This Week – 18/01/2026
Hello, welcome to This Week. Just a week to go until testing starts in Barcelona; things are ramping up ahead of the new season. Teams announcing and launching new cars, with a lot to learn for them, but how they spin things gives an insight.
Coming up, Isack Hadjar speaks about the challenge he faces going up against Max Verstappen, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali calls on his former team Ferrari to ‘have a plan’ and Pierre Gasly speaks about the impact of the loss of Anthoine Hubert.
General News
Jean Alesi is selling his 1992 Ferrari F92A at auction with no reserve price and an estimated value of £2.6m to £4.3m. Alesi was given the car by Ferrari at the end of the 1992 season, and he has kept it on display in his villa ever since.
The Frenchman drove the car at five races during the 1922 season, with a fourth and fifth-place finishes in the Australian Grand Prix and the German Grand Prix, respectively. According to Alesi, the car has not been touched in 30 years and is set up just as he left it.
He told auction house, Artcurial, “The car had been serviced, I did two laps of the track at Fiorano and then came back into the pits, the tyres were changed, and I loaded the car into the truck, with the engine still warm. Once I got home, I unloaded it and put it on display. Since then, it hasn’t moved.”
Adding “Memories from my youth, of a magical period in my life. You have to understand that when you’re a Ferrari driver, the cars are unveiled on the Fiorano track in front of the entire Italian and international press. The veil is lifted and there it is, revealed.”
Asked how it ended up in his home, he explained: “That’s what’s unique about this car and me. At the end of the year, Ivan Capelli was no longer part of the Scuderia. Gerhard Berger was signed as my team-mate for the rest of the years.”
“And from the way it was presented to the press, I had the impression that they were starting from scratch, because Gerhard Berger was coming in. And at the time, there was Niki Lauda.
Former F1 driver Antonio Pizzonia was arrested for an alleged assault in the United States last weekend. The Brazilian was arrested in Texas after lashing out at a man in the paddock of a junior race at the Speedsportz Racing Park in New Caney, Texas, three hours from the capital, Austin.
Footage on social media shows Pizzonia aiming a flying kick to the back of a man, who was wagging his finger at Pizzonia’s son, before following it up with a punch. The pair were then separated.
Pizzonia, who raced in F1 for Jaguar and Williams from 2003-2005, was arrested and ended up in a Texas jail, but has since been released. On Monday, he released a statement on Instagram detailing that his child was “being coerced by another adult” and he “instinctively defended him.”
Adding “Everyone, I’m okay, and I’m back at home. Indeed, there was an incident to which today, I would have reacted in a different way. I understood at that moment that my son, a child, was being coerced by an adult and instinctively I defended him. Thank you to everyone for your messages of support.”
His best finish in his nine races in 2003-05 was seventh at Hockenheim and Budapest and twice at Monza. Pizzonia would go on to have an illustrious career in Brazilian stock car racing. He also competed in IndyCar and the World Endurance Championship.
McLaren
McLaren has F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli and IndyCar star Pato O’Ward as its 2026 reserve drivers. Fornaroli was snapped up by McLaren in December after securing the F2 championship, joining its driver development programme.
As part of those duties, the Italian will be its designated reserve driver for the majority of the 2026 season, supporting regular racers Oscar Piastri and world champion Lando Norris. With the team saying last month Fornaroli “would undertake an intensive testing and sim programme to aid his development”.
He said, “I’m thrilled to be stepping into an extended role with the McLaren as reserve driver as part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme. It’s an exciting next step in my journey, and I’m looking forward to contributing to such a successful, championship-winning team this season. A big thank you to Zak [Brown], Andrea [Stella] and Alessandro [Alunni Bravi] for this opportunity.”
O’ward will race for the team in IndyCar, he added, “I am excited to continue in my role as reserve driver for the McLaren, alongside my primary duties in IndyCar Arrow McLaren. I’ve learned an incredible amount from testing and driving F1 cars over the past few years, so I am looking forward to this continued growth and development.”
