Audi’s 2026 car hit the track for the first time this season, participating in a 200km private shakedown and filming day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Both drivers, Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, were behind the wheel of the livery-free R26. The 2026 season marks Audi’s first year after taking over Sauber. The team shared a brief clip of footage on their social media.
Mercedes and Williams have confirmed their car launch plans, as pre-season testing creeps ever closer. Mercedes plans to reveal digital renders of their car in its new livery on January 22, ahead of an official launch event on February 2, streamed to social media. Williams is set to unveil their new livery on February 3.
Haas has rescheduled its car launch date to avoid conflicts with Ferrari’s launch date. Haas initially announced a January 23 launch date back in December, but Ferrari has since announced their car launch will take place on the same day. In response, Haas moved their date to January 19 to “avoid over-congestion of team launches”.
Former Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu has been recruited as a Cadillac reserve driver. This comes less than a week after he departed Ferrari, where he had been their 2025 reserve driver. Zhou, who became the first Chinese F1 driver in 2022, was eying a seat at the American team, hoping to make his return to the F1 grid.
Red Bull’s former head of strategy, Will Courtenay, has been approved to start his new role at McLaren. Courtenay, who has been with Red Bull since its Jaguar days, signed a contract to become McLaren’s sporting director in the fall of 2024, but couldn’t negotiate his exit from Red Bull until 2025. Although he would typically be required to complete a gardening leave, which would end midway through the 2026 season, Courtenay has been given the green light to start his new role at McLaren ahead of the new season.
The family of the late F1 legend Sir Stirling Moss has entered a legal battle over the family estate. The F1 veteran died in 2020 at the age of 90, followed by the death of his wife, Lady Susie, in 2023 at the age of 69. Although an earlier version of her will split her estate between son Elliot Moss and daughter Allison Bradley, the will was revised in 2022 to leave all assets to Allison. The estate is valued at roughly £28m and features some historic racing memorabilia, including Sir Stirling’s racing stars and crash helmet. Elliot is now petitioning the court to go back to a previous version of the will, created back in 2002, which would see him inherit 75% of the estate and Allison only 25%. Elliot alleges the will was signed under duress, potentially by someone else, under the influence of family friend Richard Frankel, who, Elliot believes, was taking advantage of Lady Susie’s personal mental state in her final years.
The family home of the late Jules Bianchi was robbed, with the thieves taking nine karts. Among the stolen property was the last kart Bianchi raced before advancing to single-seater racing. Bianchi made his debut in Formula Renault in 2007 before climbing through Formula 3 and GP2 to get to the Formula One starting grid in 2013 with Marussia. The stolen karts have a strong sentimental value to the Bianchi family, as he died in 2015 from injuries sustained during a horrific crash in the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. Bianchi’s father, Philippe, took to social media, calling for the thieves to return the karts and help protect his son’s legacy. The stolen karts are “Baby Karts”, which cannot be raced at many circuits and have limited value.
Adrian Sutil’s lawyer now claims that his client is the victim of an extortion scheme. Sutil, who is currently held in custody after being arrested in Germany over alleged fraud charges, and his family have been targeted in a blackmail plot that has resulted in the loss of nine luxury vehicles valued at €17m, according to his lawyer Dirk Schmitz. The cars, which include a Mercedes 600 owned by the late Elvis Presley, were stored in Sutil’s private Monaco garage. The alleged blackmail began with anonymous phone calls from someone believed to belong to the Russian Wagner Group, who then threatened the Sutil family when they arrived to take the cars. The family filed a police report on New Year’s Eve, although it’s believed the cars have already been transported out of the country as part of an organized crime operation.
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.
