Overview
- Teams will conduct a closed-door shakedown at Barcelona on January 26–30, followed by two official Bahrain tests on February 11–13 and 18–20 before the Melbourne season opener in early March.
- Launch dates are set: Red Bull and Racing Bull on January 15 in Detroit; Audi on January 20 in Berlin; Ferrari, Alpine and Haas on January 23; Cadillac on February 8 in Santa Clara; Aston Martin on February 9.
- Branding shifts continue, with Red Bull and Mercedes updating their logos and Haas adding Toyota Gazoo Racing initials, after earlier changes at Williams and McLaren.
- Red Bull has promoted Isack Hadjar to partner Max Verstappen for 2026, while Alpine’s Franco Colapinto readies for the January 23 A526 unveiling in Barcelona and the ensuing private test with Mercedes power.
- Aston Martin technical director Enrico Cardile underlines a push for an independent identity built on new wind-tunnel and simulator capabilities, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc calls the 50/50 hybrid balance “strange” in early simulator running.