Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

Be Selfish, Oscar: Hill’s Brutal Title Blueprint.
“Next year, if I were him, I’d be coming back saying, ‘Listen, I love the team, and it’s been great, but I have to think of myself. It’s my career…”
Jan 10, 2026
Alex Albuquerque
FastestLap.com

Damon Hill to Piastri: stop being the nice guy if you want that title. Oscar Piastri doesn’t need many lessons in racecraft. Speaking on the Drive to Wynn podcast, the 1996 world champion laid out a simple message for the McLaren driver heading into 2026: be selfish. “I think he probably felt the worst he was going to feel after Qatar,” Hill said, reflecting on McLaren’s strategic misstep under the lights that handed the upper hand to Verstappen at Losail. “He had some misfortune… and he’s lost out because of some decisions with McLaren, trying to be fair.”

The example that still stings? Monza. Piastri, then leading the standings after a commanding win in Zandvoort, was set for second behind Verstappen when a slow stop for Lando Norris shuffled the order. McLaren asked Piastri to hand the place back, citing team error. He did it. Verstappen chuckled about it on the radio. And the air went out of Piastri’s title run. From there the tide turned. A crash in Baku and a flat patch that followed left the Australian scrambling to rediscover the form that had carried him to a 34-point advantage over Norris with nine rounds left. He found it again late — strong drives in Qatar and Abu Dhabi — but not in time. Third in the championship wasn’t the script he’d been writing through the European summer. For Hill, those weekends should sharpen Piastri’s edges, not dull them.

“Wow,that’s quite a big thing to do, isn’t it, to give points away to a guy you could be fighting for the world championship?” Hill said of Monza. “He will probably look at that and go, ‘Well, maybe I won’t do that again.’” Hill’s advice for 2026 is blunt: put your own campaign first. “Next year, if I were him, I’d be coming back saying, ‘Listen, I love the team, and it’s been great, but I have to think of myself. It’s my career… If the situation arises and you ask me to return points to my teammate… I can’t afford to do that. I did it last year. That could have cost me the World Championship.’”

‘Stop being the nice guy’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/be-selfi...tle-blueprint/


Piastri put on the spot by Australian TV with Lando Norris question
28 Dec 2025
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

During the off-season, Piastri travelled home to Australia for the holidays. In an interview with Channel 7, Piastri was asked by the reporter: "Now, it’s just you and me. Is Lando a mate of yours? Good bloke?" Piastri answered with a smile: "No, he’s good, he’s good. We get on well. We work together well. But yeah, I think we’re going to be battling each other hopefully for championships for many years to come," he concluded.

Australian media’s past jabs at McLaren. Local media showed continuous support for their home hero Piastri throughout the season. In reports, they also took jabs at McLaren beginning with the Italian Grand Prix. In one segment, for example, the presenter concluded: "Let’s hope Oscar can do it next year… if McLaren don’t work against him."

‘Australian media’s past jabs at McLaren’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/piast...orris-question


Oscar Piastri “Hungry and Ready” After Title Miss Sets Sights on 2026
Dec 29, 2025
James Rees
F1 Chronicle

McLaren attributed much of Oscar Piastri’s downturn to struggles on low-grip circuits, while higher-grip tracks consistently played to his strengths. Despite the setback, Piastri believes the experience gained from fighting Norris and Max Verstappen has strengthened him heading into 2026.

“Just hungry and ready for it. I’m obviously looking forward to a couple of weeks just to chill out and not think about racing. But when we get back into it, there’s, there’s a lot of things to learn for next year, a lot of differences with the cars and the engines. So, you never quite know how you’re going to come out of the gate when there’s such a big change, but I think we’re confident in the people around us.”

“And yeah, for myself, I’ve really gained a lot of confidence from some of the things from this season that I can take forward to next year, regardless of whatever car we’ve got.” Piastri now turns his focus to applying those lessons as McLaren prepares for a new technical era and another title push.

“Hungry and Ready”;

https://f1chronicle.com/oscar-piastr.../?nowprocket=1


Did McLaren unconsciously favour Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri?
There was little to separate Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri throughout the 2025 F1 campaign.
8 Jan 2026
RacingNews365 Staff

McLaren asserted throughout the entire year that it was treating both drivers equally and providing identical chances to their pairing.

But former Alpine executive director Marcin Budkowski has suggested that McLaren may have unconscious bias within the team, which may have played against Piastri.

