Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

Everything making Mercedes' F1 2026 start so ominous.
Mercedes left Barcelona with such a positive feeling. The car reacted as it expected, the aerodynamic performance being measured on the car tallies with what is being seen in simulations, how the car handles on track is broadly the same as in the virtual world – Kimi Antonelli said it was actually “quite a bit better” than on the simulator.
Feb 4, 2026
Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race

The initial evidence and impressions of Formula 1’s blurry emerging 2026 picture point to Mercedes making an ominous start that includes avoiding a problem that plagued it during the ground-effect era. George Russell said this correlation overall is better than anything Mercedes has had since its last title-winning season in 2021.

“The car reacted as we anticipated,” he said. “The numbers we're seeing from the aero on the car match what we see back on the simulator. How the car is handling is matching how it feels on the simulator. This is something we've not really experienced since 2021 as a team. We're sort of ticking the boxes of everything that we want to tick.”

George Russell’s implication from saying he was “pushing the boundaries of the car” from the very start is that he was doing enough early on to clock any initial vices and most importantly any big discrepancies with all of Mercedes’ preparations back at base. And that’s not happened yet, which may be enough to be confident that the particular difficulties of that phase are behind the team and it is now going to get the benefit of all of the work and the digging into the tools to actually make them better.

‘“Quite a bit better” than on the simulator’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/e...rt-so-ominous/


Brundle flags one F1 team that has hit the sweet spot after Barcelona testing
3 Feb 2026
Samson Ero
GPblog.com

Martin Brundle believes the Mercedes team have put together a strong and cohesive package with its 2026 car. The former F1 driver turned pundit expressed his belief that the Brackley-based team appears to have mastered the new regulations. However, Brundle was quick to temper expectations, stressing that the true test will come under proper race conditions.

"Clearly, they look like they've sort of aced this completely different set of regulations. But we need to see what it's like on normal track temperatures. It's going to be about power regeneration and filling their battery back up, but of course, they'll regen as well as any other Mercedes-powered car, probably a Ferrari-powered car too,” Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports column.

"You might have a car that just fires its tyres up brilliantly on a cold day and then overheats them on a hot day, which is a problem we've seen Mercedes have before,” he added. "I do think we need to stay calm on it, but you can't ignore the relentless pace and reliability that they've shown. So, clearly, they've got a really good, cohesive package. It’s too early to judge any team’s concept, but I think Mercedes have found the sweet spot in the very early stages of F1's new era.”

‘Strong and cohesive package’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/brund...celona-testing


George Russell pinned as title favourite: 'He's ready to be world champion'
George Russell is quickly emerging as many people's favourite for a maiden F1 drivers' title in 2026.
3 February 2026
Nick Golding
RacingNews365

Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok has pinned George Russell as the favourite for the 2026 drivers’ title, believing that the Briton is "ready to be world champion". Asked on talkSPORT if Russell is the title favourite, Chandhok replied: "Yes, I believe he’s the favourite, in my book anyway, for the world championship.”

"Because we’ve got this big rule change, I think having a team where the engine power unit side and the chassis side are so integrated will be key to success. Now, Ferrari and Mercedes are the two teams that have that, along with Red Bull and Audi. But Red Bull and Audi are brand-new power unit companies, so I think you have to cut them a bit of slack and give them some time.”

"But I think Mercedes and Ferrari, with that integrated structure, have got to have an advantage at the beginning of a rule cycle. So, to me, George Russell — in my opinion — was the second-best driver in F1 last year after Max Verstappen. He had an outstanding season. I think he’s ready to be a championship contender if the car’s capable of it. I think he’s ready to be world champion."

“George Russell — in my opinion — was the second-best driver in F1 last year after Max Verstappen”;

https://racingnews365.com/george-rus...2026-f1-season


Antonelli embraces Russell battle in bid to repeat Hamilton’s success
2 Feb 2026
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Kimi Antonelli hopes to fight for the world title, something he says would be especially enjoyable against his teammate George Russell. "That's absolutely the goal. It is to win and to eventually fight for the world championship. I mean, that's absolutely the goal. It is to win and to eventually fight for the world championship," the young Italian driver said while answering GPblog's question in a session with a select group of media.

