind closed doors amid 2026’s technical overhaul, with teams allowed to run on three days between 26 and 30 January, the Scuderia picked a Tuesday-Thursday-Friday strategy.

Both Charles Leclerc and Hamilton were on track on Tuesday, but the rain arrived mid-morning. Thursday was therefore Hamilton’s first representative mileage on a dry track with the SF-26, which only performed a 15km shakedown at Fiorano before going to Barcelona.

The seven-time world champion completed 87 laps according to SoyMotor’s unofficial timing data, which he took solace in, considering “miserable wet weather” previously hampered the team’s effort.

Ferrari tested wet-weather active aerodynamic mode during 2026 F1 Barcelona shakedown

Asked by F1 whether Ferrari was where it expected to be at this stage, Hamilton tentatively replied: “Um, I don't know, I think we're probably... Of course, we hoped that we could come and have... When you come to the test, you always want to get a lot of mileage, like today I did 85 laps in the morning, which is amazing. And that's really down to all the people at the factory who've done such a great job to make sure the car so far is really reliable.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Ferrari

“Last year we had a worse start to testing, so considering it's a completely new band of rules, it's better than we've experienced in the past. So I'm really hopeful that continues.”

Delving into this morning’s running in more depth, Hamilton explained: “It was great to be able to get some running and understand the tyres. We did the C2 and the C1, so cold that the tyres are not really working so much, but got through our programme, and a bit of an understanding of where the car is at and where we need to improve.”

Leclerc took the SF-26 over for the afternoon with Hamilton following the proceedings from the pitwall, before both drivers presumably return to the track on Friday with a busy plan.

“For us it's, still continue to try and get as much mileage and knowledge on this engine and on the car and the aero side,” the Briton detailed. “So there'll be lots. We went through a program this morning, found some learnings. Charles is doing a different set this afternoon, which is great.

“My role is to, like, listen as much as possible. At the end of the day, we both come together and we both talk about our problems and the positives and the negatives. Then we'll come up with a plan of like what we want to tackle tomorrow as our last day. But already, we've got good data so far. So it's just understanding that and making sure you're making really clear and concise decisions in terms of what to test moving forwards before we get to Bahrain.”

Hankook plans to introduce a new winter tyre in 2027 after the previous specification drew criticism from World Rally Championship crews at Rally Monte Carlo last weekend.

Extreme winter weather rendered conditions the toughest witnessed at the asphalt WRC season opener in more than decade, as crews faced treacherous snow, ice and slush-covered roads.

Prior to last year’s Monte Carlo, when conditions remained largely dry, drivers had already raised concerns with the winter tyres produced by the Korean manufacturer, then operating in its first season. In agreement with the FIA, Hankook made minor tweaks to its winter tyres in a bid to improve it.

However, drivers remained critical of the tyre’s ability to evacuate slush and provide grip. Reigning world champion Sebastien Ogier was the most vocal of the rubber after losing more than a minute in snowy and icy conditions to eventual winner Oliver Solberg.

“I’ve never seen that in my whole life, such a s*** tyre, unbelievable,” Ogier said during a stage end interview, before adding in the media zone, “for me it is not acceptable to get product like this in the world championship after one year of feedback, where we said that they need to work on that, and all that is done is a centimetre cut in the tyres.”

Hankook has confirmed it has been developing an all-new winter tyre since last year’s event, but was unable to complete its development in time for last weekend’s rally. The manufacturer expects to debut this evolution at next year’s Rally Monte Carlo.

“I think with the conditions being as they are with quite a lot of snow and a lot of slush, the conditions themselves are so difficult and it is very clear that our snow tyre for these conditions is suboptimal," Hankook representative Steven Cho told Motorsport.com.

“We probably knew that coming in and we have been working hard to develop our next evolutions but with snow and ice conditions it is very difficult to replicate because the season is so short. We wanted to bring a step forward but we don’t want to go backwards.

“We are quite positive about the direction we are able to move in the future but we always knew it would be tough. The comments from the world champion were harsh but we take it. We take it constructively and we move forward.

“In agreement with the FIA we did some modifications to the tyre in the off-season. They were done in advance all by Hankook and we wanted to make sure that the uniformity was good and at high quality. I think it did would bring an incremental improvement but clearly we are not where we want to be so the drivers have their work cut out for them.”

However, Hankook is confident its new winter tyre for 2027 will prove to be a much stronger product in extreme winter conditions.

“We are almost beginners here in Monte Carlo with this being our second rally here, and we have a big hope for next year that we will have a much better product that will satisfy the drivers,” said Manfred Sandbichler, European Director of Hankook Competition.

