Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has labeled claims that Max Verstappen controls the team as "nonsense," asserting the champion driver has never made a personal request of him. He emphasized that the only real boss is the brand's commercial success, while expressing hope that Verstappen remains with Red Bull for life, potentially in a role beyond driving.
Lewis Hamilton describes his ideal Christmas dinner as a vegetable-heavy Sunday roast with crispy potatoes and gravy, followed by cheesecake or carrot cake and plenty of sweets. The Ferrari driver is enjoying a short festive break from his strict athlete's diet before 2026 pre-season testing begins.
Charles Leclerc praised Lando Norris's emotional first F1 title win as "beautiful," calling it the "ultimate dream" for every driver. Following a winless season with Ferrari, Leclerc immediately shifted focus to 2025's new regulations, aiming to challenge Norris and fight for the championship himself.
MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo compares rising star Pedro Acosta to Max Verstappen, highlighting their shared obsessive work ethic and disciplined, military-style upbringing as the key to their ultra-competitive success.
Mercedes, Red Bull, and Audi have reportedly devised an engine mapping fix for the 2026 'clipping' problem, using the V6 to charge the battery mid-lap to prevent sudden power loss. This addresses a major performance and safety concern for the new MGU-H-less power units.
Sam Bird, a former Mercedes F1 test driver, says he is "in awe" of Max Verstappen's skill, calling the Red Bull driver's relentless speed "scary." Bird, who has worked with Michael Schumacher, claims he's never seen anyone faster in F1 and that Verstappen dominates when given a competitive car.
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff predicts that a driver's intelligence and preparation will be a major performance differentiator under the complex 2026 technical regulations, which feature active aerodynamics and a 50-50 hybrid power split.
Red Bull is streamlining the name of its 2026 engine project to 'Red Bull Ford' as new details emerge on Christian Horner's summer dismissal. CEO Oliver Mintzlaff cited the need for a 'new chapter' after a difficult start to 2025, highlighting the team's transition into a new era under Laurent Mekies.
Red Bull's CEO has explained the decision to replace Christian Horner, signaling a new era for the team. Meanwhile, an F1 insider predicts the 2026 regulation changes will drastically reshuffle the grid, with power unit efficiency becoming the ultimate differentiator and potentially leaving some manufacturers behind.
Red Bull and Honda have officially ended their eight-year Formula 1 partnership, a period that yielded four drivers' titles and 71 wins. Honda moves to power Aston Martin from 2026, while Red Bull begins its own power unit project with Ford.
Liam Lawson warns that F1 drivers face a massive adaptation challenge in 2026 due to sweeping new chassis and power unit regulations. The changes, including active aerodynamics and a 50/50 power split, will require a new driving style, with a very short winter break to learn the completely different cars.
F1 technical expert Gary Anderson analyzes reports that Mercedes and Red Bull may have found a way to bypass the 2026 engine compression ratio limit. He explains the potential thermal expansion loophole and argues it represents intelligent engineering within the rules, not cheating, setting the stage for a pre-emptive technical and political battle.