Certain decisions, including a controversial team order swap at the Italian Grand Prix, drew a lot of discussion from fans and pundits alike

‘McLaren may have unconscious bias within the team’;

https://racingnews365.com/did-mclare...-oscar-piastri


Ferrari 'plotting shock McLaren swoop' as Lewis Hamilton succession plan emerges
Fred Vasseur is reportedly monitoring the McLaren driver situation as Ferrari consider their 2027 options with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's futures uncertain
9 Jan 2026
Harry Smith
The Mirror

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur is reportedly monitoring the driver dynamics at McLaren to assess whether Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri might become available for the 2027 season. Zak Brown's gifted pair are being considered as potential replacements for Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc. Both Hamilton and Leclerc's long-term prospects are under scrutiny as the sport prepares for the inaugural season under fresh technical regulations in 2026, albeit for different reasons. The British driver has sparked retirement speculation amongst experts, though it's understood he possesses contractual options that could extend his Maranello stay through 2027.

Leclerc, meanwhile, is approaching his peak years and remains secured by a lengthy deal. Nevertheless, the Monaco native has been rumoured to be considering a move to Mercedes, and worryingly branded the 2026 campaign as "now or never" for his Ferrari team. According to Autosport Web Japan, Vasseur is closely watching developments at McLaren. Whilst both Norris and Piastri are bound by extended contracts, the Australian's circumstances could shift in 2026 following his failure to clinch the 2025 Drivers' Championship ahead of his teammate.

‘Fred Vasseur is reportedly monitoring the McLaren driver situation’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...ilton-36526532


Piastri reveals what he’ll ‘take forever’ from 2025 F1 season
02/01/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Oscar Piastri doesn’t talk like a driver licking his wounds. He talks like one who has been sharpened by them. “The amount of confidence that I found throughout the year, in myself and my own abilities, is something I can take forever.”

That self-belief was forged through pressure – through leading a championship, through expectation, and through the inevitable corrections that followed. Piastri is clear-eyed about where it went wrong, and just as clear about why it mattered.

“Definitely some things to work on, and [there were] a few moments that I probably wish I had again, and I'm sure the team think the same. But it's all going to make me stronger for the future, and we've got plenty more years of success to come, hopefully.”

‘Sharpened’;

https://f1i.com/news/557024-piastri-...f1-season.html


Piastri: 2026 F1 Will Be Chess at 200mph
Dec 27, 2025
Alex Albuquerque
FastestLap.com

Oscar Piastri spent part of the winter back in Melbourne, swapping pit walls for picket fences at the cricket, but his mind is already on 2026. And the McLaren driver thinks the next rules shake-up will hand drivers a bigger role in how races are won. Speaking to Fox Sports while home in Australia, Piastri said the incoming power unit era will ask different questions of the driver.

The cars will still look like Formula 1, he said, but the balance under the skin will shift. “It’ll still be an F1 car,” he noted, “but the engines are going to be very different — a lot more electrical power compared to the combustion engine. There’ll be a lot for us to get used to, things we’ve never had to do before in terms of managing that battery power.” That’s the heart of his point: energy management goes from a background task to something that can swing a fight. “There’ll be lots of places where you can make a difference as a driver, which should be exciting for the fans.”

Piastri has made a habit of thriving when the brief gets more complex. His racecraft’s neat, his decision-making’s tidy, and McLaren’s playbook has become progressively sharper. But he’s not sugarcoating what a full regulation reset does to pecking orders. “With a new ruleset, you never really know who nails it and who doesn’t,” he said. “Hopefully we’re one of the ones who nail it.”

‘Chess at 200mph’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/piastri-...ess-at-200mph/

[Fortitude]

Aston Martin bends knee to Adrian Newey F1 demand.
Last year, he dubbed the team’s driver-in-the-loop simulator “weak” and one that “needs a lot of work.”
11 Jan 2026
Anirban Aly Mandal
Motorsport Week

The combination of Adrian Newey and Honda was critical to Red Bull’s success in the ground-effect era. Stroll Sr. hopes to make it work for his team, too. Stroll Sr. has been quick to accede to his Team Principal’s demands, by hiring his former partner-in-crime Giles Wood, a highly-rated simulation technician.

To round this off, Aston Martin have also secured services of Marco Fainello – who has worked with Ferrari on its simulator. Heading into the private test at Barcelona, later this month, and the first race of the season in Melbourne, Stroll Sr. kept his cards close to his chest in terms of the expectations within the team and back at the factory.