Towards the end of the season, his teammate, George Russell, repeatedly declared that he was ready to finally battle for the world title. According to many, Mercedes is also the favourite heading into the 2026 campaign. The young Italian added: "George is very, very strong and definitely is ready to fight for a championship and is one of the benchmarks on the grid. So I think it's going to be quite fun, especially competing with him. And so, yes, really looking forward to it."

"That's absolutely the goal. It is to win and to eventually fight for the world championship”;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/anton...es-lofty-goals


Russell tips Antonelli for major step forward heading into 2026
2 Feb 2026
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

George Russell has spoken about what he expects from his teammate Kimi Antonelli as he heads into his second season with Mercedes. “Kimi very much falls into the category of a future top-class driver, and there’s no doubt he’ll take another step forward this year compared to last” - George Russell

The Briton, speaking to GPblog among other media, voiced strong confidence in the young Italian, describing Antonelli as one of the standout talents to watch in the future of Formula 1.
“I expect Kimi to really step things up this year,” he said. “He’s clearly a driver with huge potential, and you only have to look at the progress Oscar made over his time in Formula 1 to see how quickly someone can reach a very high level”

“I’ve always had a great deal of respect for Kimi, and I expect him to push me throughout the season. That said, I believe in myself. I believe I can beat anyone on this grid, and I’m working extremely hard to make that happen. I wouldn’t be intimidated by being teammates with anyone.” Russell finally added: “Kimi very much falls into the category of a future top-class driver, and there’s no doubt he’ll take another step forward this year compared to last.”

“Kimi very much falls into the category of a future top-class driver”;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/russe...ding-into-2026


George Russell wary of 'sexy' Aston Martin after 'spectacular' Adrian Newey influence
Has Adrian Newey found a sweet spot with his first Aston Martin design? It certainly raised eyebrows in Barcelona.
3 February 2026
Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

George Russell has conceded to being wary of Adrian Newey's "pretty spectacular" debut car with Aston Martin, but has warned that F1's new era is not about the sexiest design. "The Aston Martin was probably the most standout in terms of the car design," said Russell, speaking to select media, including RacingNews365.

"I think everybody was looking at that rear suspension, and obviously, visually it looks very impressive, but it's not a competition of how sexy it is. It's a competition of how fast it goes around the track. People always look towards the fastest car, and we'll find that out in Melbourne. Whoever that is, that will be the car that you wish to try and take inspiration from."

‘George Russell has conceded to being wary of Adrian Newey's "pretty spectacular" debut car’;

https://racingnews365.com/george-rus...ewey-influence

[Fortitude]

Williams becomes final team to run its 2026 F1 car on track.
Williams completed this run as part of its 'promotional filming day' allowance. It will complete a second such filming day in Bahrain on February 10, a day before the first official pre-season test starts.
04 Feb 2026
Jack Cozens
The Race

Williams has now run the full FW48 on track in a shakedown at Silverstone. Race drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz both got to drive the car, which ran in the fan-chosen livery that will be used at the upcoming Bahrain pre-season tests.

More on Williams's pre season so far;
• How much did Williams really lose from missing first F1 test?
• Zero-rods? Williams's unusual 2026 F1 showcar explained
• Williams reveals livery for late 2026 F1 car that's 'most complex' yet
• Williams promises 'different' front suspension, but not as extreme as Newey
• What latest 'painful' F1 car delay has exposed about Vowles' Williams
• Video: What late 2026 F1 car has exposed about Williams

Prior to its Silverstone shakedown run, Williams did complete a virtual track test (VTT) programme in lieu of being at Barcelona. This involved "most of the physical car", according to team principal James Vowles, which included "the chassis, the engine, the gearbox" but did not have its "wings bolted to it".

