It was another race-free week, but there was interesting news off the track. Most of the talk surrounded Liberty Media’s plan to expand their sporting ownership, but there were many other stories out of the Red Bull and Aston Martin camps.
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The FIA has updated the 2026 power unit technical regulations to include a new “override mode” to ERS deployment, which could allow drivers to manually boost the cars up to 355km/h. The 2026 regulations will have an enhanced focus on electrical power produced by the battery, but will not feature a MGU-H unit. Instead, electrical power will be generated with an MGU-K system and deployed by an ERS-K system. This new “override mode” specified in the updated regulations could function similarly to the KERS function featured in the sport between 2009 and 2013, which resembled a “push-to-pass” system.
Liberty Media is gearing up to purchase MotoGP in a deal worth an estimated €4b (~$4.3b). The American company, which purchased F1 in 2017, has been working with Dorna Sports to finalize the deal. There are concerns about potential pushback from the European Commission over competition laws. F1’s previous owner, CVC Capital Partners, also owned MotoGP but was forced to divest MotoGP in 2006 by European antitrust authorities. Liberty Media has not been MotoGP’s only suiter, with Qatar Sports Investments – a sovereign wealth fund – and TKO – the rights holder of the UFC Championship – having previously expressed interest in acquiring Dorna Sports.
Honda has announced a new F1 base in the UK in preparation for their upcoming power unit deal with Aston Martin in 2026. Although Honda officially withdrew from the F1 power unit market in 2021, they have been continuing to provide Red Bull and RB with hardware until the end of 2025. The new UK base will be part of the Japanese automaker’s new subsidiary, Honda Racing Corporation UK Ltd.
Williams has confirmed it will run two cars at the Japanese Grand Prix next weekend. This comes after Alex Albon’s chassis was heavily damaged in a practice crash. Without a spare car, the team decided (controversially) to turn over Logan Sargeant’s chassis to Albon in an unsuccessful bid to score points. Repair work on the damaged chassis has caused further delay in developing a third chassis. As a result, Williams will not have a spare car for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Daniel Ricciardo will sit out the first practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix, making room for Red Bull junior Ayumu Iwasa. The young Japanese driver has been part of the Red Bull junior programme since 2021, participating in F3 and F2 before turning to Super Formula this year. While Iwasa is unlikely to find himself racing for RB soon, this move comes as Ricciardo finds himself under increasing pressure to perform at RB. The Aussie rejoined RB (then AlphaTauri) last year after a year hiatus from F1 but, in the eyes of many, has failed to achieve the expected results.
Brembo, a brake supplier used in Formula One, has denied any responsibility for Max Verstappen’s brake failure in the Australian Grand Prix. The defending World Champion qualified in pole position, but his race was cut short when he suffered a brake failure in the opening laps. In a statement to the media, Brembo stated that the failure was “not attributable” to an issue on Brembo’s side, instead saying the issue may have been caused by the set-up of the Red Bull RB20. Red Bull has yet to publically confirm the cause of the failure but is determined to “learn” from the issue.
Max Verstappen’s chief mechanic, Lee Stevenson, has left the Red Bull team with immediate effect. Stevenson, who has an 18-year tenure with the team, has been at Verstappen’s side for all of his 56 race victories and three World Championship titles. In a goodbye message posted to social media, Stevenson said he would be moving to “the other end of the pitlane” on Monday in Japan. His post ended with green and black heart emojis, leading many to speculate he will be moving to Sauber.
Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll is understood to have made Red Bull designer Adrian Newey a lucrative deal to join the team. Aston Martin has been working hard to grow, attracting several experienced personnel and striking a works deal with Honda for 2026. Newey has been an integral part of Red Bull’s success over the years, having joined the team back in 2005. It is, however, quite unlikely that the legendary designer will jump ship, having signed a contract extension with Red Bull last year.
Aston Martin will not appeal the Australian Grand Prix penalty that sparked much debate amongst fans. Fernando Alonso was given a 20-second time penalty for “potentially dangerous” driving that may have contributed to George Russell’s crash on the penultimate lap. In a statement issued Tuesday, team boss Mike Krack said that although the penalty was a “bitter pill to swallow”, the team must accept the stewards’ decision, citing a lack of new evidence to justify an appeal.
Former F1 team boss Flavio Briatore underwent heart surgery this week to remove a benign tumour that had been discovered during a routine checkup. Briatore took to social media, saying the “minimal[ly] invasive procedure” had been “perfectly successful”. Now 73, the Italian has been involved with many F1 teams, including Benetton and Renault, before being ousted from the sport for his involvement in the infamous Crashgate scandal of 2008.
The Weekly F1 Recap on Racing Clothesline is a series published every Monday. Each article breaks down the previous week's Formula One headlines into bite-sized pieces, perfect for casual fans to keep themselves in the loop.
