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Franco Colapinto's main sponsor disappears at Alpine
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Franco Colapinto's main sponsor disappears at Alpine

Mercado Libre, one of Franco Colapinto's main sponsors which has played a key role in the driver's F1 career in recent years, has disappeared from Alpine's sponsorship portfolio.   Although Alpine has extended the Argentine driver's contract until 2026, this year's A526 race car was unveiled without the e-commerce giant's logo.  The company, which remains in close alliance with Colapinto, is not listed among the team's partners on its website, and its disappearance is surprising and raises questions. When Alpine renewed Colapinto's contract, all signs pointed to a guaranteed continuation between the team and the company that strongly supports the driver.  The importance of the partnership was also illustrated by the fact that the team dressed its race car in special colours on three occasions last year: at the US Grand Prix, the Mexican Grand Prix, and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Regarding Mercado Libre's disappearance, sources have informed RacingNews365 that the Argentine company is currently rethinking its partnerships and its entire F1 presence.  The company has changed its strategy and is working on diversifying its sponsorship activities to increase its visibility in Latin American regions outside Argentina.  In line with this, they are no longer focusing exclusively on one driver, and the first signs of this are already visible. On January 19, the company's Brazilian subsidiary, operating under the name Mercado Livre, announced that it would be joining Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto as a sponsor.  The Mercado Libre logo also appeared on the helmet of Sergio Perez, who is returning with Cadillac, at the Barcelona test. The Mexican driver already featured the company on his non-final helmet design for the test period, and according to our information, the announcement of the agreement could come in a matter of days. Alpine partnership still possible RacingNews365 understands that a continuation between the company and Alpine is still possible.  Behind the scenes, negotiations are slowly but surely underway for Mercado Libre to remain a partner of the team, which will now be powered by Mercedes and, based on the Barcelona shakedown, is looking at a much better season than last year.  It is not yet known when an agreement will be reached, but it is clear that the issue is becoming increasingly pressing in Argentina. Since Colapinto made his debut in F1, it has become very clear just how passionately Argentinians support their local driver and the sport itself.  Fans are present in large numbers all over the world, and the Argentine soccer jersey has become an indispensable accessory at F1 grand prix races - so it is not surprising that the situation surrounding the driver's main sponsor and team is causing serious concern among Argentine fanatics.  The Latin American country's press and social media have been in turmoil over the issue for days: fans fear that the current situation could adversely affect their favourite driver, just when the team needs stability as it targets progress up the grid.

Aston Martin bolster F1 line-up with two driver extensions
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Aston Martin bolster F1 line-up with two driver extensions

Aston Martin has announced it is continuing its collaboration with Stoffel Vandoorne and Jak Crawford this year. Vandoorne, a former F1 driver for McLaren, has carried out reserve driver duties at Aston Martin over the last several years. His most recent outing with the team came at the end of year test from Abu Dhabi in 2025. The Belgian driver will be on hand to take over driving duties should Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll be unavailable during the year. Jak Crawford, a former member of the Red Bull junior team, joined up with Aston Martin in 2024. The American will remain in the position of third driver this year. Crawford had two free practice outings with the Silverstone-based squad in 2025 before partaking in the season-ending young driver's test. https://x.com/AstonMartinF1/status/2016089019889729594 Momentum continues. Together. Stoffel will remain in his role as Simulator, Test and Reserve Driver in 2026, while Jak continues as the team’s Third Driver. pic.twitter.com/jr62p97i0w — Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) January 27, 2026

Aston Martin reveal Barcelona F1 test plan after delay fears
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Aston Martin reveal Barcelona F1 test plan after delay fears

Aston Martin has confirmed that it will not complete three days of running at this week’s official shakedown test in Barcelona. RacingNews365 discovered last week that the Silverstone-based team was facing potential delays with its AMR26, which will not be seen on track until the latter stages of the test. Aston Martin revealed in a statement that it will be at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this week but will not run until Thursday at the earliest, with the intention of also running on Friday. This means that only two days of running at best will be conducted by the British outfit, despite three being allowed for each team. An Aston Martin statement read: "The AMR26 will be in Barcelona later this week for its shakedown. Our intention is to run Thursday and Friday." https://x.com/AstonMartinF1/status/2015813301482008616?s=20 An update on Barcelona Shakedown. pic.twitter.com/dm9IWh2d32 — Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) January 26, 2026

First three teams hit track in F1 2026 pre-season testing
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First three teams hit track in F1 2026 pre-season testing

On-track action for the 2026 F1 season began on Monday morning as the green flag was waved at the end of the pit lane in Barcelona. All F1 teams bar Williams are set up in the Spanish paddock as part of the first pre-season test of the year this week. Held over five days, each team allocates three days in which they will take to the track where they are free to conduct as much running as they like. The outing got underway on Monday, with Mercedes being the first team out on the track. The Brackley-based squad was closely followed by Audi who is embarking on its debut F1 season. Finally, Alpine made it onto the circuit to complete the first trio of teams to get the year underway. See the video of the three cars emerging from the pit lane below! https://twitter.com/F1/status/2015710762925174995 And the 2026 Shakedown is under way... 👀 Three teams waste no time in taking to the track! #F1 pic.twitter.com/nGNiHns8cs — Formula 1 (@F1) January 26, 2026