‘Final team to run its 2026 F1 car’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/w...e-2026-f1-car/


James Vowles and Alex Albon react to first 2026 Williams run after avoiding embarrassing scenario
5 February 2026
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

How Williams avoided a ‘highly embarrassing’ no-show at the Barcelona shakedown. Journalist Chris Medland was speaking on the RACER Weekly Podcast about Williams’ start to 2026.
He shared what sources within the team were telling him about not making it to Spain and explained:

“I was told when they announced that they weren’t going to be in Barcelona that the only crash test that they hadn’t yet passed was to do with the nose box and that actually there was a way of them manufacturing a compromise, but then that was at cost that might still not be fully ready and pass the test until you’d actually done it. And he would then have sent the whole team out to Barcelona to get ready and have personnel there waiting for the car to show up and build the garage and everything like that.”

“And then maybe still not make it, which would be highly embarrassing, but be costly. This is the cost cap era. You can’t just keep throwing money at things that aren’t actually going to happen. So they then decided, well, we’ve still got two more tests. We’ve still got at that point over two weeks until Bahrain. If you spend that whole time just focusing on Bahrain rather than scrambling to get to Barcelona, maybe you can do a bit more work on engineering and development and improve the car.”

'Reaction';

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/jam...sing-scenario/


James Vowles dismisses Williams 2026 title hopes as ‘not realistic’
Feb 05, 2026
The Straits Times

“Our expectation is that 2025 set the baseline. P5 is where I want us to be at our base, and we nudge forward from there,” British Formula One team Williams Team Principal James Vowles said. “But it’s exponentially harder, in my experience, being P4, and exponentially harder being P3, P2, P1. And I think with what you can see at the moment, the journey to P2, P1 is simply not on the cards for 2026. We have work to do. But do I expect that, as a baseline, we perform at least where we were last year? Yes.”

Williams won the last of their nine constructors’ titles in 1997 when Jacques Villeneuve also won the drivers’ world championship. Vowles is confident that the long-term planning is there to return to the glory days. “Am I confident we as a business have made a step forward from 2025 to 2026 in the way we’re working? Absolutely,” he added.

“There’s some elements of the car that are really quite impressive. Not all of it, but elements of it. Are we at championship level today? No. But I’m confident the way we are going about this will allow us to catch up in the time frame. I will always invest in our future... The decisions that we made in 2025 were the right ones to make sure we forward invest in this team.”

“P5 is where I want us to be at our base”;

https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/f...-not-realistic


Williams cut through speculated FW48 rumour with hard facts
4 Feb 2026
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

Williams FW48 is already running very close to the 2026 minimum weight limit according to the technical data, contrary to earlier speculation. “In terms of weight, until there are two race cars built to the correct specification going forward, it’s hard to comment on that”
- James Vowles.

“But even so, in that regard, your question was: does that stop you being competitive right now? “No one knows – and I really do mean no one – what the pecking order is, especially ourselves as we haven’t been on track, so it’s hard for me to answer that question.”

‘Hard facts’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/willi...f-on-the-table


Williams missed test to be competitive says Vowles
FEBRUARY 4, 2026
GrandPrix.com

Williams team boss James Vowles has defended the decision to miss the entire Barcelona shakedown week, insisting delaying the FW48 was painful but necessary as the team prioritises competitiveness. “I wish we hadn't had to confront it so aggressively to discover all the weaknesses,” he admitted.

“But if we'd known the limitations of our processes - how we communicate, how we move pieces within the company - we would have changed the programme earlier. hat pleases me, in a strange way, is that if you avoid a problem, it doesn't hurt enough to dig deep and fix it. This won't happen again. You have to let the pain of failure drive change.”

“The decisions made in 2025 were the right ones - investing upstream for 2026”, he explained. “Have we made a significant leap from 2025 to 2026? Absolutely. Some elements of the car are truly impressive. Are we at championship level today? No. He was equally clear about tempering expectations even for next year. “World champion in 2027 is not realistic,” Vowles said bluntly.