“Hopefully we have similar conditions to this year to show the performance and improvement but this is our ultimate goal.

“We have finished the testing but the problem with the winter and ice and snow tyres is we have a small time limit where you can test the tyres in these conditions. It makes this development work really tough and challenging for us.”

While Christian Horner was dismissed from his role as CEO and team principal of Red Bull Racing last year, the long-standing stalwart of Formula 1 has remained close. Not only has he been connected to Alpine, but he's also recently been in touch with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, and now, he's heading to Australia for a live talk on stage ahead of the opening grand prix.

Horner has spent the last two decades of his life running one of the most successful F1 teams. Under his guidance, the Milton Keynes outfit won eight drivers' and six constructors' championships, proving there are few things he isn't capable of.

But the last couple of seasons grew too difficult. Not only did he struggle with controversy outside of the racing circuit, but internal politics and a lack of performance from the team increasingly applied pressure on his shoulders. Eventually, he was replaced by Laurent Mekies in July.

A tearful Horner bid his team goodbye but never strayed too far from the paddock as it was quickly confirmed this year that he had expressed an interest in investing in Alpine. And guess what? He'll pop up again ahead of the opening round of the 2026 F1 season, too. 

Billed as "A Special Evening with Christian Horner: Life in Formula One… and Beyond", this will be the Briton's first speaking tour, taking place in Melbourne at Hamer Hall on 24 February. He'll then move to Sydney’s TikTok Entertainment Centre on 26 February before arriving at the Riverside Theatre on 2 March in Perth, just four days ahead of FP1. 

Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

This will be a nice warm-up to the new season, with a live Q&A offered to those attending. This will likely be shaped to an audience who want to know the ins and outs of what led to his removal from Red Bull, but while he'll probably remain silent on such dramas, this will be the perfect chance to probe him on his rise to the top. 

“These shows are an exciting opportunity for me to unpack my career so far and provide insights and perspectives on the cusp of another exciting F1 championship,” he said on the show.

“Formula 1 is an extraordinary world but it’s also unforgiving and all-encompassing.

“I’m privileged to have spent a large part of my life in the centre of that furnace and I’m looking forward to sharing and reflecting on some of the big moments that have shaped who I am today.”

Tickets go on sale today with prices starting at AU$109 per ticket at the time of writing, although pricing is subject to change. 

The F1 movie has secured yet another award after its soundtrack picked up the 2026 Award for Excellence in Sound for a Feature Film from the Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS).

The F1 soundtrack was composed by Hans Zimmer and features a combination of orchestral and electronic music. The album incorporates some of the biggest current artists, including Ed Sheeran with the track Drive, Rosé with Messy, and Chris Stapleton with Bad As I Used To Be.

"What's great about a race movie is the sound, and we're going to have phenomenal sound for this movie. We're going to put you in the car with this modern and emotional score, and you’re gonna feel it," producer Jerry Bruckheimer said in a video shared by Apple.

"You had to have Hans Zimmer involved in this. He is obviously one of the greatest."

He added: "The sounds of the cars, it's like music to people and Hans captured it with the score. He captured how you blend and you hear the music, yet you hear the roar of the car."

Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, who was part of the F1 sound team, commented: "We are so grateful to Joe Kosinski, our filmmakers and the artists at Skywalker Sound for unparalleled support through every pitstop and over every finish line.

"To be recognised by our peers at such a high level for our work on F1 is a humbling privilege. Thank you to AMPS – I feel honoured to receive an award from my fellow peers."

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem film a scene for the F1 movie on the podium

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

AMPS chair George Foulgham added: "F1 is the worthy winner of this year’s AMPS Film Sound Award. The meticulous and exhaustive production sound recording, coupled with the detailed engineering of the incredible sound design, mixed with the driving force of Hans Zimmer’s score, creates a cinematic experience that takes the audience on a sonic ride they won’t forget.

"AMPS is honoured to recognise the work of Gareth John AMPS, Dash Mason-Malik AMPS, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Juan Peralta, Gary A Rizzo and their sound teams."

AMPS vice-chair Kate Davis also commented: "I was blown away by the F1 soundtrack. The sound work delivers an extraordinary balance of excitement, emotion and realism, capturing the intensity of the sport while never losing sight of the human story. It’s an immersive experience that held me from start to finish."

"Had we run faultlessly from the outset, that would have been a very pleasant surprise."

Although Formula 1's pre-season shakedown is taking place behind closed doors at Barcelona, Audi is known to have suffered from a number of reliability issues, which didn’t quite amaze technical director James Key.

