Hill: Hadjar will have to admit that Max is in charge of everything.
Isack Hadjar became one of the best, if not the best, rookies of last season, and he was rightfully promoted from Racing Bulls to Red Bull Racing. On the one hand, the 21-year-old driver from Paris insists that his dream has come true; on the other hand, it remains an open question to what extent he will cope with the pressure that inevitably comes with the duties of being Max Verstappen's teammate.
Few have managed to compete with him on equal terms — perhaps Daniel Ricciardo comes to mind — but, first, that was a long time ago, and second, it ended with the Australian leaving Red Bull Racing. And he left voluntarily.
Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion and now an expert for The Race, believes Hadjar faces a very difficult psychological task.
Isack Hadjar became one of the best, if not the best, rookies of last season, and he was rightfully promoted from Racing Bulls to Red Bull Racing. On the one hand, the 21-year-old driver from Paris insists that his dream has come true; on the other hand, it remains an open question to what extent he will cope with the pressure that inevitably comes with the duties of being Max Verstappen's teammate.
Few have managed to compete with him on equal terms — perhaps Daniel Ricciardo comes to mind — but, first, that was a long time ago, and second, it ended with the Australian leaving Red Bull Racing. And he left voluntarily.
Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion and now an expert for The Race, believes Hadjar faces a very difficult psychological task.
Wittich 'still remains unsure' about the reasons behind his dismissal by the FIA.
"I lost my job at the end of the meeting."
Former Formula 1 race director Niels Wittich states that he was let go by the FIA without any explanation, referring to his abrupt dismissal as "the disappointing truth" regarding how senior officials are treated under the organization's leadership. In an interview with DPA news agency, Wittich shared that he was called to Geneva during a break in the racing schedule late in the 2024 season, anticipating a standard coordination meeting. Instead, he left Switzerland without his position.
"That’s not unusual in itself; it had happened before that we consulted or coordinated with colleagues on site," Wittich explained. "However, without any specific incident occurring between the FIA and me, at least as I remember it, I lost my job at the conclusion of the meeting.
"I lost my job at the end of the meeting."
Former Formula 1 race director Niels Wittich states that he was let go by the FIA without any explanation, referring to his abrupt dismissal as "the disappointing truth" regarding how senior officials are treated under the organization's leadership. In an interview with DPA news agency, Wittich shared that he was called to Geneva during a break in the racing schedule late in the 2024 season, anticipating a standard coordination meeting. Instead, he left Switzerland without his position.
"That’s not unusual in itself; it had happened before that we consulted or coordinated with colleagues on site," Wittich explained. "However, without any specific incident occurring between the FIA and me, at least as I remember it, I lost my job at the conclusion of the meeting.
Dakar: Saud Variava secured his second stage victory.
Today Saud Variava, a 20-year-old racer from South Africa, confirmed that last year he did not accidentally become the youngest stage winner in Dakar history in the Cars category. On his four-wheel-drive prototype Toyota Hilux IMT Evo he again reached the finish first, although he beat Henk Lategan, his teammate at Toyota Gazoo Racing and compatriot, by only three seconds. And that after more than 480 km of special stages! More detailed statistics clearly reflect the dynamics of Saud’s progress toward today’s success: after 382 km of the route he was sixth, after 414 km — third, six kilometres later he moved up to second and ultimately won.
Of course, Lategan worked hard to recover after yesterday’s mistake, which cost him the overall lead, and he did claw back one minute on Nasser Al-Attiyah.
Today Saud Variava, a 20-year-old racer from South Africa, confirmed that last year he did not accidentally become the youngest stage winner in Dakar history in the Cars category. On his four-wheel-drive prototype Toyota Hilux IMT Evo he again reached the finish first, although he beat Henk Lategan, his teammate at Toyota Gazoo Racing and compatriot, by only three seconds. And that after more than 480 km of special stages! More detailed statistics clearly reflect the dynamics of Saud’s progress toward today’s success: after 382 km of the route he was sixth, after 414 km — third, six kilometres later he moved up to second and ultimately won.
Of course, Lategan worked hard to recover after yesterday’s mistake, which cost him the overall lead, and he did claw back one minute on Nasser Al-Attiyah.
Former Formula 1 driver Antonio Pizzonia has been arrested in the United States on assault charges. According to TMZ, the Brazilian was taken to a Texas jail as early as Saturday evening local time.
