Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has left the team, despite being contracted for 2026. He has run Red Bull’s young driver programme for the past 25 years, recruiting drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. Before becoming involved in motorsport management, Marko was a driver himself, earning multiple victories in sports cars, including two at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He linked up with BRM to race in Formula One, where his motorsport career would come to an abrupt end after a rock struck him in the 1972 French Grand Prix, permanently blinding his left eye. Although no specific reason was given for Marko’s unexpected retirement, a statement from Red Bull suggests it was Marko’s decision. Despite leaving the team, Marko is expected to receive his full 2026 salary, worth approximately €10 million.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem has secured re-election as FIA president, running unopposed. This will be his second term, having taken over for outgoing Jean Todt in 2021. His presidency has seen a lot of controversy surrounding transparency, with many high-profile figures leaving the organization over the past two years. Other candidates were attempting to run in the race for the presidency, but none were able to run due to a rule requiring them to assemble a leadership team from all FIA regions, while Ben Sulayem had secured South America’s only eligible representative. The result may still be overturned, with a lawsuit by former candidate Laura Villars set to go to trial in February.
The FIA and all 11 teams have signed the 2026 Concorde Governance Agreement, set to last for the next five seasons. Part of the Concorde Agreement, the governance agreement defines how the F1 championship will be run, covering elements such as voting and entry fees. As part of the deal, all teams agreed to an increase in entry fees, which will be reinvested into stewarding, marshalling, and other governance services. Fewer votes will now be required to have a majority in the F1 Commission meetings, with only four teams required to approve motions.
The FIA hosted its annual awards ceremony in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The two-hour event was streamed live on YouTube and featured all of the FIA’s motorsport series, such as Formula 1, endurance racing, karting, and rally. The evening also officially saw Lando Norris crowned 2025 F1 World Drivers’ Champion and McLaren 2025 F1 World Constructors’ Champions. The evening concluded with an unexpected expletive from Norris during his speech, in which he dropped an F-bomb before joking that he can now afford to pay off the fine. Notably, Max Verstappen was not present at the event, having been ill with the flu.
The 2025 season officially concluded on Tuesday with the final postseason test of the year in Abu Dhabi. The test was Pirelli’s final opportunity to get mileage on their new 2026 tyre compounds before the start of next year. Unlike previous tyre tests, teams were given the freedom to test the tyres however they felt, with Kimi Antonelli recording the fastest time. All ten teams provided modified mule cars for the test, with many of the regular drivers getting behind the wheel. All teams also had one young driver using the 2025 compounds. Drivers running the 2026 tyres with the DRS system had to adhere to a 300km/h speed limit to simulate conditions of the new 2026 cars.
Practice sessions during a sprint weekend will be extended in the event of a red flag for 2026. Usually, if a red flag occurs, the 60-minute timer for the session continues to run, effectively shortening the amount of running during a practice session. This can pose a serious problem for teams during a sprint weekend, where there’s only one free practice session available to set up the cars before the sprint qualifying session. In 2026, the session timer will be paused if the free practice session is red-flagged in the first 45 minutes of the session. This change only applies to the six sprint weekends.
It can be challenging for even the most avid fans to keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One. The Weekly F1 Recap is a series published each Monday that breaks down the action, both on and off the circuit, into bit-sized pieces. It's perfect for casual and experienced fans alike.