Gabriel Bortoleto completed just 27 laps on Monday after a “a couple of problems” curtailed Audi’s day around 11:30am local time; on Wednesday, Nico Hulkenberg caused another red flag before 10am, though he was able to make up for lost time in the afternoon with 68 laps’ worth of data, according to SoyMotor’s unofficial timing.

This has nonetheless been a trying week for the German constructor, which is competing in F1 for the first time after taking over the Sauber outfit.

Most importantly, Audi has joined the world championship as a power unit manufacturer amid a switch to a new engine formula featuring a greater emphasis on electric energy – hence those gremlins despite the brand’s experience with hybrid powertrains in endurance and rally-raid.

“This test is a prove-out test of a very new car for everyone of course, but particularly for us with a very new power unit as well, the first Audi power unit, so this is all about reliability and getting the fundamentals figured out,” Key told F1 on Wednesday evening.

Nico Hulkenberg, Audi F1 Team

Photo by: Audi

“So I think on that basis, although we had a little bit of delay, or quite a bit of delay in the end actually, on the first day for various reasons which are all fixable – but this is why we test, we don't want to be discovering this in Melbourne – today has shown some better progress.

“So, a little delay this morning, it was a hydraulic leak – real basic thing – but then this afternoon we've got back on track and we've done a lot of laps, so a step forward today I think.”

Asked if there had been any surprises so far, Key replied: “Nothing unexpected, actually.

“You know, I think had we run faultlessly from the outset, that would have been a very pleasant surprise.

“We've seen plenty of red flags; it's a very, very immature car still at the moment for everyone, but nothing particularly surprising. Like I say, this is really a mechanical test, the performance will become the priority later, but nothing surprising other than just working through everything we have to do.”

Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi

Photo by: Audi

As to whether Audi is on track to complete everything it planned to do at Barcelona, Key reckoned: “I think the really important stuff, yes.

“What we really needed to do is just get laps on the car. You know, our colleagues in Neuberg on the power unit side have got no track reference data at all. This is the first time they're actually going to get track data for their power unit and for the gearbox as well, so I think really it's a case of doing that and beginning to tune all these complex energy recovery strategies and all the various other things that go with the ‘26 car.

“So at the moment, yes, I'd say on that basis we're on target. Of course, the list is never ending in terms of what you really want to do, but provided we can have a good third day, I think we'll come away pretty pleased.”

“A very difficult challenge” – why Audi fears engine performance deficit in F1 2026

A post shared by the Cadillac Formula 1 team has led to speculation about a huge upcoming partnership announcement. 

Eagle-eyed fans spotted the same pair of black-and-white Nike trainers worn by drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, plus reserve driver Zhou Guanyu in a photo shared by the American outfit. 

While Cadillac has yet to announce any partnership with Nike, it seems unusual that all three drivers would be wearing the same shoes, especially when the trainers match the team's colours.

One fan commented on the post, "How about those Nike sneakers?", with an inspector emoji, while another added: "Nike sponsorship for Cadillac?"

"Nike is something cooking?" wrote someone else, and another fan commented: "Announce Nike".

Cadillac has been keen to partner with other big American brands as it leans into its identity as a United States-based team.

If Cadillac were to partner with Nike, it would join various athletes who work with the brand, including Ellie Carpenter, Dina Asher-Smith and Rafael Nadal. The Graeme Lowdon-led team has already secured partnerships with brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Jim Beam.

Currently running a test livery for private testing in Barcelona ahead of the 2026 season, Cadillac will unveil its race livery in an advert during the showing of the Super Bowl on 8 February.

“It’s great to be back, also with this brand-new team in the sport – it’s a really, really unique situation,” Bottas explained to F1.com after taking to the track at private testing. “I really enjoyed getting back on track – this was the first time I drove this car, so it’s just good to be out there.

“Obviously, performance-wise I wouldn’t say much yet – the main thing is we’ve got some running done. At the end, we got a little bit longer run in, so these are the first steps of debugging and getting everything to work better.”

It has been a very weird week in the world of Formula 1: cars have hit the track for the first time in 2026 but the general public, media included, has only been drip-fed information. In a world where everything is usually on constant demand, putting the Barcelona shakedown behind closed doors as teams gear up for this year’s regulation change certainly caused a stir.

But alas, what can you do? As at least one newsworthy topic made its way into the domain and that was Williams opting to skip the five-day test following “delays in the FW48 programme”. Minds inevitably went back to 2024 when the British outfit also had a nightmare start with a car that was both late and overweight, but team boss James Vowles was quick to squash the comparisons as he confirmed that Williams “could have made it to Barcelona”, “but in doing so, I would have to turn upside down the impact on spares components” and updates across the opening rounds of the season. 