The other drivers will be Christian Costoya, Matteo De Palo, Ella Hakkinen, Ella Lloyd, Ella Stevens, Dries Van Langendonck and Richard Verschoor. Lloyd and Stevens will race in F1 Academy when the season begins at the Chinese Grand Prix, while Hakkinen, the daughter of two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen, will undertake an F4 testing programme ahead of a projected 2027 racing programme.
Oscar Piastri has discussed how racing could change for viewers in 2026 with the introduction of the new regulations. Speaking on Network Nine’s Today programme, when asked how the regulation changes could impact the racing experience for viewers, “I think it definitely will be different, yes. I think in terms of how we race each other, it’s going to be quite different. I think the hybrid element and managing the battery level is going to be a really important things.”
“I mean, it has been important in the past, but with that element being so much bigger from this season onwards, there’s going to be a lot more management of that from the drivers ourselves. So, I think especially the beginning of the season, you could see some interesting scenarios between drivers where some are more tactical and saving their battery, some are just trying to get track position, and it could be an interesting kind of tactical battle there.”
Despite missing out on last year’s title and the regulation changes, Piastri is keen to take what he has learnt into this season saying he feels more mature and responsible.
Red Bull
Isack Hadjar says it is a “huge privilege” to be Max Verstappen’s new team-mate at Red Bull. The French – Algerian’s impressive debut season, including his maiden podium at Zandvoort.
Speaking ahead of the team’s launch on Thursday in Detroit, on the team’s Talking Bulls podcast, “I’m just twenty-one years old, started single-seaters in 2019, and I get to be teammates with the best driver on the grid. It’s a huge privilege. Without the best car, he finished so close to being world champion [last year].”
“He’s always there. When conditions are a bit difficult, he’s there, and his ability to turn up in Q3. He always turns up and goes and finds more lap time. If there’s a scenario out of ten million where there’s only one where he can win the race, he will win the race. You feel once he’s in the car, you can tell there’s a mix of his natural ability and his eleven years of F1 are also paying off.”
Speaking in that podcast as well, Verstappen called 2018 the most difficult season of his career, but he is also grateful to have learned from the mistakes he made in the past.
The beginning of the 2018 season did not go entirely smoothly for the young driver, having been involved in an incident at each of the first six Grands Prix, including a collision with teammate Daniel Ricciardo in Baku. Verstappen’s fortunes improved, however, as the campaign progressed, collecting wins in Austria and Mexico City as well as ending the season with a total of eleven podiums.
Asked during an appearance on Red Bull’s Talking Bull podcast about which season he felt he had learned the most from, or faced the most struggles in, Verstappen explained: “2018, the start – the first seven or eight races. [I was] making some mistakes myself and then you get into a negative spiral, you try to push even harder, and it all just didn’t work out, and [I was] being really upset with myself.”
The 28-year-old was also quizzed on the advice he would give his younger self, to which he responded: “Nothing. I would want him to make the same mistakes or go through the same tough times, good times, because if you know everything in advance, it’s really boring, and you get lazy as well if you know everything in advance.”
On Thursday, Red Bull launched their 2026 car and new partnership with Ford at the US car manufacturer’s headquarters in Michigan, with team principal Laurent Mekies admitting he expects the team “to be trailing” their front-running rivals at the start of the new regulation cycle.
For the first time since joining the F1 grid in 2005, Red Bull is manufacturing their own engine – in collaboration with US car giant Ford, to coincide with the introduction of new regulations for both power units and chassis. Though Verstappen missed out on the championship last season, there are major doubts as to whether Red Bull will be strong enough to challenge for honours in 2026 as they adjust to running their own power unit.
Mekies told Sky Sports, “We know it’s going to come with some difficulties. We know we are going to have quite a few sleepless nights and a few headaches, but please bear with us for the first few months. Nobody underestimates the size of the mountain that we have to climb. It’s the sort of challenge we all want to be associated with, and hopefully, eventually, we will come out on top.
