Oscar Piastri publicly backed McLaren’s calibrated approach to letting him and Lando Norris compete on equal terms, saying he wanted to avoid “causing some headaches for ourselves that we didn’t need.” Speaking at the 2026 Autosport Awards, Piastri pointed to the Italian Grand Prix in Monza as a concrete example, where the team asked him to let Norris through after a slow pitstop, and he strongly disagreed with that direction. He described the move to streamline McLaren’s racing principles as a “wise decision” and said he hoped it would stop carry-over distractions from the 2025 season. Piastri also said he expects his rivalry with Norris to “look a lot different” as they enter their fourth year together at McLaren.

Team principal Andrea Stella confirmed the outfit had reviewed the internal “Papaya Rules” and would reaffirm and streamline them after additional discussions with both drivers. The principles are framed around fairness, integrity, and equal opportunity and will be refined rather than abolished, Stella said, intending to sharpen execution and reduce internal headaches. McLaren’s stated aim for 2026 is to preserve on-track wheel-to-wheel competition while better synchronizing driver behavior and team processes so intra-team rivalry produces wins instead of damaging conflict. The changes focus on adjusting behavioral rules and team processes, not on removing the competitive framework that underpinned strong performances in 2025.

The review followed a season in which Piastri led much of 2025 but faded late, losing the points lead in Mexico City and ultimately finishing third behind Max Verstappen. Piastri had acknowledged that the Papaya Rules “caused headaches” during 2025 and said tweaks should retain their benefits while minimizing negative effects. McLaren framed the reset as central to internal governance and on-track strategy heading into 2026, seeking clearer role execution and messaging between its drivers. The team will try to balance clarity and fairness with competitive independence, making internal guidance sharper so that the Piastri–Norris rivalry remains healthy and productive.

After last week’s Barcelona shakedown, teams and drivers concluded that the 2026 regulation changes have shifted the core performance challenge from purely mechanical grip and corner speed to intensive battery energy management. The new package keeps the 1.6-liter V6 turbo hybrid but removes one recovery motor, increases usable electrical energy roughly threefold into an effectively 4 MJ battery, and pairs that storage with an approximately 350 kW electric unit that supplies nearly half of the peak power. That architecture, combined with a ‘‘boost’’ deployment system and tighter state-of-charge rules, produced noticeably larger straight-line speed swings in Barcelona. Fully unleashed cars reached roughly 380 km/h, while any full depletion of the battery can cost a rival about 350 kW of electric assistance. Teams flagged that battery size is broadly unchanged physically, so hardware, control software, and packaging refinements will remain a focus before and during the season.

Drivers reported that many traditional techniques still matter but now sit alongside new, energy-focused behaviors. Competitors, including George Russell, Lando Norris, Ollie Bearman, and Esteban Ocon, said late braking and carrying speed through a corner remain important. However, maximizing harvest requires earlier corner approaches, staying in lower gears more often, and much more precise throttle and rev control on exit. Russell described the cars as “more intuitive” than expected, while Haas principal Ayao Komatsu warned of counterintuitive trade-offs between energy recovery and drivability. Teams expect software and small hardware tweaks to continue; engineers suggested that subtle re-harvesting techniques and mastering micro-deployments could emerge as one of the clearest on-track differentiators.

Those handling and energy-management demands are already reshaping race dynamics and strategy in ways drivers likened to ‘‘speed chess.’’ World champion Lando Norris warned of “more chaos in races,” predicting increased on-track position changes, yo-yoing, and defensive moves as drivers time-limited electric bursts and manage vulnerability when the battery runs low. Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli described the same dynamic as requiring two-steps-ahead thinking, and Norris sketched scenarios where a well-timed boost between two turns creates an overtake but leaves a car exposed later in the lap. With a further three-day pre-season running scheduled in Bahrain beginning February 11, teams will use that window to refine when and how to deploy stored energy. The learning curve for both engineering and cockpit technique is expected to continue through the 2026 season.

Williams became the final Formula 1 team to run its 2026 car when the FW48 completed a private shakedown at Silverstone on February 4, 2026. The trial came after the Grove-based squad missed last week’s Barcelona collective test because of production delays. Team principal James Vowles described the Barcelona absence as “painful” and said the program had relied heavily on simulator work and a Virtual Track Test (VTT) to make up mileage. He also warned the team was “already more than 500 laps behind rivals Mercedes” in on-track understanding. Williams confirmed the FW48 passed mandatory crash tests and had been through several weeks of virtual development before its first physical laps, a sequence intended to manage the heavier loads introduced under the 2026 regulations.

The Silverstone outing was staged as a private filming shakedown and featured Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz sharing driving duties, with Albon completing the FW48’s first laps. The car ran a fan-selected temporary “Flow State” testing livery and carried branding from a group of new partners. However, Williams released only a limited number of images from the largely wet session. Engineers used the run to validate packaging choices, with photographs showing a pull-rod front suspension and anti-dive geometry, to identify minor issues and to collect initial on-track data after weeks of VTT and simulator work.

Vowles called the outing a “milestone moment” and framed it as the start of a concentrated push toward more complete pre-season running, while Albon said the limited debut “doesn’t define our season.” Williams plans to take the FW48 to the Bahrain pre-season tests from February 11–13 and 18–20 to expand its running program, refine setups, and close the deficit ahead of the season opener in Melbourne in March. The Silverstone shakedown moved the FW48 out of virtual and production phases into real-world operation, providing a modest but necessary step in the team’s preparation for on-track competition.

Lando Norris said he aims to keep improving as he heads into his F1 title defense in 2026 after winning his first world championship in a tense 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi. He edged McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and faced a late-season challenge from Max Verstappen. At a pre-season appearance at the McLaren Technology Centre, Norris rejected the idea that his ambitions had reset. “Honestly, no,” he said, stressing a continual desire to get better. He contrasted his own mindset with Verstappen’s, describing a different mental approach, and underlined that racing top rivals requires near-perfection. Norris said he feels confident during preparations for the new season and acknowledged support from fellow world champions has aided his preparation.

Despite the title, Autosport placed Norris fourth in its 2025 rankings behind Verstappen, George Russell, and Charles Leclerc, citing costly errors during the campaign. Specific low points included a Jeddah qualifying crash, contact with Piastri in Montreal, and an off-pace weekend in Baku, and Norris has signaled he still intends to work on closing performance gaps revealed by those weekends. He added that becoming champion has made him more relaxed and boosted his confidence, and he plans to bring more friends and family to races while maintaining the focus required to defend the crown. That mix of increased composure and a commitment to self-improvement frames his approach to the 2026 season.

“Last Lap Lando” also spoke about the wider competitive landscape, saying he “completely believes” George Russell will win a world championship while insisting he remains determined to defend his own title. Bookmakers and pundits have installed Mercedes and Russell as early front-runners in part because the team is expected to adapt well to the sport’s new chassis and power-unit regulations, which Norris acknowledged as a serious threat. He emphasized respect for his rivals but stressed he will begin the season with the same winning mentality that secured him the 2025 drivers’ crown, and noted his preparation and mindset differ from other contenders. With roughly four weeks until the Australian Grand Prix, Norris’s comments laid out both the pressures he faces and the specific preparations behind his 2026 campaign.