Former Mercedes chief reacts to alleged F1 engine trick
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Former Mercedes chief reacts to alleged F1 engine trick

Former Mercedes engine guru Andy Cowell has offered his reaction to the alleged compression ratio trick the team has developed. Over the winter, it was reported that Mercedes High Performance Powertrains, of which Cowell was the director when the turbo hybrids were first developed for 2014, had engineered a solution to allow it to run a higher compression ratio for the new 2026 engines. The rules dictate that a 16:1 compression ratio is the maximum in 2026, but this is only measured when the car is at ambient temperatures in the pit-lane. Technology to measure the ratio when the car is out on track is not available, with reports suggesting HPP and potentially Red Bull Powertrains (RBPT) have managed to produce a ratio of 18:1, potentially worth 0.3s per lap. Around Australia's Albert Park, this would be worth 17.4s of race time over the 58 laps, with a crunch engine meeting set to take place on January 22nd between the manufacturers and the FIA. Audi chief technical officer Mattia Binotto wants talks aimed at developing the technology to measure the ratio on track, whilst Graeme Lowdon of Cadillac, whose team will run Ferrari power units, declared that his new outfit would run "a fully legal engine." Addressing the topic at the launch of Honda's new power unit as it teams up with Aston Martin, chief strategy officer Cowell offered his thoughts on the row. "The topic of compression ratio, there's always a topic that bubbles up when new regulations come into place," explained Cowell. "And every competitor reads the regulations and pushes performance to the limit. Compression ratio is clearly a key thermal efficiency enabling aspect of an internal combustion engine, so you always push it to the limit. "I'm sure every single power unit manufacturer is doing that. The FIA have the job to make sure that everybody interprets the regulations in a fair and equal way."

When is next 2026 F1 car launch after striking Mercedes reveal?
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When is next 2026 F1 car launch after striking Mercedes reveal?

We are now nearly half-way through F1 launch season for 2026, with Mercedes becoming the fifth team to reveal its new colours. The striking new W17 broke cover through a series of digital renders on Thursday morning, with a shakedown planned for later on January 22nd before the behind-closed-doors test in Barcelona starting on Monday. There, teams will be able to run for a maximum of three days of the five on offer, in addition to the two Bahrain tests. By the time F1 heads to Sakhir for February 11th, all 11 teams will have formally unveiled their new challengers, but after Mercedes, who will be next? In the table below, the dates of the remaining 2026 F1 car launches are revealed, with the next two taking place sooner than you think! Remaining 2026 F1 car launches

Audi addresses growing F1 trick row ahead of crunch FIA meeting
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Audi addresses growing F1 trick row ahead of crunch FIA meeting

Audi chief technical officer Mattia Binotto has shared his "hope" for a crunch FIA meeting with power unit manufacturers after the alleged Mercedes engine trick.  During the winter, it was reported that Mercedes High Performance Powertrians had developed a trick to allow it to run a higher compression ratio - 18:1 - than the regulations allow when the car is out on track. Current testing of the compession ratio, set at 16:1 for the 2026 rules, is carried out by the FIA at ambient temperatures when the car is in the pit-lane, with no test currently existing for the measuring of the ratio when the car is on-track. In theory, this means that when the car is running, it could produce a compression ratio, effectively an increase in power, higher than the regulations allow, but when measured, appear legal and in conformity with the rules. It is believed the Mercedes HPP trick could be worth as much as 0.3s per lap around the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, equating to a 17.4s advantage over the course of the 58 lap distance. A meeting is planned for Thursday, January 22nd between the power unit manufacturers and the FIA, with Audi entering F1 as a power unit manufacturer for the first time in 2026, as former Ferrari boss and current chief technical and chief operating officer Binotto addressed the trick for the first time at the team's glitzy R26 launch in Berlin. "I don't think there will be clarity or compromise, so the meeting is more together with the FIA discussing how we can improve or develop a methodology for the future to measure the compression ratio in operating conditions," Binotto told select media in Berlin, including RacingNews365. "Because we know today we are doing it in poor conditions, with engines disassembled, so you may wait until the end of the season to know if you were compliant.  "We are trying, altogether, to develop a methodology where you can measure it in real time, while the car is running. "So my hope is that the meeting is not on clarity of the regulation itself, but more to define a methodology for the future. "I think it is the fight in Formula 1, it is part of the job, so it would not be normal if we are not fighting each other. "I don't know whether it is true or not; there are only rumours at the moment that Mercedes may have designed an engine such that the compression ratio can be higher in certain conditions, but that is not for me to prove. "At the end, it is down to the FIA, so regulations are important, enforcing regulations is important, and we can only trust the FIA.  "If it is real, it [will] certainly [create] a significant gap in terms of performance and lap time, and that would certainly make a difference when we come to competition on track."