Details of the arrest have not been released yet, but it is known that on Saturday Pizzonia was at the Speedsportz Racing Park track in Montgomery County, where his son Antonio Pizzonia Neto was competing in a race of the Superkarts! USA Winter Series youth series and finished ninth.
Antonio Pizzonia made his Formula 1 debut in 2003 with Jaguar, but after eleven races he lost his seat because the team was unhappy with his results. In 2004 and 2005 the Brazilian competed in a total of nine Grands Prix for Williams, after which he left Formula 1.
Pizzonia is not the first former Formula 1 driver to have recently run into legal trouble. At the end of last year Adrian Sutil was taken into custody in Germany on charges of "particularly serious fraud and theft committed by a group of persons by prior agreement."
Details of the arrest have not been released yet, but it is known that on Saturday Pizzonia was at the Speedsportz Racing Park track in Montgomery County, where his son Antonio Pizzonia Neto was competing in a race of the Superkarts! USA Winter Series youth series and finished ninth.
Antonio Pizzonia made his Formula 1 debut in 2003 with Jaguar, but after eleven races he lost his seat because the team was unhappy with his results. In 2004 and 2005 the Brazilian competed in a total of nine Grands Prix for Williams, after which he left Formula 1.
Pizzonia is not the first former Formula 1 driver to have recently run into legal trouble. At the end of last year Adrian Sutil was taken into custody in Germany on charges of "particularly serious fraud and theft committed by a group of persons by prior agreement."
2016 Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg said that his venture firm, Rosberg Ventures, has raised $100 million from investors for its third investment fund. As a result, the company’s total assets under management have exceeded $200 million. Nico added that investor interest turned out to be even higher than he expected. On social media Rosberg thanked the investors and said he greatly values their trust.
“We have just closed the raise for the third Rosberg Ventures fund, having managed to attract $100 million,” Nico Rosberg wrote. “Demand exceeded all expectations, so we limited the investment amounts to optimize returns. I am very impressed by the support we have received again. I sincerely thank all our long-standing partners for their trust.”
Nico Rosberg founded the venture firm after retiring from Formula 1. Initially Rosberg Ventures invested in other investment funds to reduce risk, but over time it began investing directly in companies. Among them is ClickHouse, which develops digital analytics. Rosberg Ventures mainly invests in startups in artificial intelligence and software. Nico has repeatedly said that the experience he gained in Formula 1, especially in risk management and decision-making, helped him succeed in the investment business.
“We have just closed the raise for the third Rosberg Ventures fund, having managed to attract $100 million,” Nico Rosberg wrote. “Demand exceeded all expectations, so we limited the investment amounts to optimize returns. I am very impressed by the support we have received again. I sincerely thank all our long-standing partners for their trust.”
Nico Rosberg founded the venture firm after retiring from Formula 1. Initially Rosberg Ventures invested in other investment funds to reduce risk, but over time it began investing directly in companies. Among them is ClickHouse, which develops digital analytics. Rosberg Ventures mainly invests in startups in artificial intelligence and software. Nico has repeatedly said that the experience he gained in Formula 1, especially in risk management and decision-making, helped him succeed in the investment business.
Next week, on January 20, Honda Racing Corporation will hold a presentation in Tokyo to mark the start of its collaboration with Aston Martin and will unveil a next-generation power unit.
Honda will not only outline the main differences between the new engines and those used in Formula 1 from 2014 to 2025, but will also showcase the 2026 power unit. The event is expected to be attended by Honda Motor Co. Ltd. president Toshihiro Mibe, Formula 1 president Stefano Domenicali, and Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll.
Considering the time difference, the presentation will start at 07:00 Moscow time. You can watch the live stream of the presentation on YouTube or on this page.
Honda will not only outline the main differences between the new engines and those used in Formula 1 from 2014 to 2025, but will also showcase the 2026 power unit. The event is expected to be attended by Honda Motor Co. Ltd. president Toshihiro Mibe, Formula 1 president Stefano Domenicali, and Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll.
Considering the time difference, the presentation will start at 07:00 Moscow time. You can watch the live stream of the presentation on YouTube or on this page.
Alpine has officially announced the end of its collaboration with Jack Doohan.
