Overview
- Haas released digital renders of its VF‑26, becoming the first team to show a 2026 car built to the smaller, lighter rules as private shakedowns in Barcelona begin next week.
- The FIA will meet power‑unit manufacturers on January 22 to address reports of a potential engine loophole, with speculation suggesting a modest horsepower gain could be at stake.
- Max Verstappen said it is impossible to know the competitive order before running and added he would consider walking away from F1 only if the new rules proved deeply unsatisfactory.
- Red Bull’s Laurent Mekies vowed an “incredibly high” development rate on chassis and the team’s first in‑house Ford‑assisted power unit, while PU chief Ben Hodgkinson argued aero and chassis resets pose the bigger 2026 risk than engine differences.
- Helmut Marko forecast wider gaps under the new rules and tipped a Mercedes‑powered driver as a likely champion, as teams prepare for Barcelona running on January 26–30 followed by two Bahrain tests in February.