“No one knows at this time of the year how everyone’s going to look in Melbourne,” he said. “For sure, we don’t have all the tools to be a top team, so there’s no hiding behind that, but time will tell how good we look. I think, for us, it’s exciting, going forward to the new regulations, with everyone coming on board, the new structure and all the people. We’re looking forward to it as a team.”

“Time will tell how good we look”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/...wey-f1-demand/


Honda have ‘growing concerns’ over 2026 engine as Lawrence Stroll personally bankrolls development
11 January 2026
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

The partnership between Aston Martin and Honda should be incredibly exciting for both parties, but before a wheel has even turned during pre-season testing, concerns are already emerging. After being a Mercedes customer engine team for some time, Aston Martin acquired exclusive rights to use Honda power units from 2026 onwards. There might be mixed feelings for star driver Fernando Alonso about linking up with Honda again after a disastrous partnership during his time at McLaren.

Alonso previously called Honda’s power unit an F2 engine, but the Japanese manufacturer went on to help Red Bull and Max Verstappen dominate the sport. Honda initially looked like they were going to pull out of Formula 1, with Red Bull seeking a partnership with Porsche before eventually teaming up with Ford going into 2026. Aston Martin convinced Honda to continue in the sport, but that U-turn might have set them back heading into F1’s new regulation set, despite chairman Lawrence Stroll throwing money at the problem.

“Honda can’t throw unlimited resources at the 2026 project. There’s an engine cost cap now, and this Honda arrangement is a bit more, shall we say, sensible than the success at any cost project that led to the Red Bull championship wins. It’s also been rumoured that the Lawrence Stroll Aston Martin side is bankrolling development, and Honda itself is more reluctant to spend excessively on F1.”

‘Lawrence Stroll personally bankrolls development’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/hon...s-development/


First look: New Honda power unit for the F1 2026 season
9 Jan 2026
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Aston Martin engine partner Honda has released the first images of its new power unit for the F1 2026 season. As reported by PlanetF1.com, Honda became the first 2026 engine manufacturer to publish audio footage of its 2026 power unit last month. And the marque has followed that up by revealing the first images of its new powertrain.

The first look at the new Honda power unit comes ahead of the Japanese marque officially launching its new engine later this month. As reported by PlanetF1.com last month, Honda will hold a rare engine-launch event in Tokyo on January 20. The event will fall six days before the start of F1’s first pre-season test in Barcelona, which is to be held behind closed doors.

The Aston Martin AMR26, driven by Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, is set to make its on-track debut at the Barcelona test, where teams will be permitted to take to the track on any three days between January 26 and January 30. Aston Martin will then hold an official launch for the AMR26 on February 9 ahead of the final two tests in Bahrain.

‘Honda has released the first images of its new power unit’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/honda-...-engine-images


Adrian Newey is copying one of Christian Horner’s ideas to create a ‘purge list’ at Aston Martin
8 January 2026
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

Adrian Newey has copied Christian Horner by hiring an internal mole at Aston Martin. A number of staff members have also been relieved of their duties at Aston Martin over the last few months, as Newey strives to weed out any weak links. That is according to Fanpage, which reports that Aston Martin have laid off several top-level figures and various engineers.

Newey is keen to streamline Aston Martin’s operation to concentrate their resources on the areas he feels need them most. The Briton has also copied one of the tactics that his former boss at Red Bull, Christian Horner, favoured by hiring an internal ‘mole’ to review their staff. The insider is producing detailed reviews about every aspect of Aston Martin’s setup, from their processes to team dynamics. Newey is using the reports to create a ‘purge list’, which now-former aerodynamics director Eric Baldin is the most high-profile casualty of thus far.

Stroll recognises that Aston Martin need more than just his fortune to become a successful F1 team. So, he has given Newey complete freedom to make any changes that can take the Silverstone natives from the middle of the pack to the very top in search of their first titles.

‘Purge list’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/adr...-aston-martin/


New Aston Martin clue as Adrian Newey finds agreement over F1 2026 ‘tools’
11 Jan 2026
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Lance Stroll has conceded that Aston Martin does not yet have “all the tools to be a top team” ahead of the launch of the new ARM26 car for the F1 2026 season. Asked about his gut feeling over where Aston Martin will be in the 2026 pecking order, he told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “It’s a big question mark for everybody.”