The Australian driver competed for Alpine in a total of seven Grands Prix in 2024 and 2025, but after the Miami Grand Prix he was replaced by Franco Colapinto. Jack still had an active contract with the Enstone-based team, but that has now been officially terminated.
“Alpine confirms it has reached a mutual agreement with Jack Doohan to end his collaboration with the team for the 2026 Formula 1 season and to allow him to pursue other career projects,” Alpine said in an official statement. “Jack became the first member of the Alpine Academy to make his Formula 1 debut with the team at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The team thanks Jack for his dedication and professionalism over the past four years both on and off track and wishes him all the best for the future.”
The Australian driver competed for Alpine in a total of seven Grands Prix in 2024 and 2025, but after the Miami Grand Prix he was replaced by Franco Colapinto. Jack still had an active contract with the Enstone-based team, but that has now been officially terminated.
“Alpine confirms it has reached a mutual agreement with Jack Doohan to end his collaboration with the team for the 2026 Formula 1 season and to allow him to pursue other career projects,” Alpine said in an official statement. “Jack became the first member of the Alpine Academy to make his Formula 1 debut with the team at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The team thanks Jack for his dedication and professionalism over the past four years both on and off track and wishes him all the best for the future.”
Isack Hadjar performed so well in his debut Formula 1 season that Red Bull Racing invited him to the team to become Max Verstappen’s teammate. The 21-year-old driver said that the first person he told about the contract was his mother Randa, who, as Isack revealed, is also his manager.
“I rang my mum as soon as I found out about the contract,” Hadjar said on the Talking Bull podcast. “She said she already knew because they called her before they called me. She’s my manager and knows more than I do.
Honestly, the contract with Red Bull Racing is so cool. I’m only 21, and I only started my career in formula racing in 2019, and now I’ve become the teammate of the best driver in Formula 1. For me it’s a huge privilege.
There are moments when I understand what’s going on and I feel ready for the challenge, but sometimes I still think, ‘What am I even doing here?’ What’s happening now is very far from the days when I was karting.”
“I rang my mum as soon as I found out about the contract,” Hadjar said on the Talking Bull podcast. “She said she already knew because they called her before they called me. She’s my manager and knows more than I do.
Honestly, the contract with Red Bull Racing is so cool. I’m only 21, and I only started my career in formula racing in 2019, and now I’ve become the teammate of the best driver in Formula 1. For me it’s a huge privilege.
There are moments when I understand what’s going on and I feel ready for the challenge, but sometimes I still think, ‘What am I even doing here?’ What’s happening now is very far from the days when I was karting.”
Two days remain until the joint presentation of Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls in Detroit, at which both teams will unveil the cars' livery for the 2026 season.
The Red Bull Racing press office hinted at a possible color scheme for the cars of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. The team's social media posted a photo of David Coulthard testing behind the wheel of the very first Red Bull RB1 from 2005 with the caption "Remembering our first livery."
However, it should be noted that the livery shown in the picture was used only during the January tests in Valencia. At the February tests in Jerez the Red Bull Racing car had already been painted in more traditional dark-blue colors.
The Red Bull Racing press office hinted at a possible color scheme for the cars of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. The team's social media posted a photo of David Coulthard testing behind the wheel of the very first Red Bull RB1 from 2005 with the caption "Remembering our first livery."
However, it should be noted that the livery shown in the picture was used only during the January tests in Valencia. At the February tests in Jerez the Red Bull Racing car had already been painted in more traditional dark-blue colors.
From January 26 to 30, closed tests will be held in Barcelona where Formula 1 teams will, for the first time, work fully with their 2026 cars. According to the Italian press, several teams may miss the start of the tests. On the one hand, this should not be a serious problem, since of the five days of testing each team will be able to run on track for no more than three days. On the other hand, one or two teams will arrive at the tests later not because they are deliberately planning a flexible testing schedule, but because they physically cannot prepare their cars in time for the first day. Rumour has it that one of the leading teams is among them. Given that the press recently wrote about Ferrari falling behind in preparation for the season, it could well be that it is the Scuderia. Maranello is not commenting.
At the end of 2024 Nyck de Vries unexpectedly returned behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, conducting tests at the Paul Ricard circuit during which he drove the MCL36, McLaren's 2022 car. The British team were pleased with Nyck's work and signed a contract with him – last season de Vries was McLaren's test driver and worked on the simulator at the Woking base.
