Adrian Newey’s first Aston Martin design, the AMR26, completed a delayed on-track shakedown in Barcelona and immediately marked a clear technical departure for the team. Sky Sports F1 analyst Bernie Collins called the program a “mammoth undertaking,” noting Aston Martin’s move to an in-house gearbox and hydraulics and the switch to a Honda power unit. These steps were driven by significant investment from Lawrence Stroll that separates the car from the Mercedes-based drivetrains used previously. The late rollout limited track time, with only Fernando Alonso managing a full day of testing, leaving many performance questions unanswered ahead of the season opener.

Technically, the AMR26 emphasizes undersurface-focused aerodynamics and unusually tight packaging. Observers pointed to a chamfered nose, a tapered front wing, aggressive rake, and a floor designed to generate the majority of downforce, plus numerous airflow vanes and a markedly larger airbox. PlanetF1’s Matt Somerfield highlighted the sidepod treatment and a cavernous gap beneath them that recalled past double-floor concepts. Newey described the car as a holistic package requiring close collaboration between aerodynamic and mechanical designers and said it contains “quite a few features that haven’t necessarily been done before.” He also warned that the AMR26 will be “very different” at the start of the season. Rival reaction combined curiosity and caution. Williams principal James Vowles labeled Newey’s suspension choices “very extreme,” joking that wishbones were placed “in places that I don’t think they should be,” while Mercedes driver George Russell called it the most standout design on the grid but stressed that striking looks must translate into lap-time performance. With unconventional rear-suspension packaging that appears to favor aerodynamic downforce or lower drag over traditional mechanical cornering, the car’s true competitiveness will be judged in Melbourne when full weekend running provides a clearer measurement under race conditions.

A technical theory published earlier this month by Auto Motor und Sport (AMuS) generated a pre‑season controversy. It suggests that Mercedes, and separately Red Bull Powertrains, may have found a way to meet the FIA’s new 16.0:1 geometric compression cap in the garage while producing higher effective compression on track. AMuS reported Mercedes used 3D‑printed pistons to raise static compression to about 17:1. It also described a tiny one‑cubic‑centimeter pocket linked to the combustion chamber near the pre‑chamber spark plug that would stop expanding at operating temperature and thereby increase running compression; AMuS said Red Bull Powertrains had identified the same underlying principle but had not found a reliable implementation. Reported estimates of the on‑track gain varied by outlet, ranging from 10–13 hp up to 15–20 hp, depending on the publication. Translating these gains into time leads to a 0.2 – 0.3 second per lap advantage.

The allegation is an unconfirmed technical theory, but it focused attention on Article C5.4.3, which currently measures compression “at ambient temperature.” It prompted rival manufacturers, led publicly by Ferrari, Audi, and Honda, to press the FIA and the Power Unit Advisory Committee (PUAC) to change measurement procedures so compliance would be checked with engines hot or via in‑use sensors. Teams discussed the issue at a late‑January technical experts meeting and then in subsequent PUAC sessions. Formally changing the written procedure would require support from four of the five engine manufacturers plus the FIA and Formula One Management.

Red Bull’s position was viewed as pivotal to securing that supermajority, and sources indicated it may back closing the loophole to avoid leaving Mercedes with a pre‑season advantage. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff publicly defended the work as legal and transparent, pointing to the team’s recent five‑day shakedown and apparent reliability as evidence of legitimacy.

The FIA initially measured engines cold and declared them compliant, but Autosprint recently reported the governing body plans to retest all V6 power units under hot, running conditions starting at the Australian Grand Prix to verify compliance in race‑like conditions. With the March 1 homologation deadline approaching, rapid regulatory change before Melbourne looks difficult, so any substantive rewrite is likely to be deferred into 2027. The dispute centers on measurement methodology and enforcement rather than a new hardware ban, but it has raised political and sporting tensions in the paddock and risks overshadowing the start of the season.

Former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Daniel Ricciardo could have been an F1 World Champion if Red Bull had produced a car that matched the Australian’s talent. He made the comments while preparing for a three‑stop speaking tour in Australia.

Horner praised Ricciardo’s on and off‑track behaviour, arguing that machinery, not the driver, was the main reason Ricciardo never converted his early promise into a title. He said he will expand on the assessment during events in Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth later this month. He made similar remarks on The Christian O’Connell Show, contrasting Ricciardo’s peak pace with periods when Red Bull’s car was not the most competitive on the grid.

Ricciardo’s career timeline was recalled. He debuted in F1 in 2011 as an HRT replacement, progressed via Toro Rosso, and was promoted to Red Bull’s senior team in 2014 to replace Mark Webber. In 2014, he won three races, added five more podiums, and finished third in the Drivers’ Championship (notably ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel). He also recorded seven wins with Red Bull and eight in his career, with the best championship results of third in 2014 and 2016. He left the senior Red Bull team after the 2018 Azerbaijan clash, later raced for Renault and McLaren, then returned to the Red Bull family as a reserve in 2023. He was promoted to AlphaTauri after Nyck de Vries was dropped, and in 2024 was replaced by Liam Lawson with six races remaining. Ricciardo retired from F1 after the Singapore Grand Prix late in 2024.

Horner’s comments were set against Red Bull’s later rise after switching to Honda power, when Max Verstappen and the team dominated the early 2020s and collected multiple World Championships. The remarks underline how car performance and team decisions can shape a driver’s record while highlighting Ricciardo’s enduring popularity and legacy in the sport.

Lewis Hamilton has split from long-time manager Marc Hynes weeks before the start of the 2026 F1 season. The split was described as mutual. The pair first worked together in 2015, paused the relationship in 2021 when Hynes left his role as chief executive of Hamilton’s Project 44, and reunited ahead of Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for 2025. Hynes is reportedly set to join the nascent Cadillac F1 team and continues to manage Zhou Guanyu, Cadillac’s 2026 reserve driver. Reports say he is expected to work with Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon on Zhou’s management. Hamilton has privately hinted at adjustments to his personal and team setup over the winter but has not publicly commented on Hynes’s departure.

The change comes amid a reshuffle at Ferrari. The team moved Riccardo Adami to head Ferrari’s Academy and TPC programmes, Bryan Bozzi filled in at the recent Barcelona shakedown, and Cedric Michel‑Grosjean is expected to step up in the race operation. These staff moves, together with Hamilton’s split, alter his immediate support network ahead of the new campaign.

Those personnel shifts sit alongside wider technical and competitive change across F1. Last season, Lando Norris won his maiden world championship by two points over Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi. Teams are preparing technical updates for 2026, Williams confirmed a mixed pushrod–pullrod suspension layout. Adrian Newey said Aston Martin fell roughly four months behind rivals during AMR26 development. Together, these developments underline a period of transition as F1 enters the 2026 season.