“No one knows at this time of the year how everyone’s going to look in Melbourne. For sure, we don’t have all the tools to be a top team, so there’s no hiding behind that, but time will tell how good we look. I think, for us, it’s exciting, going forward to the new regulations, with everyone coming on board, the new structure and all the people. We’re looking forward to it as a team.”
Asked directly by PlanetF1.com if Newey’s promotion to a senior role has applied more pressure on the team to perform, he added: “I think it’s just good for everyone because Adrian is just all about performance and winning. That’s what we’re here for, to be fast and competitive, and that’s what Adrian’s pushing everyone to be better at. Having Adrian around is only positive for everyone to push, everyone to be better and to make the car faster.”

“It’s a big question mark for everybody”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/aston-...clue-agreement


Lance Stroll dubbed ‘even sharper’ than Fernando Alonso in Aston Martin feedback analysis
8 Jan 2026
Lena Ferle
Motorsport Week

Aston Martin believes it has two drivers in Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso who are offering different but complementary strengths as the team prepares for Formula 1’s major reset in 2026. While the 2026 rules will introduce an entirely new generation of cars, Cardile said Alonso’s experience remains useful for Aston Martin when comparing similar concepts or behaviours.

“Among same generation of cars, he can help,” Cardile said. “He can help for being even more clear, so, ‘Guys, look back when I drove that car in that specific corner, with memory, that car I felt was better’. Then it’s up to us to understand what better is, which characteristic he liked the most. He has a very good memory. He’s a smart guy.”

According to Cardile, Lance Stroll speaks less, but his feedback is highly focused. “He’s a very talented guy,” Cardile said. “He talks less than Fernando, perhaps he is even sharper than Fernando, or [what] Fernando says. The nice thing for us is they are pretty much aligned, which is, I would say simplifying, but simplifying our life, because we are receiving comments which are along the same side. They have a different sensibility on different aspects of the driving, but they are just the details.”

‘Offering different but complementary strengths’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/...back-analysis/

[Fortitude]

Red Bull have now strengthened in one area that could make Max Verstappen a title favourite in 2026.
Red Bull understand where part of their success has come from, and a recruitment drive to bring key staff from previous engine suppliers Honda, could be the difference between Verstappen winning and losing the title.
12 January 2026
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Red Bull hiring Honda engineers could be the key to Max Verstappen winning the 2026 title. Red Bull Powertrains have left Martin Brundle impressed in the past, but it will only be when Verstappen’s new car takes to the track in Barcelona, Bahrain and then Melbourne that anyone will know how their hybrid engine stacks up against the competition.

A report from Motorsport has shared more details about the work going on behind the scenes at Red Bull to compete with their rivals. The reports state that Red Bull have ‘recruited’ from Honda and Mercedes to try and bring together as much knowledge as possible from their rivals.

This might have already had an impact, with Mercedes and Red Bull accused of finding an engine loophole that could give them an advantage over the competition. Verstappen has previously been extremely complimentary about Honda, as they have powered all four of his world championships, and he paid tribute to them after his win at the Japanese Grand Prix last year.

‘A recruitment drive’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/features...urite-in-2026/


Damon Hill explains why his ‘guts’ are telling him Max Verstappen is in no rush to leave Red Bull
12 January 2026
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Red Bull Racing know that producing a competitive car is incredibly important for the short and long-term future of the team. For the first time since 2021, Max Verstappen will go into an F1 campaign without the number one on his car. Damon Hill’s ‘guts’ tell him Max Verstappen is very happy staying at Red Bull. Hill was speaking about Verstappen’s situation on the Stay on Track Podcast, and he explained: “So I suppose a big question then is, Max, can he win? Our Red Bull up for it?”

“Have they been decimated by the loss of so many key personnel over the last 18 months or so? Adrian [Newey], Christian Horner. I mean, you’ve got Jonathan Wheatley who’s gone off to Audi. Helmut Marko is gone as well. And they’ve lost one or two other key people as well. The team has been stripped of some fairly major personalities, but the ball kept rolling.”

“I mean, they kept the fight up to the end. So something is still there that is making Red Bull a very effective fighting force. So I think, my guts are telling me, that team has still got what it takes. And I think Max would be making more noise. He would be unhappy. And he doesn’t seem to me to be unhappy. No, he didn’t finish 2025 unhappy. And what he said was, at the end, I think we should be proud of ourselves. I know he came second, but we fought brilliantly. He was lifting the team up.”

“The ball kept rolling”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/dam...eave-red-bull/


Max Verstappen future pressure addressed by senior Ford figure
Ford has returned to Formula 1 after over two decades away, in the form of a technical partnership with Red Bull for the new power unit regulations.
13 January 2026
Nick Golding
RacingNews365

Ford Performance director Mark Rushbrook has addressed the uncertain future of Max Verstappen and whether it adds pressure to the American manufacturer’s partnership with Red Bull getting off to a strong start. For the first time in its history, Red Bull — with technical support from Ford — is producing its own power unit, placing it in direct engine competition with Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda and Audi.