“To be competitive”;

https://www.grandprix.com/news/willi...ys-vowles.html


First look: Williams FW48 hits the track in F1 2026 shakedown at Silverstone
4 Feb 2026
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Williams later confirmed that Sainz and Albon shared driving duties at Silverstone, with the team planning to use a second filming day in Bahrain on February 10 – 24 hours before the start of the second pre-season test in Sakhir.

Speaking to PlanetF1.com and other select media outlets last week, Williams team principal James Vowles insisted that the team could have made Barcelona testing. However, concerns over spare parts at the start of the season led to the “incredibly painful” decision to miss the shakedown.

‘FW48 hits the track’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/willia...wn-silverstone


Williams’ FW48 Turns First Laps at Silverstone in Fan Chosen ‘Flow State’ Livery
4 Feb 2026
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

The ‘Flow State’ livery was selected from six competing concepts as part of the team’s ‘Your Livery’ initiative, which drew almost 55,000 votes from fans across 162 countries over a seven day period in December. The project forms part of Williams’ broader commitment to bringing fans closer to the sport through digital engagement and live activations.

Team Principal James Vowles described the day as a significant milestone for the organisation. “This was a milestone day for us and it is always a very proud moment to see a new car on track for the first time,” he said. “The team has absolutely pulled together under the pressure of the situation and delivered a car today for a planned promotional filming day here at Silverstone.”

"We were able to understand more about our package in preparation for Bahrain next week, and Carlos and Alex were able to provide some positive feedback to direct us, while also identifying some minor issues for us to clean up between now and then. The push isn't over yet – this is just the beginning and there is more in front of us.”

‘Williams’ FW48’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/28207

[Fortitude]

Key voices at Mercedes want to ‘get rid’ of world champions McLaren as an engine customer.
“There are voices in Stuttgart saying that ‘we actually have to get rid of them so that we can become world champions again.” F1-Insider’s Ralf Bach.
8 January 2026
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

According to F1-Insider’s Ralf Bach, some at the Mercedes HQ in Stuttgart are pushing for the F1 team to split with McLaren when the current contract concludes. There is a feeling that McLaren are standing in the way of Mercedes ‘becoming world champions again’. The HPP division has been regarded as the benchmark since the start of the turbo/hybrid era in 2014 and is widely believed to have built the best engine for the 2026 regulations.

If McLaren outclass Mercedes in the aerodynamics department, the horsepower advantage over the rest of the field may count for little. “How long can Mercedes afford to keep supplying McLaren?” Bach asked. “They also have the Mercedes engine. There are voices in Stuttgart saying that ‘we actually have to get rid of them so that we can become world champions again.” Toto Wolff has indicated that Mercedes plan to cut down the number of teams they supply in the next rules cycle, which will begin in 2030.

‘Voices in Stuttgart’.

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/key...gine-customer/


Zak Brown outlines how Red Bull ‘pleasantly surprised’ him during 2026 Barcelona shakedown
5 February 2026
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer

Zak Brown was left ‘pleasantly surprised’ by Red Bull’s progress with their 2026 engine. The Milton Keynes outfit are entering a new era in 2026, becoming a power unit supplier for the first time in their history. Red Bull have come a long way to get the engine up and running, leaving many to wonder where they will end up on the grid.

Talking about the shakedown in a media press conference, via journalist David Land’s YouTube channel, Zak Brown said: “So early to tell, but it kind of looks like the usual suspects, but too hard to tell in what order. The Red Bull engine was very strong. I think everyone was, let’s say, pleasantly surprised. I’d rather them not be as competitive! But, impressed with what they’ve done because they came out, they did a lot of miles and they seem to be very competitive.”

“Bull engine was very strong”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/zak...ona-shakedown/


Lando Norris says 2026 F1 cars ‘feel like F2 in some ways’
Reigning F1 champion Lando Norris gives his feedback on the new 2026 cars
5 Feb 2026
Lewis Duncan
Crash.Net

Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris admits the 2026 machines “feel like an F2 car in some ways”, which “I don’t know if I like that or not”. The 2026 F1 season marks the first of its radical new car regulations, with the ground effect machinery replaced by smaller and lighter ones.