This is supposed to be the time Williams goes to that next level with two strong drivers in Alex Albon and grand prix winner Carlos Sainz, plus having risen from last to fifth across the past five years, it has been on an upward trajectory.

That is exactly why, however, doubts suddenly crept in about the team’s direction; yet it is understood that the key to success in 2026, per many team bosses, isn’t a good start but a strong finish. Development through the campaign is expected to be rapid as squads adapt to these wholesale regulation changes in what could be a defining era for F1. 

Fred Vasseur on F1 2026 arms race: "It doesn't matter if we're P1 or P10 in Melbourne"

So although it isn’t ideal for Williams, missing a private shakedown in Barcelona isn’t necessarily the end of the world, particularly as teams are just using it to clock up mileage. Indeed, the historic squad still has some kind of presence there.

“Yes, I have boots on the ground and individuals there,” confirmed Vowles in a media roundtable, which included Autosport. “It won’t be a surprise to any of you, but I actually think we’re set up for a good championship.”

James Vowles, Team Principal of Williams

Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images

The 46-year-old went on, with particular praise towards Williams’ power unit supplier Mercedes, who Vowles has also previously worked for: “I think Mercedes are doing well out of the box, running to the timetable they said they would.

“It’s very impressive from the get-go. But equally, Red Bull, given they have produced a power unit from scratch, that really cannot be underestimated, they did a brilliant job in the number of laps they completed and then finally, there’s Ferrari, which is exactly the same thing. 

“Again, pretty impressive from the get-go, but your times in Barcelona are going to be largely irrelevant. It’s only really in Bahrain [the official pre-season test] that you’ll start to see it.”

It is the link with Mercedes that caused many to hold high expectations for Williams in 2026; the Silver Arrows is currently favourite for this year’s constructors’ title, largely because it dominated F1’s last engine switch in 2014.

Mercedes subsequently won the next eight championships and although it is too early to say it’ll do the same in 2026, the signs are certainly positive. On Wednesday, for example, its drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli completed a combined 183 laps with the latter even conducting a full race simulation.

To do such a thing on only the third day is impressive, backing up the belief that Mercedes boasts the strongest engine, and the learning from such will be valuable - not just for the German marque, but also Williams.

“We have the power unit provided by Mercedes, the gearbox provided by Mercedes, so the learning that they’re going through this week in Barcelona will carry over into us, into Bahrain,” said Vowles. 

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Mercedes AMG

“It’s not that I want to be resting on their hard work, but also it is worth stating that that is still an advantage for us that falls out of it, or a disadvantage that’s negated. I’m confident with six days in Bahrain [11-13 and 18-20 February], we will run through the programme that we need to and it’s why we’re on the VTT now. 

“What I wanted to do is to make sure from the outset in Bahrain, we have a reliable car ready to go so that we're not sitting there doing what a lot of individuals and teams are trying their best to do in Barcelona, but not leave the garage. We've got to be there ready to go.”

So there are still silver linings for Williams - crisis mode will only hit if the situation is the same come Bahrain - with Vowles “confident” it “won’t be behind”, particularly with the VTT it is instead conducting this week. 

VTT stands for Virtual Test Track and is similar to a simulator, but it actually includes most of the physical car - but no wings - which is put through a rig and replicates a track test. 

"What you're doing is characterising your cooling system, understanding where that is, running the engine, gearbox, et cetera, under load," said Vowles.

"So you don't have dynamic cornering loads but, for example, you can mimic having two cars in front of you, one car in front of you, no cars in front of you. You can mimic being in Singapore or Bahrain or being in a four degrees, Silverstone weather conditions.

"What you can do, especially in tandem to those running in Barcelona, is run the same code base that they're running on the PU and the gearbox to understand the effects, but in a more controlled environment than they are.

Carlos Sainz, Williams

Photo by: Williams

"So you still get learning on various systems, energy, ECU as a result of it. It's an invaluable learning, but it is not the same as running on track - it's just a good use of time."

By no means is Vowles therefore saying the VTT is better than running in Barcelona, especially because, a, the status of the driver-in-loop simulator Williams has been building is uncertain and, b, if he cannot say how heavy the FW48 is then one wonders how beneficial it would be, but the Briton is still adamant that there are some uses to it. 

When asked where that specifically applies, he said: "Primarily on the cooling system side at the moment, we've got quite a different cooling system for us here than we've designed and used beforehand and it allows us not just current learning to make sure we use it effectively.

