Author Archives: PressBox

January 26, 2026

Red Bull Stocks 18 C3s; Mercedes 8 C1s; Ferrari 12 C2s

Pirelli has confirmed tire compound allocations for the upcoming five-day pre-season shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Teams may run on only three of the five days. Available rubber includes three slick compounds, including C1 (hard), C2 (medium), and C3 (soft), plus intermediates and full wets. Pirelli described the week as a tire-focused preparation rather than a full aerodynamic programme.

Cadillac will make its first on-track outing in a championship environment during the Barcelona shakedown. Williams withdrew after significant FW48 assembly delays, leaving one team absent from the private running.

Team allocations reveal contrasting test priorities. Red Bull took 18 sets of C3 softs, only one set of C2 mediums, and no C1 hards, signalling a short-run, peak-performance focus. Mercedes brought a paddock-high eight sets of C1 hards, requested 12 C3s (per reports), and skipped C2s, indicating emphasis on long runs with some short-run work. Ferrari prioritized medium-run data with 12 C2s and just three C3s. Both Ferrari and McLaren will skip the shakedown’s opening day. Other notes from the build-up to the Shakedown include Williams reportedly ordering 17 C3s before withdrawing, Haas requesting the most intermediates (six), and Audi securing the most wets (three). An unnamed reference to the reigning world champions recorded a balanced split of four hards, ten mediums, and six softs.

With teams limited to three running days, these inventory choices will tightly shape the data each squad can gather in Barcelona and help set the early direction of their 2026 programmes: heavy soft allocations point to qualifying-style exploration, while larger hard inventories indicate priorities around extended running and race simulation.
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January 26, 2026

Sheppard Clinches Sunshine Nationals; McCreadie Wins Feature

Tim McCreadie captured his 40th career World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory and his first of the season by winning the 50-lap feature to close out the DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals. Starting 10th, he methodically worked through the field and reeled in early leader Ryan Gustin by around the 20-lap mark. After a Lap 34 restart, the pair raced door-to-door until McCreadie used a slider with 14 laps remaining to take the lead and never look back. The win marked his third World of Outlaws triumph at Volusia and capped three nights of competition for “T-Mac.” That late-race pass and strategic move underlined both his racecraft and the car’s turnaround on the famed “World’s Fastest Half Mile.”

Brandon Sheppard advanced to second, late in the feature, and, with that finish, clinched the Sunshine Nationals championship. Dennis Erb Jr., Ryan Gustin, and Drake Troutman completed the top five. The result positions McCreadie as an early contender in the World of Outlaws title chase while resolving the Sunshine Nationals championship battle in Sheppard’s favor. Gustin’s strong early run and Troutman’s top-five effort nevertheless highlighted the depth of competition over the weekend.

The victory came within the World of Outlaws Late Model Series program that will return to Volusia Speedway Park to conclude the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals on February 12–14. McCreadie said he “loves winning at Volusia” and credited setup adjustments for improved balance and bottom grip after struggling the previous night. With the Sunshine Nationals wrapped up, Volusia’s role as a pivotal early-season venue is clear, offering both a marquee victory for McCreadie and momentum for teams as the series continues.
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January 26, 2026

Bagnaia’s Job at Ducati Uncertain After GP25 Struggles

Francesco Bagnaia begins the season under heavy scrutiny after a difficult 2025, when he struggled to adapt to Ducati’s GP25 and dropped to fifth in the championship. He finished 257 points behind teammate Marc Márquez, who recorded 11 wins and eight pole positions. Bagnaia’s contract runs through the end of 2026, and pundit Carlo Pernat warned that a repeat of 2025‑level results next season would be “unthinkable.”

Inside the factory garage, team boss Davide Tardozzi said Márquez “helped and protected” Bagnaia during the toughest moments of 2025, describing protective interventions on at least two occasions. Ducati engineers pointed to recurring GP25 issues briefly solved at the Japanese Grand Prix but later resurfacing as part of the explanation for Bagnaia’s dip in form.

At Ducati’s 2026 bike launch in the Dolomites, Bagnaia pushed back against what he called excessive criticism, saying roughly “90%” of the negative commentary was unnecessary. He rejected suggestions that the factory favoured Márquez and emphasised that riders can choose equipment and that the bikes are largely similar.

