F1 News Today: Verstappen-Ricciardo reunion teased as team set to use different cars for 2026 testing

max verstappen, daniel ricciardo, red bull, graphic — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News Today

F1 News Today: Verstappen-Ricciardo reunion teased as team set to use different cars for 2026 testing

All the latest news from the world of F1!

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 7 January 2026 16:35

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Ford Racing have teased their 2026 season launch, and they have included Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar in the video, sending fans wild.

Four-time F1 world champion Verstappen and Hadjar will make up Red Bull's 2026 driver lineup as the team head into a new era under team principal Laurent Mekies.

New regulations are sweeping into F1 this year, and Red Bull have also opted to start making their own power units, ditching their partnership with Honda and instead entering an era of power unit production alongside Ford. And it is that partnership that may see a reunion between Verstappen and Ricciardo.

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Sick thieves rob Jules Bianchi's last kart from late F1 star's family

Philippe Bianchi, father of late F1 star Jules Bianchi, has taken to social media in a plea for help after the family were robbed of several karts.

Jules Bianchi tragically lost his life at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix after his F1 car collided with a recovery vehicle at Turn 7 of the Suzuka circuit.

The mobile crane was in the process of retrieving Adrian Sutil’s Sauber, which had crashed on the previous lap, but upon impact, Bianchi suffered life-threatening head injuries.

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Lewis Hamilton to 'walk out' if Christian Horner becomes Ferrari team principal?

Christian Horner is looking for a new job. Ferrari are one of the main teams rumoured to be interested in allowing him to return to the sport. But what would that mean for seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton?

Following a torrid 2025 season, Hamilton and Ferrari are determined to get themselves back into race-winning contention in 2026.

Wholesale regulation changes could well see them do just that, with a shake up of the competitive order potentially set to hit F1 as a result.

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Ferrari set to use two different cars to start 2026

Fred Vasseur's Ferrari F1 team are set to use two different cars before landing on their preferred setup for the 2026 campaign.

The Scuderia suffered greatly in the final year of the previous F1 regulations, finishing the 2025 season way down in fourth in the constructors' standings.

And now, as they look to try and make ground on their rivals amid the regulation reset, it's been confirmed that they'll try two different options.

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Fernando Alonso gets behind wheel of Adrian Newey Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso has taken to the track to try out a new Adrian Newey-designed Aston Martin car ahead of the 2026 F1 season.

Newey joined Aston Martin last year, and has been getting to work on the new regulation changes that are sweeping into the sport for the 2026 season which may give Aston Martin a chance to make a jump on their rivals.

When Newey left Red Bull in 2024, the design legend was also working on hypercar projects for both Red Bull and Aston Martin despite not being involved in the F1 operation, and now Alonso has taken one for a spin.

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Valtteri Bottas set to race Ferrari before 2026 season opener

Cadillac F1 star Valtteri Bottas is set to swap his new team's machinery for a Ferrari before the start of the 2026 season.

Bottas is returning to a full-time F1 seat this year having spent 2025 as Mercedes' reserve driver, and he's joining up with Sergio Perez to complete Cadillac's first driver lineup as a team.

But before that excitement, the racing enthusiast is going to race around in an old Ferrari.

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Sergio Perez reveals Max Verstappen 'problem' at Red Bull

Ex-Red Bull star Sergio Perez has spoken out about the 'problem' he encountered during his time as Max Verstappen's F1 team-mate.

Perez first represented the Milton Keynes-based outfit in the 2021 campaign but was axed from the role at the end of the 2024 season.

He and Verstappen seemed to get on well as team-mates, but Perez has opened up about a 'problem' that he suffered alongside the Dutchman.

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Written by

Sam Cook - Digital Journalist

Sam Cook is a talented young sports journalist and social media professional who now specialises in Formula 1, having previously worked as a football journalist and a local news reporter for a variety of different brands.

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