Isack Hadjar has been confirmed as a Red Bull Racing driver for the 2026 Formula 1 season and will partner four-time world champion Max Verstappen. His arrival coincides with a major technical reset that will bring shorter, lighter cars, overbody aerodynamics, movable wings, and new power units with a 50/50 electrical-combustion split. Red Bull’s 2026 package is centered on the RB22 and the team’s first in-house powertrain developed in partnership with Ford, making the engineering transition as important as the driver change.

Hadjar earned promotion after a strong 2025 debut with satellite team Racing Bulls, scoring 51 points, taking a podium at the Dutch Grand Prix, and posting the best qualifying record of any driver outside the sport’s top four teams. His results led to him displacing Yuki Tsunoda. Commentators have highlighted his rapid progression. Alex Brundle called him the central rookie to watch in the uncertain new era and said the regulation reset gives Hadjar a favorable chance to establish himself if he adapts quickly. Felipe Massa endorsed the move as “an amazing opportunity,” adding that Hadjar should have an easier time adapting at Red Bull than Liam Lawson did. Hadjar himself reportedly expected the seat and has stated his aim to be a world champion who must beat everyone, including Verstappen.

Both Brundle and the reporting emphasize that Hadjar’s prospects will depend as much on Red Bull’s new package as on his own adaptability. Brundle suggested that if the RB22 proves less competitive than hoped, Red Bull might have additional reasons to lean on Hadjar during the transition. He also cautioned that early indicators, such as reports of a strong Mercedes power unit and Lewis Hamilton posting the fastest shakedown time in a Ferrari, remain provisional until the new cars run in a race environment. The signing, therefore, represents not only a major personnel change but also a strategic test of driver hierarchy and development under fundamentally altered technical rules. Hadjar’s early career is set to be shaped by how quickly he and the team navigate 2026’s reset.

On paper, McLaren starts 2026 as the team to beat. The squad enters the season as back-to-back constructors’ champions (2024, 2025) and with Lando Norris crowned 2025 drivers’ champion after a final-round showdown in Abu Dhabi. However, sweeping 2026 rule changes amount to a fundamental reset of chassis, aerodynamics, and power-unit fundamentals, so last season’s advantages may not carry over.

McLaren’s dominant mid-2024 MCL38 and its follow-up MCL39, which relied on very low ride heights and a particular floor concept, are likely to have limited read-across to the new regulations. Chief designer Rob Marshall has said key performance edges are “effectively gone.” Aerodynamics technical director Peter Prodromou led a major redesign McLaren described as largely new: slightly narrower and producing less downforce, and built to suit higher-rake setups and altered floor and wing rules.

Compounding the aerodynamic reset, McLaren remains a Mercedes customer under a supply partnership that runs through 2030. That customer status can create structural disadvantages versus manufacturer teams that design chassis and power unit together from the start of a regulations cycle. Mercedes impressed with reliability at the Barcelona shakedown, which reduces engine-side risk for McLaren, and reports suggest Mercedes will lead power-unit development in 2026 and benefit from aggregated data across its customer teams, a potential development-gap risk for McLaren.

Off track, McLaren has retained its championship-winning driver pairing of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (third in Drivers’ Standings in 2025). Team principal Andrea Stella has signaled continuity of driver equality and said the team will “streamline” rules of engagement after Piastri’s remark that current practices “probably caused some headaches.” McLaren also hired Will Courtenay from Red Bull as sporting director. Those operational tweaks, combined with the new aerodynamic package and continued Mercedes supply, form the core of McLaren’s defense plan.

McLaren revealed the MCL40 and its 2026 papaya-and-black livery at the Bahrain International Circuit, becoming the penultimate team to show its new look ahead of pre‑season testing. The garage-presented design stays broadly in line with recent years but leans more heavily on papaya with a revised black pattern on the engine cover; McLaren described it as its final papaya-and-black scheme. McLaren also promoted Mastercard to title sponsor, increasing its branding on the car, the team’s first title sponsor since Vodafone more than a decade ago.

McLaren ran an unofficial shakedown in Barcelona in late January in a black camouflage wrap, completing 287 laps, fewer than Mercedes’ 500, with only Audi, Cadillac, and Aston Martin recording fewer among the 10 teams present. The MCL40’s fastest time in Barcelona sat within 0.25 seconds of Lewis Hamilton’s benchmark lap, which team principal Andrea Stella said underlines that Mercedes “has raised the bar.” The car will remain in Bahrain for the two scheduled test blocks on February 11–13 and February 18–20 as McLaren continues on‑track preparations ahead of the season opener in Melbourne on March 8.

The launch framed McLaren’s bid to defend both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles after securing a record‑equalling constructors’ crown and Lando Norris’ maiden drivers’ title in Abu Dhabi in 2025. Norris will carry the No. 1 on the MCL40, with Oscar Piastri alongside him. Racing CEO Zak Brown said early indicators point to competitiveness while urging caution about firm conclusions this early. Some bookmakers have already flagged Mercedes and George Russell as early favorites. With F1’s 2026 regulation reset expected to reshape the grid, the MCL40 launch served as both a visual reveal and a technical preview of how McLaren intends to defend its double titles. As of the Bahrain event, Aston Martin remained the only team yet to show its 2026 livery, with the Adrian Newey–designed AMR26 scheduled for an unveiling Monday evening.