Off-track, Ducati says it is not yet negotiating a contract extension with Bagnaia. At the launch, he said he felt “extremely relaxed” about his future; some observers interpreted that as openness to leaving after 2026.

Reports conflict over Márquez’s situation. Some outlets report he has agreed a new deal with Ducati, others say Honda remains interested, and some articles reference an in‑principle agreement for 2027–28. Transfer speculation also names Pedro Acosta among possible future Ducati candidates. Potential destinations mentioned, should Bagnaia depart, include VR46, Aprilia (whose CEO Massimo Rivola called Bagnaia a “tempting” candidate), Honda, and Yamaha.

How Bagnaia performs on the GP26 in 2026, the timing and outcome of any contract decisions, and continuing rider‑market activity, including developments around Márquez and Acosta, will shape his standing at Ducati beyond 2026.
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January 26, 2026

World of Outlaws Unveils 4-race California Swing

The World of Outlaws announced its 2026 schedule includes a four-race West Coast Swing in California in September, and the series said tickets for the stretch will go on sale soon. This season gets underway from February 4–7 at Volusia Speedway Park’s Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.

The West Coast Swing opens with the fifth running of the Dennis Roth Classic, moved to Stockton Dirt Track for September 18–19 as a doubleheader that will pay $83,000 to the winner. David Gravel was the 2025 Roth Classic winner. That Stockton doubleheader follows a Kansas–Colorado weekend that begins September 11 at Belleville High Banks, and continues on September 12 at Dodge City Raceway Park, and includes a Monday stop at El Paso County Raceway on September 14.

After Stockton, the tour visits Bakersfield Speedway (Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway) on September 25, only the second-ever appearance there. Michael “Buddy” Kofoid won the prior World of Outlaws show at Bakersfield. The swing concludes with a debut at Ventura Raceway on September 26, adding a Southern California stop. The series has raced in California since 1978.

Following the California dates, the tour makes the long haul east to Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, for the 64th National Open, a $75,000 event that will pit the World of Outlaws against the Pennsylvania Posse and quickly transitions the tour back to its marquee East Coast events.
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January 26, 2026

Hudson O’Neal Holds Off Erb for Wire-to-Wire Win at Volusia

Hudson O’Neal scored a wire-to-wire victory on Friday night at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fl, during the second night of the World of Outlaws (WoO) Late Model Series stop at the DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals. O’Neal, driving the K&L Rumley Enterprises No. 6, powered around Bilstein Pole Award winner Brandon Overton at the start and led the 35-lap feature from flag to flag.

The race’s rhythm changed when Chris Madden, who had been running second early, slowed and brought out a midrace caution. That restart set up a late duel as Tyler Erb mounted a last-lap low-line charge and closed to within roughly a car length, but O’Neal held the top groove to deny Erb’s dive and secure the victory. Erb finished second, matching his career best at Volusia, while Tim McCreadie, Brandon Sheppard, and Nick Hoffman completed the top five.

The win marked O’Neal’s fourth at Volusia and extended momentum for the K&L Rumley program after his two-win swing at Arizona’s Wild West Shootout earlier this season. Owner Kevin Rumley detoured to Volusia rather than continuing to Arizona, and the decision paid off. The Sunshine Nationals at Volusia are set to conclude the following night with a $20,000-to-win finale.
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January 26, 2026

Macedo, JJR Set Sights on WoO Title at Volusia

Carson Macedo has re-signed with Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) to compete in his eighth consecutive World of Outlaws (WoO) season and his sixth with JJR. He will again pilot the No. 41, and the team framed his return as a pursuit of the championship it was built to win.

Since joining JJR, Macedo has compiled 52 WoO series victories, two National Open crowns, the $83,000 Dennis Roth Classic, and four wins at Knoxville Raceway. While driving the No. 41, he has never finished worse than third in season points. After a strong 2025 campaign, including 11 wins, 25 podiums, 35 top-five finishes, and 53 top-10s, he slipped to third in the standings behind Michael Kofoid but recorded his fourth season in five with double-digit victories.

