Isack Hadjar will step up to Red Bull in 2026 to partner Max Verstappen, with Arvid Lindblad making his Formula 1 debut with Racing Bulls alongside Liam Lawson, the energy drinks firm's two teams have announced.

Red Bull and Racing Bulls were the only squads to have free seats for 2026, though Hadjar has long been expected to replace Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull alongside four-time World Champion Verstappen after a stellar rookie season.

Hadjar has scored points in 10 Grands Prix this season, including a superb maiden podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Red Bull junior Lindblad emerged as a candidate for promotion to Formula 1 with Racing Bulls after delivering some strong races in feeder series F2 and impressing when driving a Red Bull in Free Practice 1 outings at Silverstone and in Mexico.

That left Tsunoda and Lawson to fight for the remaining seat at Racing Bulls, with the latter coming out on top to secure a second full campaign with the team – Lawson having replaced Daniel Ricciardo at the squad midway through 2024.

While Tsunoda loses his seat on the grid, he will remain part of the family as a reserve driver for both Red Bull and Racing Bulls in 2026.

Haas will be known as the TGR Haas F1 Team from 2026 onwards after expanding its arrangement with Toyota to include a title partnership.

The previous title agreement with Moneygram concludes at the end of this season, and Haas has held a technical partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) – the motorsport division of Toyota – since late last year. The next stage of that tie-up sees TGR take over title partnership rights, ahead of the introduction of new regulations in 2026.

TGR’s involvement has allowed Haas to run a testing of previous car (TPC) program this year – giving seat time to Toyota-associated drivers Ryo Hirakawa, Ritomo Miyata, Sho Tsuboi and Kamui Kobayashi – and that program will become known as the TGR Haas Driver Development Program from next year.

“It’s naturally a privilege to deepen our relationship with TGR through this new title partnership agreement,” Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said. “Our working relationship to-date has been everything we hoped it would be. It’s been evidenced through our successful TPC running this season but there’s been so much more going on behind the scenes too – including the development and installation of the simulator at our Banbury facility for 2026.

“The cultivation of personnel, all working collaboratively between Haas F1 Team and TGR, has benefited us greatly and that’s something that will only increase as our partnership matures. We’re excited to further grow with the likes of our driver program too, and it’s been encouraging to see the depth of talent TGR is backing in that process.”

Toyota Motor Corporation chairman Akio Toyoda says the partnership has so far had a significant impact on the personnel within the company.

“Throughout our challenges in the 2025 season, I witnessed young TGR drivers and engineers begin to believe in their own potential and set their sights on even greater dreams,” Toyoda said. “Seeing this transformation moved me deeply. And today, I can say this with confidence, Toyota has finally begun to move – really move.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Gene Haas and Ayao Komatsu for standing alongside our young members, believing in their potential, and facing the future with the same passion and perspective.

“By taking our partnership with Haas another step forward next year, TGR’s ‘People, Product, Pipeline’ mantra – will accelerate in a way we have never seen before. The time has come for the next generation to take their first steps toward the world stage. Together with Gene Haas, Ayao, and everyone at TGR Haas F1 Team, we will build both a culture and a team for the future. Toyota is now truly on the move.”

The TGR Haas livery for 2026 will be unveiled online on Jan. 23 – the same day as Alpine – prior to the Barcelona shakedown the following week.

F1 has now confirmed that Portimao will be included on the 2027 and 2028 schedules, effectively replacing the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort that will drop off following the upcoming
season.

Max Verstappen has revealed that he will switch to racing under the number 3 for the 2026 season, with Lando Norris taking over the number 1 after beating the Red Bull driver to the title by just two points.

Since his debut with Toro Rosso back in 2015, Verstappen competed as car 33, but took the option of switching to the number 1 when he pipped Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton to the 2021 title, kicking off a four-year reign as World Champion.

That streak was brought to an end by Norris, who took third place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to secure his maiden title as a McLaren driver, with Verstappen missing out despite a late impressive comeback.

Instead of returning to his previous number 33, the Dutchman will take the number previously used by his former team mate Daniel Ricciardo. The two raced alongside each other at Red Bull from 2016 to 2018, but Verstappen explained that the change to number 3 has been a dream of his throughout his career.