"We also have to remember we had some reliability woes last year, and I wanted to make sure that those were all gone, but also future learning on the sizing of it and packaging of it for future states. So that's been incredibly useful."

Photos from Barcelona shakedown

Racing Bulls is “in a much better place than on Monday” at Formula 1’s Barcelona pre-season test, according to Liam Lawson.

Amid F1’s regulatory overhaul, teams are allowed to run on three days each in the five-day shakedown – which is taking place behind closed doors – and Racing Bulls picked Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The Red Bull Ford-powered VCARB 03 has had a productive test so far, completing – according to SoyMotor’s unofficial timing data – 88 laps on Monday with Lawson, 120 laps on Wednesday with his rookie team-mate Arvid Lindblad, then 64 laps for Lawson on Thursday morning alone.

Racing Bulls did cause two red flags on Monday and Wednesday, but this did not prevent the team from accumulating what amounts to 1267km’s worth of data (787 miles).

“We just keep learning,” Lawson told F1 at lunchtime on Thursday. “We're making, obviously, big gains, but so is everybody else. Very, very different cars, but in a much better place than we were on Monday, which is the main thing. We just need to keep learning and improving the car.”

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Asked if Racing Bulls was where it expected to be in terms of mileage and data, the New Zealander replied: “In terms of mileage, yes. We've honestly had a pretty strong test in terms of reliability, so that's been a box ticked.

“In terms of expectations, it's very hard. Obviously, we don't know where anybody else is. So that will still be quite unknown for a while, but the main thing is we're getting the laps down that we want to, and learning what we need to about our car.”

Lindblad is now taking the VCARB 03 over for the afternoon. “We carry on learning,” Lawson added. “We'll obviously sit down and go through the stuff that we tried this morning and make a bit of a game plan for some new stuff this afternoon to test.”

Arvid Lindblad unsure if he's "entirely ready" for F1 - despite praise from Racing Bulls

Racing Bulls will then have nearly two weeks to go through all the data before the first Bahrain test from 11-13 February.

Photos from Barcelona shakedown

Alpine needs to turn a page in its history. Team boss Flavio Briatore insisted on swapping from Renault to Mercedes power, removing one long-standing excuse for its underperformance. The Enstone-based team finished last year at the bottom of the constructors’ championship and its engineers have responded by exploiting the new regulations with curiosity and creativity. 

The A526, overseen by David Sanchez, has the ambition of taking the French brand to where a factory team should be, after its extremely difficult 2025 season. One of the reasons cited for the below-par points haul last season, apart from the power unit, was an early pivot to focus exclusively on the challenge of 2026 – and this week we got the first proper opportunity to see the results.

The car does not follow the prevailing design trends and features a number of intriguing solutions that are bound to spark debate, since the front suspension layout is pull-rod – a path that only newcomer Cadillac has taken. The concept was abandoned by others (McLaren, Red Bull, and Ferrari, to name the top teams), who have reverted to a more conventional push-rod setup.

Franco Colapinto, Alpine

Photo by: TWJB Photography

The blue and pink car demonstrates some interesting ideas that deserve closer analysis. Sanchez’s aerodynamicists have also tested a system to activate the rear movable wing in a clever way that differs from the rest of the field: the actuator lowers the trailing edge of the moveable section, rather than raising the front. 

The endplates of the rear wing also warrant closer inspection. At the top they are curved slightly outwards to increase the flow capacity of the rear wing, which must be designed within a very small regulatory box. It's a sign that the engineers are grappling with the complexities of finding a good balance with the front end under this new ruleset. 

Franco Colapinto in the Alpine A526 on the first day of the Barcelona shakedown. Note the unusually long and tapered sidepod profile, with a bulge for the mandatory side-impact spur

Photo by: TWJB Photography

The radiator inlet is positioned very far forward relative to the side anti-intrusion spur, which protrudes slightly from the sidepod and is faired into a profile that remains detached from the sidepod itself. By the third day, we had already seen the first changes, and more will come with further development.

The A526 retains a hollowed upper section of the sidepod, while on the third day of testing in Barcelona the engine cover was opened to help vent hot air from the Brixworth-built power unit. 

Alpine A526: front wing detail featuring the flow conditioning vanes

Photo by: TWJB Photography

On the bargeboard located behind the front wheel, a second support strut appeared – one that was not present on the opening day of testing. But the flow conditioners under the front wing were retained, echoing concepts from the not-so-distant past, which the regulations had previously banned.

Flavio Briatore: Mercedes engine the only condition for me to join Alpine in F1