"As racers, we always want to win, right?" Rushbrook told Motorsport Italy. "So it’s important to get out there and perform. We know 2026 will be a challenging year for everyone in the paddock due to the new rules. And regardless of the driver, it’s crucial that the team delivers."

Red Bull and Ford cannot afford a poor start to the new regulations if they are to challenge for the drivers’ and constructors’ titles, placing immediate pressure on performance. That is without even taking Verstappen’s uncertain future into account — something Rushbrook is keen to distance himself from. "My comments are independent of Max," he said. "We want to go out there with the intention of winning."

“It’s crucial that the team delivers";

https://racingnews365.com/max-versta...or-ford-figure


Max Verstappen suggests Oscar Piastri sold his ‘soul’ by listening to McLaren team orders
13 January 2026
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen has weighed in on the McLaren team orders that dominated the front of the grid during the 2025 Formula 1 season. When Piastri won the Dutch Grand Prix from Red Bull star Max Verstappen, he was 34 points clear of Lando Norris and had a three-figure advantage over the Dutchman.

Piastri’s camp was left upset in Monza, when a slow pit stop for Norris saw him asked to give a position back that created a six-point swing in the British driver’s favour. Norris then received no instructions to hand a place back to Piastri in Singapore despite making contact with his teammate to complete an overtake on the opening lap. McLaren then decided not to split their strategies in Qatar, costing the 24-year-old the victory he needed to keep his faint championship hopes alive.

In an interview with Blick, Verstappen was asked if he would have let Norris go if he was asked to by McLaren in Piastri’s situation and said: “Certainly not. If you do that even once without a clear reason, you’ve sold your soul. The team can then do whatever they want with you. And let’s not forget: Piastri was right in the middle of the title fight.” On top of this, he was asked about comments where he suggested he would have won the championship far earlier if he were in a McLaren in 2025, and continued: “That’s true. But I never actually interfere in my opponents’ internal problems. I can always give them a fighting answer on the track.”

“You’ve sold your soul”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/max...n-team-orders/


Isack Hadjar reveals what he’s desperate to learn from Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2026
12 January 2026
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Isack Hadjar says being Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate is a ‘huge privilege’. Hadjar was asked on the Talking Bull podcast how it feels to be driving alongside Verstappen in 2026, and he simply replied: “So cool! I’m just 21 years old, I started in single-seaters in 2019, and I get to be teammates with the best driver on the grid.”

“It’s a huge privilege. Ahead of 2026, [I’ve] not really [spoken to him]. But I think the driver’s parade is the right time to go and have good chats with him, but he’s a very nice dude.” The Frenchman was then asked if there was anything he looked at in Verstappen that he needed to work on, and Hadjar continued: “Why did he finish so close to being world champion without the best car? “There’s been races where there’s very tricky conditions, and he’s always going to be here.”

“When conditions are a bit difficult, he’s there, and also his ability to just… he always turns up in Q3, he always goes and finds more lap time. If there’s like a single opportunity, if there’s a scenario out of 10 million, there’s only one where he’s going to win the race, he’ll win the race. You can really feel that once he goes in the car, you can tell there’s a mix of his natural ability, and you can tell that his 11 years of F1 are paying off. He goes in, and I just feel like he drives this F1 car like a go-kart, that’s the difference.”

‘Huge privilege’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/isa...-bull-in-2026/


Why Isack Hadjar’s mum was first to know about his Red Bull F1 drive
Isack Hadjar's mum knew that her son would be a Red Bull F1 driver before he did.
13 Jan 2026
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Speaking in his first interview as a Red Bull driver, Hadjar explained how he found out the news and revealed that his mother Randa, an HR director who also acts as his manager, was informed before him. "I just called my mum," he told Red Bull’s in-house Talking Bull podcast. "She said that she actually got the phone call before I had it. She knew. Because she's my manager and she knows more than I do.”

Hadjar admitted he still has moments of disbelief as he prepares to contest his first F1 season at the Red Bull senior team. "There are moments where I do realise what's happening and I'm up for the challenge and sometimes like, 'What the hell am I doing here?’” Hadjar said. "It's so far away from my go-kart days. I'm like, 'Why me? How did I get chosen?’”

‘Moments of disbelief’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/108841...eammate-he-did