In an interview with Viaplay, he said: “It won't be number 33. My favourite number has always been 3, apart from number 1. We can now swap, so it’ll be number 3.

“Number 33 was always fine, but I just like one 3 better than two. I always said it represented double luck, but I've already had my luck in Formula 1.”

It was also confirmed that both the FIA and Ricciardo, who retired from the sport in 2024 after an underwhelming final season with RB, gave permission for Verstappen to reinstate the number on the 2026 grid.

According to Italy's Corriere dello Sport, Red Bull Powertrains has also been attempting to reproduce the same system that allegedly allows Mercedes engines to reach an effective compression ratio close to 18:1 under running conditions, despite the regulatory limit of 16:1.

Seven months ago, a Mercedes engineer hired by Red Bull Powertrains shared this secret. Red Bull has since tried to reproduce this system, the newspaper reports.

However, it adds that the task has proven far from straightforward. Mercedes is said to have been working on the concept for more than a year and has built up a significant lead, while Red Bull has so far failed to replicate the same effect in the real world.

Red Bull have not yet managed to get close to an 18:1 compression ratio while driving. Mercedes has achieved this, Corriere dello Sport claims.

If the interpretation is upheld, the advantage would extend beyond Mercedes works cars to all customer teams using the German manufacturer's power unit in 2026, including McLaren, Williams and new customer Alpine.

A central problem, according to the Italian daily, is enforcement. The regulations specify that compression ratio checks are carried out at room temperature, creating a grey area once engines reach operating temperatures.

The manufacturers who ask the FIA for clarification indicate that the cars must always comply with the rules. However, it is difficult to prove this, even after a protest, the report states.

Corriere dello Sport says the regulations themselves leave space for this trick.

It is specifically stated in the regulations that the check is carried out at room temperature. This indirectly leaves room for free interpretations, and this was not the case with the old regulations.

With eight Mercedes-powered cars potentially enjoying a power advantage, concern among rival manufacturers is growing.

The teams try to solve these kinds of problems through weekly meetings. The concern now is that the eight cars with Mercedes engines will have more power, the report adds.

The FIA is now described as facing a major dilemma. Outlawing the system could severely handicap Mercedes, which is believed to have designed its 2026 power unit around the concept. Allowing it, however, risks triggering protests and political fallout once the season begins.

According to Corriere dello Sport, a compromise is being discussed - permitting Mercedes to use the system in 2026 only, provided it formally commits to abandoning it for 2027. Such a solution would likely allow Mercedes-powered teams to benefit for one season, a prospect that has already drawn strong opposition from rivals.

Max Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase could be set to leave Red Bull, bringing an end to a partnership that yielded four consecutive Formula 1 world drivers’ titles.

It was initially reported that the end of the 2025 championship would mark the conclusion of Lambiase’s work alongside Verstappen, with the 45-year-old British engineer understood to have asked Red Bull management not to travel as much over the course of the F1 season. In 2025, he missed the Austrian and Belgian GPs, replaced by Simon Rennie.

The British engineer, who has Italian parents and holds dual citizenship, was linked with a move to Aston Martin, but Motorsport.com understands that negotiations with Williams, led by team principal James Vowles, are also ongoing.

The Red Bull engineer was reportedly attracted to the Williams project due to the team's history in the F1 and its aim to climb the grid and reclaim its place at the top of the standings. Williams has made significant strides in recent years and finished the 2025 season in fifth – it's highest championship position since 2017.

Broadcaster Radiobox reported that Lambiase was close a move to the Grove-based team before Christmas, but since then there has been no white smoke, as negotiations with Aston Martin remain ongoing.

According to reports, there was talk of a CEO or team principal role at Aston Martin, with the latter position now held by Adrian Newey – but the former Red Bull designer is believed to have no intention of retaining this role long-term. The management structure at the team has been fluid in recent years, and Newey took on his new position following the relocation of Andy Cowell – which was intended to open up the relationship with Honda, the team’s exclusive power unit supplier.

Newey, therefore, has no intention of shouldering the organisational burden and wants to focus on the technical side, but it is unclear what role Lambiase might take within the Aston Martin team.

Newey has always held Lambiase in high regard and would reportedly be happy to rekindle the collaboration, which was cut short by his exit from the Milton Keynes squad.