“I think it would be naive, to say the least, for us to think that, yes, we have done everything from zero, with great support from Ford, and then we turn up at the first race and we are the same level as people that have been doing it for many years. It’s not going to be like that; we are going to be trailing them.”
Despite the challenges they face this season, Mekies believes that his squad can make significant ground during their campaign. Red Bull were struggling to compete with McLaren during the middle phase of last season, before a major upturn in performance – after Mekies had replaced Christian Horner as team principal – saw Verstappen win six of the final nine grands prix.
Uncertainty over Red Bull’s ability to be competitive in 2026 contributed to doubts around whether Verstappen would stay with the team this year amid speculation linking him to Mercedes.
Asked by Sky Sports whether he is expecting a car that he can compete for victories and titles in this year, Verstappen replied: “Time will tell, right? I mean, we don’t know. The only thing that I do know is that everyone is giving it everything that they have. We are trying to push ahead, we are really trying to maximise everything, but it’s not going to be easy, we know that.”
For the first time in his F1 career, Verstappen is starting a season without the guidance of Dr Helmut Marko, who was dismissed at the end of 2025 having worked as Red Bull motorsport advisor since the team joined the grid in 2005.
Ferrari
Former team principal and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says Ferrari “needs to have a plan” and the “right energy” for the new 2026 F1 season. Last year, Ferrari suffered their worst season since 2020 with no wins and fourth in the Constructors’ Championship as Lewis Hamilton failed to finish on the podium in his first campaign in red.
Charles Leclerc managed to take a shock pole at the Hungarian Grand Prix with seven other podiums and admitted, “it’s now or never” for Ferrari to deliver a championship-winning car.
Domenicali told Sky Sports, “I’m a positive guy. There’s no need to cry, there’s no need to always be negative. They need to have a plan. I’m sure Fred [Vasseur], Lewis and Charles have a plan and that’s what is important. I think it’s important to react, not to fade away, and for it to be normal to be fourth in the championship.”
“We want to have strong Ferrari. They deserve to be in a stronger position. They need to make sure that there is the right energy and the right thing to follow up, because in 2026, everyone is talking, but no one knows where they are.”
Williams
Williams has announced that Victor Martins has been promoted to be the team’s test and development driver alongside his drive in WEC with Alpine. The Frenchman joined the team last year having worked his way up to F2, where he was the best rookie in 2023.
He secured multiple race wins and podium finishes across his three F2 campaigns with ART Grand Prix, most recently taking victory in the 2025 Qatar Feature Race. Martins will now graduate to a Test and Development Driver role at Williams alongside Oliver Turvey and Harrison Scott.
The team “play a crucial role in advancing the team’s development programmes to support our F1 drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz as the sport enters an unprecedented change in technical regulations”. He will also be involved in refining the team’s state-of-the-art’ driver-in-loop (DIL) simulator, which came online at the end of 2025, while he will also be involved in developing a dedicated Driver Academy DIL to support young talent on their path to F1.
Martins said “Williams is an iconic team with an incredible history, and I’m excited to be part of the project to bring this team back to the front of the grid. I’ve already had experience working with Alex and Carlos during race weekends, and I’m looking forward to continuing this work with the team in 2026.”
They also announced that Luke Browning has been prompted to reserve driver. The Englishman finis fourth in F2 last season with nine podiums and a win, as well as taking part in a couple of practice sessions.
He said, “I’m incredibly excited to be stepping up as reserve driver with Atlassian Williams F1 Team this year. I look forward to working alongside Alex and Carlos to drive the team forward in this new era for Formula One.”
Alongside his reserve role, Browning will compete for the first time in the Japanese Super Formula Championship for Kondo Racing.
Williams team principal James Vowles said it was a “proud moment” to see Browning step up into his new F1 role. Adding, “He has made immense progress since he joined the Williams F1 Driver Academy in 2023, and has supported the team’s journey back towards the front of the grid through his involvement in simulator and FP1 work.”
