Overview
- Media outlets including Sport Bild and The Times report Max Verstappen can exit after 2026 if he is not at least second by the summer break, with an easier trigger in 2027, though Verstappen has publicly said he plans to stay through 2028.
- Red Bull begins its in‑house power‑unit era with Ford, with the team set to launch its car in Detroit as it moves off Honda technology.
- Honda’s HRC president Koji Watanabe says negotiations over Yuki Tsunoda’s 2026 arrangement are ongoing with Red Bull and no concrete agreement has been reached.
- Private shakedown running is scheduled in Barcelona from January 26, followed by public testing in Bahrain in February before the March season opener in Melbourne.
- Helmut Marko, now a spectator, cautions that 2026’s rules could create larger performance gaps and suggests Mercedes may currently lead power‑unit development, while noting driver energy management will be more decisive.