“It certainly feels like an F2 car in some ways with how you have to drive it,” he said, talking about the challenges facing the teams and drivers coming into 2026. “I don’t know if I like that or not for the time being. But I think we understood quite a few things already from Barcelona on how you had to drive the car, but Barcelona, you’re talking about fourth-gear corners, third-gear corners, quite open, quite wide.”

“And when you get to a street track or bumpier tracks, slower tracks, that’s a question we’re yet to answer. And Bahrain will answer some of those questions. It will be a learning curve. But I have strong confidence in myself and strong confidence in my team. But it will be a learning curve for both of us as it will for everyone on the grid.”

‘2026 machines feel like an F2 car’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/108896...l-f2-some-ways


Lando Norris issues sarcastic response when told George Russell is favourite for the 2026 F1 title
5 February 2026
Ashley Hambly
F1 Oversteer

Martin Brundle believes Russell will fancy his chances of securing a maiden title this season, and according to Sky Sports F1’s Craig Slater, the British driver is the ‘bookmaker’s favourite’. When asked for his thoughts on this by Slater during an interview at McLaren’s Woking-based headquarters, Norris couldn’t help but laugh.

He sarcastically responded to the journalist with, “He is the massive favourite, to be honest with you. I completely agree with the bookmakers.” Mercedes are regarded as the benchmark in the upcoming season largely due to their impressive reliability at last week’s shakedown in Barcelona.

“I completely agree with the bookmakers”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/lan...2026-f1-title/


‘You’re going to see more chaos in races where…’: Formula One champion Lando Norris on new rules in F1
5 Feb 2026
Express News Service
Indian Express

The defending champion Lando Norris spoke about how the driver’s main challenge will be battery management as well as knowing how to utilise the battery energy. “The biggest challenge at the minute is battery management and knowing how to utilise that in the best way. It’s not simple. You can explain it in quite simple terms. It’s just that you have a very powerful battery that doesn’t last very long, so knowing how to use it at the right times, how much energy, how much of that power you use, how you split it up around the lap…”

“The biggest challenge is how you can recover the batteries as well as possible, and that’s when it comes down to using the gears, hitting the right revs. Obviously, you’ve got some turbo lag now, which we’ve never really had before. All of these little things have crept back in, but I don’t think that changes too much. In a perfect world, I probably wouldn’t have [all] that in a race car, but it’s just F1. Sometimes you have these different challenges,” said Norris.

‘More chaos in races’;

https://indianexpress.com/article/sp...haos-10515988/


Norris demands to be 'punched' on one condition after life-changing success
5 Feb 2026
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Lando Norris wants to be reminded of his 2025 title if he is not smiling this year. He said: "I still have many more years in Formula 1 and I will still try and get as many more championships as possible. If I never do, I'm still happy. If you ever see me not smiling or something, just punch me or something, Remind me. I achieved my goal in life and I'm very happy, I'm proud. That's something I'll always take with me."

"I still achieved one. The 20 years I spent from starting karting to last year, trying to achieve what I achieved and what we all achieved as a team and my group and my family, what we achieved last year... So it's a lot of time and effort and singular focus and then it's done. I guess not many people in life get to achieve that end goal or their life goal, but that was it."

‘If he is not smiling this year’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/norri...anging-success


Why Lando Norris isn’t worried by rival innovations in F1 2026
5 Feb 2026
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Reigning World Champion Norris says the teams have to accept that someone has done a better job and then set about reeling them in. “There’s always that element of looking at others, that’s also just part of the sport,” he told F1TV during the Barcelona shakedown. “You look at others, see what other great minds have come up with, what ideas they’ve come up with, see how you can learn from it, incorporate it, avoid it, whatever it may be.”

“You always have to be willing to accept that sometimes people can do a better job and you want to learn from them. I’m happy with the team’s efforts and everything we’ve done so far this year, but yeah, it’s going to be a long year, so we’ll keep working hard, we’ll make sure everyone’s happy and take it from there.”

“Sometimes people can do a better job”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-202...al-innovations