At the team’s digital season launch, Toto Wolff described 2026 as “a line in the sand” and presented the W17 as a deliberate reinvention rather than an incremental update. He outlined sweeping changes to power units, aerodynamics, chassis dimensions, and energy deployment, including a near 50:50 combustion-electric split and the removal of the MGU-H. The team boss further stressed closer integration between Brackley and Brixworth, naming George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli as his race drivers, and confirming Fred Vesti as the reserve driver.

Mercedes reinforced that intent with a heavy Barcelona shakedown, reporting roughly 500 closed laps and more mileage at the Circuit de Catalunya than any rival. Russell and Antonelli said they were satisfied with the W17’s progress. Rival teams have publicly and privately questioned a reported compression-ratio loophole in the 2026 engine rules and suggested it may have given Mercedes an early advantage. However, Wolff has pushed back publicly and expressed private frustration. Reporting stresses that the debate centers on scrutiny of the regulations rather than any formal ruling by the sport’s authorities.

Wolff said he does not want “world dominance,” preferring close championship battles, and pointed to the new chassis and engine rules, the cost cap, and largely equal equipment as checks on wide performance swings. The immediate test of whether Mercedes’ early running translates into a sustained advantage will come at pre-season testing in Bahrain, with two test windows on Feb 11–13 and Feb 18–20, followed by the season-opening race in March. Those sessions will provide the first competitive measure of how the W17 performs under the new regulations and whether Mercedes’ reinvention yields a durable edge or simply early promise.

A closed five-day shakedown in Barcelona gave teams their first practical look at the 2026 regulation changes. Lando Norris drove McLaren’s MCL40, describing a slimmer, lighter chassis with active aerodynamics and an approximately 50/50 electric–biofuel power split. Peak electrical output was reported at about 350 kW, and Norris warned that full battery deployment could lift straight-line speeds to roughly 380 kph but would likely drain the pack by the end of a long straight.

On track, the cars produced stronger forward G‑forces and reduced cornering grip, which altered balance until drivers adjusted over a few laps. The new push-button Boost (Overtake) Mode replacing DRS makes overtaking dependent on finite battery reserves and recharge cycles rather than solely aerodynamic tow.

Those changes carry clear strategic and tactical implications. Battery deployment limits, kilowatt caps, and defined timing windows will force split-second energy management that affects qualifying, overtaking, and race strategy. Norris warned this could increase on-track “chaos,” producing momentum swings, defensive uses of Boost, and what he called “yo‑yoing” overtakes followed by recovery laps. Mercedes sophomore Kimi Antonelli called it “chess at speed,” saying anticipating rivals and instant energy trade‑offs will become core racecraft. The Italian added that juniors who have adapted quickly to the new cars may cope sooner, though established drivers will adapt as well. Teams therefore face a steeper operational burden as drivers must manage on‑car systems in real time as well as wheel‑to‑wheel skills.

Practically, teams will use pre‑season sessions to develop deployment and recharge strategies so performance during key qualifying laps and race maneuvers is not compromised. Bahrain testing and the season opener in Australia are the next critical checkpoints. Engineers and strategists will continue to refine timing windows, recharge profiles, and active‑aero responses as track data accumulates. The combination of greater electrical power, active aerodynamics, and system‑dependent overtaking means on‑car systems and strategy will play a larger role across the 2026 season, changing how races are planned and executed.

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said the team “expected more” from Esteban Ocon after a difficult 2025 season, adding that “nobody’s satisfied” with the sporting result and describing responsibility as roughly “50/50” between driver and team. Ocon joined Haas for 2025 after Nico Hülkenberg moved to Sauber. Despite a previous Grand Prix win and additional podiums, he was narrowly outscored 38–41 and outqualified 11–17 (excluding technical issues) by rookie teammate Oliver Bearman. Komatsu highlighted issues Ocon raised, notably braking instability and inconsistent car behaviour that Bearman did not appear to suffer, and pointed to weekends such as Baku, where Ocon was “miles off” in qualifying, versus Abu Dhabi, where a poor Friday was followed by recovery to Q3 and a seventh-place finish, as evidence of inconsistency alongside underlying ability. He urged the team to speed up its engineering and set‑up processes so small faults do not compound across a race weekend, saying those technical and operational fixes are essential for Haas to unlock both drivers’ performances as it plans for 2026.

Komatsu also acknowledged ongoing contract uncertainty and confirmed Ocon had been mentioned among names at risk heading into the 2026 silly season. He described “very good ongoing talks” over the winter that have improved Ocon’s understanding of how driver and team should work together and helped align expectations for a critical year in the driver’s F1 career. Haas says the situation is being actively managed and expects clearer on‑track performance and cohesion in 2026. Both performance and contract outcomes will likely determine Ocon’s immediate future and whether roster changes are required.