Motoring News

Mercedes were pre-season favourites for 2026 long before any of the new cars ran on track, and nothing that happened in the Formula 1 'shakedown' in Spain this week has changed that.

Max Verstappen stated “there’s still quite a bit of work to do” on his new Red Bull Ford Powertrain after the first shakedown of the 2026 Formula 1 campaign. 
F1 hosted a five-day private test in Barcelona this week, where all 11 teams were given a maximum of three days running ahead of this season’s wholesale regulation change.
Not only is there a new ruleset, however, but Red Bull ...Keep reading

Buddy Kofoid is back to full strength after missing races across two continents over the past month and is prepared for a season that could see him seriously challenge for the World of Outlaws championship in his third full-time season.
First and foremost, what was the ailment that caused him to abruptly miss the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals and the second half of a stretch of Sprint Car races ...Keep reading

Given the revolving door of technical directors, team principals and CEOs at Aston Martin in recent seasons, the scrutiny of its activities during the Barcelona shakedown would have been intense even if its new car were not the first product of its new structure under Adrian Newey.
The team was the last to arrive of those who actually ran during the five days at the track, pitching up on the ...Keep reading

Roger Penske believes the Freedom 250 Grand Prix will be a significant financial gain for Washington D.C. 
On Friday morning, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order for the purposes of bringing an IndyCar race to the area, including the National Mall, as part of celebrating America’s 250th birthday. The race is set for Aug. 21-23.
While various items, such as the track ...Keep reading

Racing in 2026 doesn’t start until March, but the drivers aren’t slacking to start the year – January might even be the busiest month of all. Here’s the breakdown of their hectic schedule...

Formula 1 is introducing Advanced Sustainable Fuels from 2026, as the sport enters a new era with a new set of regulations. They have ground-breaking potential, and with new power units scrapping for every last ounce of energy, F1’s fuel suppliers are going to be waging their own private battle to see who can push this new technology the furthest.

Topps has released the first-ever Audi Formula 1 trading cards after the German marque took over Sauber ahead of the 2026 season.
The Audi trading cards include various team cards for the launch event in Berlin and a driver card featuring Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, along with their signatures. Priced from £11.99 for a single-card pack to £165.99 for a pack of 20, they are ...Keep reading

Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap on the final day of Formula 1’s 2026 shakedown in Barcelona, while Mercedes conducted the most mileage across the week. 
The Ferrari driver completed an unofficial 1m16.348s towards the end of day five at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, knocking former Mercedes stablemate George Russell off top spot. 
In what can only be described as a ‘glory run’ ...Keep reading

At first, it seemed like a joke or wishful thinking, but the concept of a 2026 IndyCar street race in Washington D.C. is now very real.
United States Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy posted an AI-generated video last week, depicting IndyCar racing around the National Mall. U.S. President Donald Trump shared the video and expressed support for the idea, wanting it as part of celebrations ...Keep reading

Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Fred Vasseur says the Scuderia's mileage in the Barcelona shakedown is an "important milestone" as the team explores the SF-26.
Ferrari pipped Mercedes in Thursday's lap charts as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc completed a total of 170 laps, with Mercedes on 168 after racking up the most miles of any team over its three days of running - a benchmark that ...Keep reading

Oscar Piastri has shared his first impressions after getting his debut running in McLaren’s new car at the Barcelona Shakedown, with the Australian admitting that he is “excited” to take the lessons he learned during last season forward into 2026.

Pierre Gasly’s Trail Slam investment fund has purchased shares in the Tech3 MotoGP team. His buy into the squad follows the acquisition of the team by an investment group led by former Haas F1 team principal Gunther Steiner last year.
In September 2025, a group of investors led by Steiner and IKON Capital took control of the Tech3 team. This change of ownership led to the departure of Herve ...Keep reading

It didn’t take long for the AMR26 to capture the curiosity of fans and insiders alike when it finally took to the track at Formula 1’s Barcelona shakedown yesterday. The three laps it completed late in the day were enough for it to be immortalised in its first photos, which were immediately scrutinised by the most attentive observers. However, the story of how it finally made it to the test ...Keep reading

Carlos Alcaraz celebrated his Australian semi-final win by recreating one of Fernando Alonso's famous poses.
The 22-year-old Spaniard arrived in Melbourne as the ATP world number one as well as the tournament's top seed, carrying an impressive 12,050 ranking points at the top of the standings. His celebration after the win mimicked that of Alonso's 2006 win at Suzuka, when the then-Renault ...Keep reading

Martin Brundle has warned that Formula 1's 2026 cars will demand constant energy management from its drivers, adding that this change pushes the championship away from the "raw" wheel-to-wheel racing fans are looking for. 
Speaking during the Barcelona testing coverage from Sky Sports F1 this week, the former driver-turned-pundit analysed the first meaningful mileage that came from the 11 ...Keep reading

Mercedes has officially confirmed that it will provide the safety and medical cars for every Formula 1 race weekend in 2026.
While the news was anticipated after Aston Martin confirmed that its contract alongside the Brackley outfit had come to an end in 2025, Mercedes has now confirmed that it will be the sole provider of safety and medical cars for the upcoming F1 season, including pre-season ...Keep reading

F1 fans have latched onto the distinct design of Aston Martin's 2026 challenger - the first car entirely managed by Adrian Newey as he takes over the Silverstone outfit this year. 
Newey's jump from Red Bull to Aston Martin was always going to be viewed under intense scrutiny, but early reports from Barcelona hint at a successful week for the team. Of course, with 12 constructors' ...Keep reading

The 2026 Formula 1 private shakedown in Barcelona couldn’t have gone any better for Mercedes, says its engineering director Andrew Shovlin. 
This week featured the first set of on-track running for the 2026 season, which’ll introduce a new set of regulations with changes to both the chassis and power unit.
Because everything is new, this year’s pecking order is not yet known but ...Keep reading

Aston Martin debuted their new F1 car on the penultimate day of the Barcelona Shakedown, with Chief Trackside Officer Mike Krack declaring that they can be “proud and happy” of the milestone moment – despite arriving “a little bit late”.