Racing Bulls unveiled a FIFA World Cup–inspired “VCARB FC” special livery and matching teamwear for the Barcelona–Catalunya Grand Prix, timed to coincide with the start of the men’s FIFA World Cup. The one‑off design blends motorsport and football aesthetics and features a bespoke VCARB FC crest that merges a chequered‑flag motif with three stars representing the tournament hosts — the United States, Canada and Mexico. The design uses sharp geometry, angular shapes and bold contrasts aimed to read well on track and as streetwear.

Racing Bulls developed the rollout through its Creator Platform, crediting fashion designer Hattie Crowther, graphic designer Florence Burns and photographer Ezra Alexander. CEO Peter Bayer called the project a celebration of the crossover between F1 and football and a way to showcase emerging creative talent.

The team will apply the themed livery to both VCARB 03 cars during the Barcelona weekend, and drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad will wear retro football kits and Barcelona‑themed apparel as part of the promotion. Racing Bulls framed the initiative as an event‑timed marketing activation and merchandise push that emphasizes visual storytelling and collaborative creative input rather than technical changes to the cars.

The VCARB FC design is Racing Bulls’ third special livery of the season, following one‑offs in Japan and Miami. Racing Bulls said Barcelona’s high‑speed layout suits the VCARB 03 and cited earlier testing; the team hopes fan engagement from the Barcelona activation will build on momentum from a productive Monaco weekend. As of the report, Racing Bulls sit sixth in the Constructors’ standings, with Lawson ninth and Lindblad thirteenth in the Drivers’ standings.

Alex Albon became the most-capped driver in Williams history at the Barcelona‑Catalunya Grand Prix, making his 96th start for the team and overtaking Nigel Mansell’s long-standing total of 95 Williams appearances. To mark the milestone Albon planned to race with a bespoke blue, white and red helmet modeled on Mansell’s 1992 championship design as a tribute. Albon described it as “incredible” to have raced for Williams more often than “one of the true greats,” calling Mansell “an inspiration” and “a true fighter and a legend for both Williams and Formula 1.”

Albon had equalled Mansell’s 95 Williams starts at the Monaco Grand Prix, where he climbed from 11th on the grid to finish eighth and score four points. Since joining Williams in 2022 he has helped guide the team from the back of the grid into the midfield, recorded multiple fifth‑place finishes and scored 121 points for the Grove squad. He is on track to reach 100 Williams starts at the Hungarian Grand Prix later in the season. Fewer than 30 drivers have achieved 100 race starts with a single team.

The milestone and Mansell‑inspired helmet drew public praise from Williams team principal James Vowles and from Nigel Mansell. The record and the tribute were presented as recognition of Albon’s commitment and of the team’s progress rather than as a single isolated result.

Teams are using Friday FP1 at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix to run reserve and junior drivers for talent evaluation and to collect setup and performance data under the new 2026 regulations. These short, purpose-driven outings let engineers gather live-weekend data while keeping confirmed race seats unchanged.

McLaren confirmed 21-year-old Leonardo Fornaroli, the reigning FIA F2 champion, will make his FP1 debut, taking Lando Norris’s MCL40, car 67. The brief session follows extensive simulator work, prior Testing of Previous Cars outings with McLaren and on-track testing; it will allow engineers to collect setup and performance data and evaluate Fornaroli in a live weekend environment. Fornaroli, who joined McLaren’s driver development programme in December 2025 and was promoted to a reserve role in 2026, said he was “very excited.” McLaren framed the run as a typical step from F2 toward on-track F1 experience, and Invicta Racing boss James Robinson publicly backed Fornaroli as a likely candidate for a future race seat.

Cadillac confirmed Colton Herta will make his FP1 debut for the Cadillac entry, standing in for Sergio Pérez. Cadillac said Herta prepared with simulator time in Charlotte and team sessions at Silverstone and Barcelona; Herta said his aim is a clean session to gather data and acclimate to the car while he continues his F2 campaign with Hitech.

Williams announced reserve Luke Browning will run Alex Albon’s FW48 in Barcelona — his first outing in a 2026-regulation car and part of mandatory rookie running and broader evaluation. The 24-year-old has three prior FP1 appearances, races in Super Formula with Team Kondo, and, according to Williams, is scheduled to run Carlos Sainz’s car in FP1 at the Austrian GP later in the season.

Teams described these Friday programmes as low-risk ways to prepare race weekends, collect setup information under the new rules and give practical seat time to potential future race drivers without altering confirmed race seats.

Audi confirmed that 22-year-old Estonian Paul Aron will drive in FP1 at the Spanish and Austrian Grands Prix. Aron, Alpine’s reserve driver, will replace Nico Hülkenberg for FP1 in Barcelona and stand in for Gabriel Bortoleto in Austria. Audi described the outings as short-term practice swaps to give Aron exposure to Audi machinery and to contribute to the team’s wider 2026 programme.

Aron’s Barcelona FP1 will be his sixth F1 practice outing. He made his FP1 debut at Silverstone in 2025 for the Hinwil-based Sauber and later completed additional FP1 runs for Alpine. He is scheduled to get his first running in Audi’s R26 in Barcelona.

Audi and Alpine said the arrangement also helps meet mandatory rookie practice-run requirements and lets teams evaluate drivers under race-weekend conditions. After the Audi FP1 outings, Aron will return to his regular programme with Alpine for the remainder of the season. Other rookies expected in Barcelona FP1 include Luke Browning, Leonardo Fornaroli and Colton Herta.

FP1 for the Barcelona weekend begins at 9:30 p.m. AEST on Friday.