F1 News Today: Red Bull confirm Max Verstappen as 2025 champion as Lewis Hamilton all smiles in Ferrari reveal

Verstappen, Hamilton, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News Today

F1 News Today: Red Bull confirm Max Verstappen as 2025 champion as Lewis Hamilton all smiles in Ferrari reveal

All the latest F1 news from the off season

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 18 January 2026 15:57

A former FIA steward has suggested that former race director Michael Masi 'gifted' Max Verstappen the 2021 world championship.

Verstappen's maiden title win was clouded in controversy, after Masi had opted to let some lapped cars overtake the late safety car but not others, leaving Verstappen on fresh tyres directly behind Hamilton.

Now Danny Sullivan, who served as an FIA steward during two race weekends that season but not in the season-ending race, has said that Masi handed the title to Verstappen on a plate.

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Helmut Marko claims Red Bull 'had no alternative' to huge F1 gamble

Red Bull's former motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has claimed the F1 team were left with 'no alternative' to making their own power units after Honda initiated a U-turn on their exit from the sport.

In 2021, the Japanese manufacturer left F1 after a seven-year stint which ended with Max Verstappen picking up his maiden drivers' championship with Red Bull.

This left the energy drink giants with a decision to make; start looking for a replacement manufacturer to support them in time for the new regulations, or get their own power unit project underway.

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Red Bull crown Verstappen 2025 F1 champion

It looks like Red Bull have either failed to shake off a particular habit or they simply don't accept Lando Norris as world champion.

Both lead to the end result in that on their latest promo video for their 2026 F1 car the team released images of the RB22 with a No 1 sticker - which can only be displayed by the world champion driver.

Verstappen has already been confirmed as No 3 for 2026? Who knows but you can check the video out for yourself below.

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Lewis Hamilton SPLITS with Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami

Ferrari F1 team have officially announced that Riccardo Adami will not be Lewis Hamilton's race engineer for the 2026 season.

Hamilton and Adami worked together during the Brit's first year in Ferrari, as their relationship came under scrutiny following a series of tense radio exchanges in 2025.

Questions have been asked as to how well the pair worked together, with the team now taking matters into their own hands ahead of the new season.

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Lewis Hamilton all smiles again as Ferrari unleash 2026 challenger

F1 legend Lewis Hamilton appeared positive over his future at Ferrari during the team's recent fire up of their 2026 car.

After a significantly shorter off-season than usual, Hamilton and his team-mate Charles Leclerc will now be full swing into their preparations for pre-season testing, which begins behind closed doors in Barcelona on January 26.

But before the Scuderia jet off to join the other 10 F1 teams at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Hamilton and Leclerc headed to the garage to hear the engine of the SF-26 fired up for the first time.

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Red Bull boss admits they are at the 'very limit' over engine legality

Red Bull powertrains director Ben Hodgkinson has opened up on rumours of a loophole having been found in the 2026 regulations, saying Red Bull are at the 'very limit' of legality.

Throughout the winter break, there has been rumours that both Red Bull and Mercedes have allegedly found a loophole in the 2026 regulations regarding the geometric compression ratio, and the other manufacturers on the grid called for the FIA to clarify this particular area of the rules.

Now, Hodgkinson has said that Red Bull are confident that their new engine will be legal, but that, like all teams, they have tried to push to the very limit of what is legal.

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Verstappen tests Mercedes before Red Bull launch

Max Verstappen's jam-packed schedule in the F1 off season included a brief trip to Portimao for a Mercedes test.

The F1 grid enjoyed a short lived winter break before the hard work ahead of the 2026 rule change began again, with Red Bull already having unveiled their new livery.

Prior to Red Bull's Detroit launch, Verstappen was spotted elsewhere in Europe, testing behind the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT3 car at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao.

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Perez talking 'nonsense' over Verstappen Red Bull claims

Sergio Perez's tell-all interview regarding his time at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen has drawn the ire of one F1 insider.

Perez described being team-mates with Verstappen as one of the 'worst jobs in F1' and claimed if he was 'faster than Max' then it was a 'problem' in the team.

However, Perez's comments have received no sympathy from former Williams and Ferrari manager Peter Windsor, who deemed his words to be 'nonsense'.

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F1 Twitter is 'a war zone' - racing star calls out 'dangerous' groups

A racing driver has called out some of the 'dangerous' factions on F1 Twitter, likening the online space to a 'war zone'.

During the 2025 season alone, Oscar Piastri fans launched favouritism claims at McLaren and Kimi Antonelli was subjected to online abuse and death threats after a mistake allowed Lando Norris to overtake for fourth at the Qatar GP.

While F1 Twitter has brought together a community of like-minded fans, allowing friendships to flourish and enjoy the sport, the dark side of the fanbase continues to attract attention time-and-time again.

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F1 CEO sends Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc warning

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has issued a warning to Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari for 2026 - do not languish in fourth.

The Italian is a Ferrari man at heart, serving as team principal from 2008 until 2014, before working his way up to become one of the head honchos at Formula One Management.

Domenicali, like a great deal of the F1 fanbase, has been forced to confront Ferrari's desperate performances in recent years, unable to claim a drivers' title since 2007.

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Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

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