F1 News Today: Adrian Newey ‘furious’ as McLaren unveil test car

Adrian Newey, Windtunnel, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News Today

F1 News Today: Adrian Newey ‘furious’ as McLaren unveil test car

Catch up with the latest during F1 testing!

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 26 January 2026 16:20

Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey is reportedly 'furious' over the FIA's engine loophole verdict.

Mercedes and Red Bull have potentially exploited a loophole in the 2026 regulations, that could seem them gain 0.3 seconds a lap over their rivals.

Naturally, Ferrari, Audi and Honda were unhappy with this, but their meeting with the FIA on Thursday resulted in their engines being deemed legal.

Article continues under video

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McLaren reveal F1 testing livery despite Barcelona absence

McLaren have taken to social media to show off their 2026 pre-season testing livery, despite missing the first day of F1 testing in Barcelona.

Team principal Andrea Stella confirmed last week that McLaren would miss the first day of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and that we would not see the new car out on track until the second or third day.

There are five days scheduled for the private shakedown in Barcelona this week, before the teams will head to Bahrain in February for two three-day testing events around the Bahrain International Circuit.

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Barcelona F1 Testing: Why is it secret? Why are teams missing? All you need to know

The first F1 pre-season test, also known as the Barcelona shakedown, takes place this week (January 26-January 30), and we're on hand to explain everything you need to know!

The shakedown will take place from Monday, January 26 until Friday, January 30, with three days of running permitted per team at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Less about performance, the Barcelona shakedown will be a data gathering exercise regarding the new cars and power units, while reliable running will also be one of the main aims.

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Christian Horner 'negotiating' F1 return with Alpine

Alpine chief Flavio Briatore has confirmed that Christian Horner is 'negotiating' an F1 return with the team.

The axed Red Bull team principal has been linked to a purchase of a 24 per cent stake in Alpine, currently owned by Otro Capital.

Speaking at Alpine's 2026 car launch, Briatore finally addressed these rumours and confirmed they were not false.

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F1 star admits he doesn't have a driving licence

An F1 star has admitted they don't have a driving licence, despite racing in the sport this year.

Following the axe of Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar was promoted to Red Bull, while a new star will drive alongside Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls in 2026.

Arvid Lindblad will step up from F2 as the only rookie on this year's grid, but recently admitted he doesn't have his driving licence.

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Lewis Hamilton is sleeping over at Ferrari HQ

An F1 insider has revealed that Lewis Hamilton has been staying at Ferrari's Maranello base of late.

Don't worry, he's not been kicked out of his own flat (oh? You weren't worried about that? Okay, that's fair), but instead made the decision to stick close to base for crucial pre-season preparations.

The Brit got to drive the new SF-26 for the first time on Friday, taking it out for a (very) brief spin in front of the Tifosi after the 2026 livery was presented to fans online in a pulse-pounding hype video.

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F1 Testing 2026: All you need to know as Hamilton, Verstappen return to action

It may feel like five minutes since Lando Norris won the title in Abu Dhabi, but the reigning champion, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and co will all be back in action for F1 2026 testing this January.

The 2026 season starts early thanks to the new regulations that have altered the concept of cars, from narrowed dimensions to increased electrical power.

As a result of these changes, there will be three different tests scattered throughout January and February, the first round taking place behind closed doors at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with a further two sets of testing in Bahrain next month.

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Sky Sports F1 insider drops real truth about Ferrari 'breakdowns'

Ted Kravitz has helped clear up some social media misinformation this week, after Ferrari debuted their 2026 F1 car.

The veteran Sky Sports reporter was at the Italian team's Maranello testing track for one of the most anticipated car launches of the year, despite the fact that the SF-26 only actually ran a small handful (think, like, Jeremy Beadle small) of laps.

Shots of Lewis Hamilton at a dead stop on the track were widely shared, with the implication that the car had broken down within minutes of first hitting the track. That wasn't the case. In fact, Hamilton first stopped to do a practice start, then parked up mid lap to preserve some of the mileage for the day.

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Lando Norris reveals the one change he'd make to F1

Lando Norris confidently expressed the one thing he would change about F1.

Since his title win in Abu Dhabi, Norris has been lapping up the awards, attending the FIA gala at the end of 2025 and recently making an appearance at the Autosport Awards.

It was here that he was asked what he would change about F1 given the chance.

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Charles Leclerc suffers unfortunate mishap during Ferrari testing

There's low-hanging fruit, and then there's...whatever this is.

Before introducing this clip, we'd like to be very, very clear that we don't know that Charles Leclerc stepped in some kind of poo on Friday. We don't know that. We haven't asked. On this occasion, we decided it might be best not to get in touch with our contacts at Ferrari to ask, because we want them to continue to respect us.

But like, it sure looks like Charles Leclerc stepped in some kind of poo after getting out of his new SF-26 on Friday.

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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.

View full biography

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