Audi braced for rollercoaster as F1 debut looms large
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Audi braced for rollercoaster as F1 debut looms large

Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley is bracing himself for a wild rollercoaster ride this year as the team prepares to embark on its debut season in F1. The German manufacturing giant launched its maiden car, the R26, in Berlin on Tuesday, unveiling a silver, red and black design, as witnessed in a pre-launch show in December, but on this occasion with the car adorned with sponsors. In taking over Sauber's old Hinwil factory in Switzerland, and constructing its first power unit to the new regulations from a new facility in Neuberg, these are tense times for the organisation as it goes head to head with the established names in F1. Although targeting a championship by 2030, former Red Bull sporting director Wheatley knows the upcoming maiden campaign is going to be full of ups and downs, twists and turns, as the team grows accustomed to the new rules and beds itself into F1. Assessing the target, speaking to RacingNews365 in a select media gathering ahead of the launch, Wheatley said: "Everyone is starting with a car that you're racing that year, so you set a target internally. You decide that. "There are times when you track to that target very tightly, and you start to think you'll beat the target, and then there are other times when you have everything - good weeks and bad weeks as you get to understand your development process. "For us now, it's about maximising the testing that we have before the first race, to try to understand the car as well as we can, and listen to the drivers and make sure our development goes in the right direction." Audi to play wait and see Like every team, it has been a quick turnaround to prepare for the regulations, which include the new power unit and associated aerodynamics, and which were only handed to the teams on January 1 last year. Throughout last season, the majority of the teams quickly stopped development on the 2025 cars to focus on the 2026 rules, with Sauber naturally one of those. For Audi, however, there was considerably more work involved as the team had to evolve, in tandem with integrating the new PU. As to how he feels Audi will fare, Wheatley added: "Time will tell. There's some novel technology on the car, which the engineering group have been developing and looking at implementing for a while, but you just never know. "Nobody's going to know where they are really until qualifying in Melbourne, and nobody's really going to start to know for sure until we're two, three races into the season as to just who has the package that can work everywhere. "There are so many different elements of it, but still, you have a chassis, a powertrain and a driver, and it's about getting the best out of all of that."

A year on since Lewis Hamilton broke the internet
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A year on since Lewis Hamilton broke the internet

Exactly one year ago today, Lewis Hamilton stood outside Enzo Ferrari's house in Modena, dressed immaculately in a Ferragamo three-piece suit, posing beside an F40.  The image, posted on 20 January 2025, became the most liked Instagram post in Formula 1 history, amassing 5.7 million likes and reaching 25 million views on X. It was a moment of pure theatre, capturing the weight of expectation placed upon Hamilton to restore Ferrari's glory after 17 years without a constructors' championship.  The seven-time world champion's carefully curated appearance, complete with reports of him speaking Italian, signalled his total commitment to the Scuderia. What followed, however, was anything but glorious. Article continues below the Instagram post... https://www.instagram.com/p/DFC5g6WsxQW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lewis Hamilton (@lewishamilton) Hamilton's nightmare 2025 in red Hamilton's 2025 campaign became the worst of his career. For the first time since joining F1 in 2007, he completed an entire season without a single grand prix podium.  His only appearance on the top step of a rostrum came in the China Sprint last March, an anomaly that only highlighted how dire his Sundays became. The numbers tell a brutal story. Hamilton finished sixth in the championship with 156 points, 86 behind teammate Charles Leclerc's 242.  He averaged four positions below Leclerc in qualifying and suffered a historic collapse at the season's end, becoming the first full-time Ferrari driver since 2009 to qualify last.  Three consecutive Q1 eliminations from Las Vegas to Abu Dhabi capped a nightmare he openly described as such. The SF-25 was fundamentally flawed. A backfiring suspension change, an extremely narrow operating window, and braking instability plagued the car.  After both Ferraris were disqualified in China for plank wear and weight violations, the team was forced into conservative setups that sacrificed performance.  Hamilton, adapting to machinery built without his input after 12 Mercedes years, never found comfort with the driving style required. Article continues below... Hamilton's 2026 reset Ferrari made a calculated decision in April 2025, stopping major development after determining the SF-25's concept carried irreparable limitations. Everything pivoted to 2026, where sweeping regulation changes offer a clean slate for all teams. The new rules introduce lighter, more agile cars with active aerodynamics, redesigned hybrid power units with an even split between combustion and electric power, and a manual override system replacing DRS. It represents the most significant overhaul in F1 history. For Hamilton, 2026 is critical. Reports suggest Ferrari are developing a split strategy to suit both him and Leclerc, with a third sidepod concept planned for the Australian season opener in March. Three separate pre-season testing sessions, starting in Barcelona on 26 January, provide crucial preparation time. That viral photograph from a year ago promised a fairytale ending to Hamilton's career. Instead, 2025 delivered pain.  Now, the 41-year-old faces his last great challenge: proving the dream is merely delayed, not dead.