Williams unveiled its new livery for the FW48. They have retained their dark blue and black livery scheme, but there are some bigger changes on the sidepods. The rear section of the sidepod is white, displaying the Komatsu branding, while the front of the sidepod is a light blue for the team’s newest sponsor, Barclays. The livery still has its Duracell-branded air intake, while the car is now sporting purple roulette-wheel-inspired wheel covers for its sponsorship with Jackpot City Casino.
Williams’ 2026 challenger finally hit the circuit for the first time during shakedown at Silverstone. The team was the only one to skip the private test session in Spain last week, citing delays in car production. Both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz were behind the wheel of the car during the Silverstone session, although the car was decked out in a special testing livery.
Cadillac revealed its debut livery with a minute-long ad during the Super Bowl. The American team will run a silver and black livery for its first season in Formula One. The rear of the car will fade to black, with a rectangle pattern. The ad, which featured a 3D render of the car being assembled while audio from former US President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “We choose to go to the Moon” speech plays. The speech was used to outline the US government’s goal to land a man on the Moon before 1970, which was realized when Apollo 11 landed in 1969. The Super Bowl is the season finale of the American National Football League, for which a 30-second ad is estimated to cost at least $8m.
Famous Hollywood director Michael Bay has filed a lawsuit against the Cadillac F1 Team over its Super Bowl ad. The $1.5m lawsuit alleges the team stole his ideas in what has been dubbed a “bait and switch” project. The lawsuit claims Bay was specifically recruited by team owner Dan Towriss in November 2025 to create the team’s car launch Super Bowl ad. But after “working nearly nonstop” on the project, the ad agency decided to “go in a different direction.” But Bay insists some of his ideas were still used in the ad, which is in breach of a verbal contract.
Formula One Management is moving its headquarters to a newly redeveloped 95,501 square foot office building in Westminster. The new nine-story building will house roughly 300 staff, reflecting the increasing number of staff working for the sport. The new facility is more than 4.5x larger than its current headquarters at St James’s Market, where it moved in 2017 after Liberty Media acquired the sport. The building was previously a shopping centre, but was demolished after its previous owners, Intu, fell under administration in 2020. The building is now owned by Tellon Capital, with F1 being its sole renter.
Aston Martin has signed Jenson Button as its team ambassador. Button, who participated in 309 races between 2000 and 2017, had been working with Williams as its ambassador and advisor. Although Button has never raced with Aston Martin or any of its predecessors, he did race with Honda from 2006 to 2008. Honda is starting a new partnership with Aston Martin this season, becoming their engine supplier. In his new role with the team, he will primarily be involved in various media and commercial activities.
Mercedes has recruited Joshua Dürksen as its third development driver for 2026. The 22-year-old German-Paraguayan driver has competed in Formula 2 since 2024 with AIX Racing, earning four victories in two seasons. He is set to continue his Formula 2 journey this year with Invicta Racing. His duties, which primarily include simulator and Testing of Previous Cars programmes, will be shared with the team’s other two development drivers, Anthony Davidson and Doriane Pin.
Jack Doohan will join Haas as its reserve driver for the 2026 season. Doohan had a brief stint in Formula One, racing with Alpine for only seven races before being replaced by Franco Colapinto early on in the 2025 season. He had initially planned to race in Super Formula, even participating in the rookie test (albeit with some struggles), but his deal with Kondo Racing fell through at the last minute. He will be working alongside Toyota endurance driver Ryo Hirakawa, who has been the team’s reserve driver since last spring.
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.
