Aston Martin will no longer provide an F1 safety car and medical car for 2026, leaving Mercedes as the sole supplier. In 2021, Aston Martin signed a deal to share safety car duties with Mercedes, which has supplied safety cars to the sport since 1996. The sport has rotated between the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series and the Aston Martin Vantage F1 edition. Aston Martin’s deal expired at the end of 2025, and the company decided not to renew the contract.
Honda unveiled its 2026 power unit at a season launch. The new RA626H engine was shown alongside a plain green Aston Martin car with “Powered by Honda” on the engine cover. Aston Martin has yet to launch its AMR26 car, with a car launch slated for February 9. This will be the Japanese engine supplier’s first season with Aston Martin, which is the company’s sole engine customer. Honda, which made its difficult F1 return in 2015 with McLaren, has been working with Red Bull and Racing Bulls since 2018, with Red Bull rebranding the power unit under Red Bull Powertrains from 2022. Red Bull partnered with Ford for 2026.
Williams will skip the first pre-season test in Barcelona, citing car delays. Teams are allowed to run three out of five days next week as part of a private test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. This additional test has been added for 2026 to account for the huge undertaking of the new regulations. Instead of participating in the test, the team will focus on a virtual test programme to prepare for the first official pre-season test in Bahrain next month.
Arvid Lindblad became the first driver to crash an F1 car in 2026, spinning into the gravel at Imola. This was part of a three-lap demonstration event at the circuit, which allowed Liam Lawson and rookie Lindblad their first laps in the 2026 VCARB 03. Lindblad, who will make his debut with Racing Bulls this season, lost control at the Villeneuve chicane, becoming stuck in the gravel and having to be recovered by a truck.
The eighth season of Netflix’s hit series, Drive to Survive, will hit the streaming service on February 27. The docuseries aims to give fans a peek behind the scenes of the biggest motorsport in the world. Although the series is sometimes criticized for its embellishment of events to create drama, it is overall well-received.
Ferrari unveiled its 2026 SF-26 ahead of its shakedown at the private Fiorano test track. The team has opted to stay with Ferrari’s iconic red livery. Although they’ve kept the white accent on the sidepod, it’s been extended to include the cockpit, looking much closer to the livery of the SF16-H from 2016. Interestingly, the car’s sharkfin is not smooth, resembling the teeth of a serrated knife. In a short video posted by the team, fans were given their first real glimpse of the new active aerodynamics in action.
Haas shared its new livery, which includes a large placement for its new title sponsor, Toyota. The new livery is whiter than last year’s, with the black engine cover having been replaced by a white one covered in a Toyota Gazoo Racing “GR” logo. The side of the nose is now black, with the black that was on top of the nose last year having been mostly replaced by white and a slightly stronger red accent that extends along the sidepod to the rear of the car.
Mercedes also showed off the 2026 livery it will use on the W17. The livery is similar to last year’s one, remaining predominantly black with silver and turquoise accents. The biggest change is the new black and silvery striped pattern on the top of the car’s sidepods, replacing the silver-to-black gradient seen on the W16. The team also announced Microsoft as its new technical partner, with their logo prominently placed on the air intake. The tech giant was previously partnered with Alpine as part of a deal that started under the Lotus moniker back in 2012.
Alpine revealed its livery for 2026 as part of the team’s season launch hosted on a cruise ship off the coast of Barcelona. Although the livery is not radically different from the blue and pink one used by the team last year, there are some small differences. Most notably, the sidepod no longer features a black vent (at least not yet). Additionally, the pink no longer extends along the entire top of the nose, stopping to allow the tip of the nose to be blue. The pink on the rear wing has also been adjusted to cover more, as opposed to the black patchwork on the rear wing of last year’s car.
Audi released its debut F1 livery as the team takes over the former Sauber team. Most of the car is a clean matte-silver design, but the rear of the car is black with a lava red accent at the rear of the sidepod. Further red accents at the air intake and sidepod openings spice up the livery.
Audi announced its own young driver development programme, which it hopes will help the team achieve its ambitious goal to “win championships by 2030”. Driver development programmes help F1 teams scout young drivers from as early as their karting careers. Teams help guide their recruits through their single-seater careers, with the hopes of maybe making it to F1. These programmes can often include opportunities to work with the team on simulator work and can even lead to free-practice outings or a reserve driver role in F1. Audi’s programme will be headed by Allan McNish, a former F1 driver turned sports car racer turned TV pundit. Although McNish failed to turn heads with his brief stint with Toyota in F1, he went on to a successful endurance racing career with Audi, winning the World Endurance Championship and prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2013.
Mercedes’ long-serving lead F1 car designer will leave the team this season. John Owen, who joined the team back when it was a Honda works team in 2007 from Sauber, played an important role in Mercedes’ F1 return and record-breaking eight consecutive World Constructors’ Championship titles. Owen will remain with the team during 2026, working to transition his successor before starting his gardening leave later in the year. His role will be filled by Giacomo Tortora, who is currently the team’s engineering director. According to the team, Owen has decided to take a break from F1.
Engineer Dan Fallows will return to the Red Bull family with Racing Bulls. Fallows previously worked with Red Bull’s F1 team in 2006, eventually becoming the team’s chief engineer for aerodynamics. He caused a contract dispute in 2021, having been poached by Aston Martin. He joined the team after a gardening leave in 2022, but was removed from the team at the end of 2024 as the team suffered a performance slump. He remained with Aston Martin as chief engineer of its performance technologies company, but left after only a few months to found a consultancy firm. Racing Bulls has fired Fallows as its Technical Director.
The first test ahead of the 2026 season will take place this week at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. With the technical regulations overhauled for 2026, Formula One teams have a lot of preparation work to do to ensure they’re ready for the new season that lies ahead. To help them get ready, Formula One has a third pre-season test on the calendar. Unlike other pre-season tests, this will be a private “shakedown”, with teams being allowed to participate in up to three days between Monday and Friday. No fans or media are present at the test.
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.