Some see Lambiase's offer at Aston as an opportunity to build bridges between the team and Verstappen ahead of a potential 2027 move. The Dutchman’s future at Red Bull was thrown into doubt following the management reshuffle that saw Laurent Mekies replace Christian Horner at the helm.

However, if Lambiase joins Williams, the move will have little to do with his working relationship with the four-time world champion and could strongly suggest that the highly regarded British engineer was the focus of the deal.

Cadillac have announced that Zhou Guanyu has joined the team as their reserve driver ahead of their debut season in Formula 1.

Zhou – who raced for the Alfa Romeo/Kick Sauber outfit between 2022 and 2024 – is the latest name to be confirmed as part of the American squad’s line-up, with Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez acting as the team’s race drivers while former IndyCar racer Colton Herta will fulfil the role of test driver.

During his time on the grid, Zhou competed in 68 Grands Prix and scored points on seven occasions, including on his debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2022. The 26-year-old also claimed Kick Sauber’s only points finish of 2024 in Qatar.

After leaving the team at the end of that season, Zhou – China’s first and so far only F1 driver – joined Ferrari in a reserve role, carrying out trackside and simulator work as well as participating in their Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programmes.

He will now bring that experience to Cadillac, with Ferrari supplying the team with its power unit and gearbox in 2026.

“I am delighted to join the Cadillac Formula 1 Team as a Reserve Driver ahead of its Formula 1 debut,” said Zhou. “This is one of the biggest and most exciting new projects that the sport has ever seen.

“I have worked with both Graeme [Lowdon] and Valtteri for many years in various capacities, so joining the team feels like rejoining family. Having had recent experience on track and in developing the cars off track, I know I can add huge value to the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, and I am looking forward to supporting them the best way that I can.”

Team Principal Graeme Lowdon added: “Our process for selecting a Reserve Driver has been as thorough as the search for our Race Drivers. We wanted a candidate who had recent F1 driving experience, is prepared to work hard as part of a team and understands the challenges of developing a car throughout the season.

“Zhou fits the bill perfectly. He will be a great asset to us as we go racing in 2026 and we look forward to him being an integral part of our team.”

Dan Towriss, CEO of Cadillac Formula 1 Team Holdings, commented: “I’m excited to welcome Zhou to Cadillac Formula 1 Team. He will be an excellent addition to complement Valtteri and Checo; talented, personable and respectful of the hard work and commitment it will take for us to achieve our ambitions.

“I’m excited by our complete driver line-up – alongside Colton, we have a hungry, fast and collaborative group to make our 2026 debut.”

Alpine have announced that they are parting ways with Jack Doohan ahead of the 2026 season, ending a whirlwind experience for the Australian at the team.

Doohan, son of five-time 500cc motorcycling World Champion Mick, joined the Alpine Academy in 2022, before taking on reserve duties for 2023 and classifying third in that year’s F2 championship.

An unexpected debut came at the end of the 2024 campaign in Abu Dhabi, when Alpine split with Esteban Ocon a round early, before the youngster was given the chance to step up full-time for 2025.

However, Doohan’s time alongside Pierre Gasly lasted just six more rounds, with Alpine – following several waves of speculation and media reports – deciding to bring in former Williams super-sub Franco Colapinto as his replacement.

While the change was initially described as a seat “rotation”, Alpine stuck with the Argentinian racer for the rest of the season, while Doohan – demoted to test and reserve duties – watched from the sidelines.

A couple of weeks into 2026, and following a caption-less tribute post from Doohan at the end of last year, Alpine released a statement confirming that the driver and team have now gone their separate ways.

“BWT Alpine Formula One Team confirms it has reached a mutual agreement with Jack Doohan to not continue his driving services with the team for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship season and allow him to pursue other career opportunities,” read the statement.

“Jack became the first member of the Alpine Academy to graduate into a race seat with the team when he made his Grand Prix debut at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“The team would like to thank Jack for his commitment and professionalism to the team for the past four years, both on and off track, and wishes him all the best for the future.”

Doohan’s next move is yet to be revealed, though he was seen testing Super Formula machinery in the closing months of 2025.

Alpine, meanwhile, still have former F2 racer Paul Aron to call on in a back-up role – the Estonian making several test and practice outings through 2025 in support of Gasly and Colapinto.