Racing Bulls
Racing Bulls also launched there 2026 car in Michigan on Thursday, retaining there predominant white livery for this season. The Anglo-Italian team’s decision to turn to a white livery proved a success last year, and the colour scheme of 2026 challenger will follow the same route, with a white base colours complemented by black and blue accents.
Title sponsors Visa and Cash App remain on board and take over the most visible areas on the car, while the addition of blue streaks to the engine cover and sidepod is said to be a nod to the new power unit partner Ford.
Racing Bulls said: “The team chose to remain with its all-white look, enhanced by a subtle nod to its partnership with Ford. Sleek blue accents now trace the contours of the chassis, elevating the design with a sharper, more streamlined finish.”
Speaking to Sky Sports, Arvid Lindblad hailed a “surreal moment” as the rookie’s Racing Bulls team revealed their livery for the 2026. Lindblad who will make his debut in Melbourne alongside Liam Lawson has been fast tracked after a impressive junior career, with Lando Norris predicting a few years ago Lindblad would join him on the grid.
He said, “”This moment is honestly surreal. To be introduced as a Formula 1 driver at an event like this, in such an iconic setting, is something I’ll never forget. The team’s vision, the new power unit, and the belief they’ve shown in me mean a lot. I’m ready to learn, to work, and to give everything on track as we start this new chapter together.”
Lawson said: “The partnership between Ford and Red Bull, the energy around the team, and the ambition for what’s ahead make this an incredibly exciting time to be part of VCARB. I’m more motivated than ever to push forward and help turn that vision into results on track.”
Racing Bulls go into this season looking to build on their most successful season in there two decades in the sport, since Red Bull brought Minardi in 2005, but have the same challenge with a new power unit by a returning manufacturer.
Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane said: “2026 represents one of the biggest technical changes Formula 1 has seen, and partnering with Ford at the very start of this journey is hugely significant for us. The Red Bull Ford Powertrains project brings together world-class engineering, innovation and racing DNA, and it puts us in a strong position as the sport enters this new era.”
Aston Martin
Test driver Jak Crawford believes that next year will be his best shot of securing a race seat. He has been a test driver for Aston Martin for the past two years but has failed to get a chance in the world championship, as the team retained its line-up of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
The Texan also held talks with Cadillac, but never really stood a chance against veterans Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. There are a number of drivers having to sit out 2026 hoping to emulate Oscar Piastri, who sat out 2022 only to make a brilliant move to McLaren, which led to him fighting teammate Lando Norris for the championship last season.
He told Motorsport.com, “I think ‘27 is, of course, my closest shot. I’ll be hopefully still relevant then, after only a year out racing in F2, ending that well, and being in the paddock at all the races next year. I feel like it’s good to be around the paddock, it keeps your name on people’s mouths, people see you. So I think ‘27 is my best opportunity for a race seat.”
However, not every third driver has gone on to race in F1, as shown by former Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich, who recently departed the team to make a full-time switch to Formula E, after biding his time in that role for three years. Crawford admitted there was always a worry that you wouldn’t get a seat in F1 and you need to work towards it.
As far as the lack of a racing programme is concerned, Crawford is adamant that this won’t hurt his prospects in the long run – particularly as he has already completed many F1 tests at Aston, with more on the table this year.
Damon Hill believes that new CEO and team prinpical Adrian Newey to “wave his magic wand over Aston Martin” as the “master of seeing through the regulations”. Newey formally joined the team in march last year as managing technical director before this month being also appointed as CEO and team prinpical.
But he off course needs little introduction, he has been behind some of the most successful cars of the last three decades, including H’lls 1996 championship winning car. Hill told TalkSPORT, “Yes, you could [see a changing of the guard in F1 this year]. I mean, we could see a complete surprise. Something like when Jenson Button won with Brawn, they surprised everyone because they saw through the regulations.”
“The master of seeing through the regulations is Adrian Newey, who’s gone to Aston Martin. He left Red Bull and Max Verstappen behind, and Christian Horner has left that team anyway. But he’s gone off to Aston Martin. He’s been working on this project now for a good 18 months or so. So we’re sort of expecting him to wave his magic wand over Aston Martin. It could happen.”