The Dutchman combined his Formula E commitments with this work, helping Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri choose car setups on race weekends.
According to GPBlog, the parties will continue their cooperation in 2026. Nyck will remain one of the drivers McLaren will rotate in to work on the simulator at Grand Prix events.
In 2026 Nyck de Vries will continue to race in Formula E for Mahindra Racing and in the FIA WEC behind the wheel of a Toyota.
The Dutchman combined his Formula E commitments with this work, helping Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri choose car setups on race weekends.
According to GPBlog, the parties will continue their cooperation in 2026. Nyck will remain one of the drivers McLaren will rotate in to work on the simulator at Grand Prix events.
In 2026 Nyck de Vries will continue to race in Formula E for Mahindra Racing and in the FIA WEC behind the wheel of a Toyota.
Mercedes has confirmed the race engineers for George Russell and Kimi Antonelli for the 2026 season.
As expected, there were no surprises. Marcus Dudley will continue to work with Russell, and Peter Bonnington will remain Antonelli's race engineer.
At the same time, Bonnington will continue to serve as the Mercedes team's chief race engineer.
As expected, there were no surprises. Marcus Dudley will continue to work with Russell, and Peter Bonnington will remain Antonelli's race engineer.
At the same time, Bonnington will continue to serve as the Mercedes team's chief race engineer.
Cadillac’s press office published on social media a render of the 2026 car in a special livery that the team will use during the January tests in Barcelona. Cadillac separately stressed that this is a temporary livery and that the final one for the debut season will be revealed on February 8. “The test livery is a temporary design variant that we are using in the car development process,” the Cadillac press office said. “It was created for learning, not for the debut. At this stage we are talking about an interim version of both the livery and the chassis, which will be intensively refined during the time remaining before the start of the season. The livery includes the names of the founders of the Cadillac Formula 1 team from the United States and the United Kingdom. The final livery will be revealed on February 8.”
We reported on the unpleasant story that befell the family of Jules Bianchi, a talented driver who died from the severe injuries he suffered at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.
In early January nine karts belonging to the Bianchi family, including the last kart Jules had driven, were stolen. However, today Philippe Bianchi, the driver’s father, said that his son’s kart has been found.
“I am very happy to confirm that Jules Bianchi’s kart has been found!” Philippe Bianchi wrote on social media. “It is a huge relief for our whole family.
A huge thank you to everyone who shared the information on social media, to the press who spread the news, and to the Brignoles gendarmerie for their efforts. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who made the return possible.
We still have to find several karts and a minibike, but thanks to all of you I very much hope we will succeed. Forever Jules!”
In early January nine karts belonging to the Bianchi family, including the last kart Jules had driven, were stolen. However, today Philippe Bianchi, the driver’s father, said that his son’s kart has been found.
“I am very happy to confirm that Jules Bianchi’s kart has been found!” Philippe Bianchi wrote on social media. “It is a huge relief for our whole family.
A huge thank you to everyone who shared the information on social media, to the press who spread the news, and to the Brignoles gendarmerie for their efforts. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who made the return possible.
We still have to find several karts and a minibike, but thanks to all of you I very much hope we will succeed. Forever Jules!”
Yuki Tsunoda has lost his seat at Red Bull Racing and will not be on the grid in 2026. However, the Japanese driver continues to enjoy Honda's support, and Koji Watanabe, president of Honda Racing Corporation, said that the company is negotiating with the Milton Keynes team about a contract for Yuki for this season.
"As for Tsunoda's contract for this year, negotiations are ongoing, but no concrete agreements have yet been reached," Koji Watanabe said. "Negotiations will continue in the future.
There are no problems on Honda's side. The question is more how Ford or Red Bull see the situation. Depending on the terms Red Bull offers, the scope of opportunities under which Honda can make use of Tsunoda will change. I believe such a scenario is possible.
We are negotiating not with Tsunoda, but with Red Bull."
"As for Tsunoda's contract for this year, negotiations are ongoing, but no concrete agreements have yet been reached," Koji Watanabe said. "Negotiations will continue in the future.
There are no problems on Honda's side. The question is more how Ford or Red Bull see the situation. Depending on the terms Red Bull offers, the scope of opportunities under which Honda can make use of Tsunoda will change. I believe such a scenario is possible.
We are negotiating not with Tsunoda, but with Red Bull."