Owner and crew chief Philip Dietz returns to lead the effort, joined again by car chief Robby McQuinn and tire specialist Adam Zimmerman. The trio will enter 2026 together for a third season of continuity. JJR views that continuity, combined with Macedo’s record, as central to mounting a realistic championship bid. The team will begin its title chase at the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fl, February 4–7. The announcement reaffirms Macedo and JJR as front-runners on the World of Outlaws trail.
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January 26, 2026

Haas VF-26 Completes Maiden Shakedown at Fiorano

Haas completed the maiden laps of the VF-26 at Ferrari’s Fiorano test circuit, with junior Oliver Bearman driving and teammate Esteban Ocon observing. The run produced the first on-track images after the car’s online launch earlier this week, including a photo captioned ‘The VF-26 is alive’ showing Bearman leaving a Shell-branded garage on Pirelli intermediate (demonstration) tyres. The VF-26 carried prominent Toyota Gazoo Racing branding during the outing.

Haas described the activity as a shakedown to collect vital data and perform systems checks ahead of the official Barcelona pre-season test, scheduled for January 26–30. The team did not clarify whether the Fiorano running fell under a filming-day allowance (which permits up to 200 km) or a shorter demonstration run (up to 15 km), leaving some procedural details unspecified.

Team principal Ayao Komatsu said Haas will bring a different specification to Barcelona than the car it plans to race in Australia. He stressed that the team is on an aggressive development program to adapt to 2026 technical priorities, including the roughly 50:50 split between internal combustion and hybrid power. Komatsu reaffirmed that Haas’s foundational technical relationship with Ferrari, including the use of Ferrari power units, remains intact despite the new title partnership and strengthened technical alliance with Toyota. The principal emphasized there will be no crossover between the two teams’ technical programmes. Haas positioned the Fiorano outing as an important early step in preparing the VF-26 and the team’s programme for the new era of Formula 1.
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January 26, 2026

Aldeguer Could Miss Three Rounds: Eyes Qatar Return

Fermín Aldeguer fractured his left femur in a training crash earlier this month and underwent surgery in Barcelona shortly after. The operation was described as successful, but Gresini called the fracture complex.

His long‑time physiotherapist, Aitor Tomas, said it is “impossible” for Aldeguer to be ready for the early‑February pre‑season tests at Sepang and Buriram. Tomas added the team will “fight” to have him available for the season opener and noted recoveries vary, citing Pedro Acosta’s quick return from a similar injury, but Gresini cautioned that such comparisons are imperfect.

With the season opener scheduled Feb 27–Mar 1 in Buriram, Aldeguer’s participation is uncertain. Multiple reports suggest a comeback may not come until the Qatar Grand Prix on April 10–12. If so, he would miss the first three rounds (Thailand, Argentina, USA) and all pre‑season running, further limiting bike setup and race‑trim work.

Gresini has not named a replacement; short‑term lineup decisions will depend on medical reassessment and rehabilitation progress. Separately, reports say Ducati has removed the Murcian from its 2027 rider shortlist, an unconfirmed development that could affect Aldeguer’s longer‑term prospects if his recovery or form are impacted. Updates from his medical team and Gresini will determine whether he can be fit for Buriram or will require an extended layoff into the early rounds of the MotoGP season.
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January 26, 2026

Audi Launches F1 Driver Program with R26 Reveal

This week, Audi launched a development program to identify and nurture drivers from karting through the single‑seater ladder, offering a pathway to F1. The initiative was announced alongside the unveiling of Audi’s F1 car, the R26, and forms part of a five‑year plan, following the entity’s acquisition of Sauber. Audi outlined their road map for the future, revealing its ambition to win a world championship by 2030.

Former F1 driver and three‑time Le Mans winner Allan McNish will lead the programme, bringing experience from sports car racing and senior management roles within Audi.

Audi said the program will give prospects access to the company’s technical resources, engineers, and specialists, along with training in engineering, human performance, media, and marketing. The aim is to embed young drivers in Audi’s technical and operational culture and to prioritise resilience, intelligence, and a team‑driven mindset with raw speed.

Team principal Jonathan Wheatley described the initiative as a key pillar of Audi’s long‑term F1 strategy and part of its vision toward 2030.

The move places Audi alongside other works-run talent systems, such as Red Bull, Alpine, and McLaren, programs that have produced champions including Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, and Fernando Alonso. Audi acknowledged that building and maintaining such a pipeline requires significant investment and carries risk, but framed the program as evidence of a continued commitment to building a competitive, sustainable F1 team.
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