Alpine
Pierre Gasly has spoken publicly in depth for the first time about the death of his frien Anthoine Hubert in the F2 race at the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix. Gasly and Hubert grew up karting together and formed a strong friendship as they rose through the racing ranks.
Speaking to Off The Grid, a new series by F1, Gasly said, “We were part of that programme from ten to fifteen years old. It was fifteen drivers in France with potential and talent, and Anthoine was one of them.”
“We were roommates. We were classmates. Taking breakfast together, going to class together, having lunch, training with each other. And if I’m doing 13 push-ups, he’ll be doing fourteen. And then I’ll go again, doing fifteen.
Hubert suffered a fatal crash on the second lap of the F2 feature race at Spa-Francorchamps in 2019. Gasly says he always watched the race, and when the accident and red flag happen he didn’t know what happen and he broke down, as he understood what had happened.
He added “It’s just pain. It was just a matter of time until Anthoine got into F1. It seemed like that was his destiny, but it wasn’t the first time I had to go through these emotions with one of my closest friends. I had lost two years before a friend from back home, and two years later, it happens with Anthoine, with whom I was extremely close.”
Prior to that weekend Gasly had been demoted from Red Bull to Toro Rosso, which had been the main story going into that weekend and a story which continues over the second Red Bull seat. But he added “you’re like, the bigger picture, there is more to life than this. I’ve just known this guy for so long.”
He says he still didn’t believe what happened, the first driver to die from injuries during a Grand Prix weekend since Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at Imola in 1994, and took him years to process what happened, as well as his emotions.
Gasly added, “one thing I regret is in Budapest, so after the race, we went to a party together with Anthoine. I didn’t want to leave too late. So, I left the party earlier. I was trying to find him. I could not find him in the club.”
“I walked out of the club, and then on my way out, I saw him. He was on the outside part of the club on the terrace. And I just waved at him and said, ‘Bye, have a good summer, and I’ll see you in Spa.’” But added he never got to see him again after that, adding “it taught me to appreciate the moment we live with the people we love and to never take anything for granted.”
Jack Doohan has left the team after one season, the Australian was a member of the team’s academy for several years and made his debut in 2024 Abu Dhabi before taking part in the first six races of last season before being replaced by Franco Colapinto.
He struggled to be a match for Gasly on average around six tenth off in qualifying with the best race result of thirteenth. Alpine therefore promoted Colapinto to a race seat and demoted Doohan to his former reserve driver role, which the 22-year-old admitted was “a tough one for [him] to take”.
He will be leaving to try a different career path potentially in Super Formula, however that still isn’t official after the Australian crashed three times at the same Degner 2 corner in a Suzuka test.
Alpine’s statement said, “BWT Alpine Formula One Team confirms it has reached a mutual agreement with Jack Doohan to not continue his driving services with the team for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship season and allow him to pursue other career opportunities.
“The team would like to thank Jack for his commitment and professionalism to the team for the past four years, both on and off track, and wishes him all the best for the future.”
Cadillac
On Tuesday, Cadillac unveiled a monochrome livery for the first test in Barcelona using a monochrome Livery. The US manufacturer enters the sport as the eleventh team operating out of Silverstone and America.
The one-off Barcelona livery, which was presented by General Motors CEO Mark Reuss at its Detroit headquarters, consists of a sleek and stealthy monochrome colour scheme, featuring black and silver. While the team has placed the name of its founders on the nose cone
Reuss admitted the low-key design was part of F1’s pre-season tradition of disguising its aerodynamic shapes as much as possible. He said, “Our new testing livery celebrates Detroit’s design heritage and the power of the global Cadillac Formula 1 team, while keeping our design secrets under wraps. The Barcelona test is just the beginning — we can’t wait to share our official race livery with fans around the world next month.”
Cadillac’s definitive 2026 race livery will be unveiled on 8 February during a high-profile, half-time Superbowl ad, ahead of the official start of pre-season testing in Bahrain.