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Formula 1 will see a significant change to its safety car and medical car arrangements from the 2026 season, with Mercedes becoming the sole supplier after Aston Martin confirmed it will step back from the role. This marks the end of a partnership that began in 2021, when Aston Martin and Mercedes started sharing responsibility for providing safety vehicles on the grid.

The decision was first revealed by The Race and later confirmed by Aston Martin, which stated that the agreement had simply concluded at the end of the 2025 season. While no detailed explanation has been offered, it is believed the move may be driven by commercial considerations rather than performance or operational concerns. Aston Martin also stressed that the partnership had been valuable during its early years back in Formula 1.

 

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Formula One champion Lando Norris said he’d enjoyed a “decent day” in his new McLaren after completing 77 ‍laps at the Barcelona shakedown test on Wednesday.

The Briton will hand over the MCL40 to Australian teammate Oscar Piastri for Thursday’s session before getting back in on Friday for the team’s third and final day at the Circuit de Catalunya.”It was just nice to be back, nice to see a number one on my car, pretty cool and pretty surreal still. It’s a good feeling,” said the 26-year-old after lapping in cold temperatures at the Spanish Grand Prix track.

“Our first day on track, first time everyone gets to see the car in one piece. It’s literally not been built until this morning… nice to ⁠see it all come together.

“And then I go and have some fun driving it which turned out to be a decent day. Today was really just a first understanding of the whole car, understanding just how it works really, going through the manual.”

 

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Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli and IndyCar racer Pato O’Ward will be McLaren’s reserve drivers this season, the reigning Formula One champions said on Thursday.

Italian Fornaroli, 21, joined McLaren last month in ⁠a test and development role and will continue those duties supporting Britain’s world champion Lando ‍Norris and Australian teammate Oscar Piastri.

 

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Lewis Hamilton hailed an “amazing” amount of mileage on a productive morning ‍for Ferrari on day four of Formula 1’s pre-season shakedown at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.

Ferrari failed to win a race last year, dropping to fourth overall, and seven-times world champion Hamilton suffered his first season without a single podium appearance. They are hoping to be far more competitive this year, the start of a new engine era with the biggest rules reset that any of the drivers have ⁠experienced, although Mercedes are already looking ominously reliable.

“When you come to the test you always want to get a lot of mileage,” said Hamilton in an interview with Formula One television on Thursday. “Like, today I did 85 laps in the morning which is amazing.

“Last year we had a worse start to testing. So this, considering it’s a completely new band of rules, it’s better than we’ve experienced in the past. So I’m really hopeful that continues.” All teams must choose ⁠three of five days to run their new car in the behind-closed-doors test in Barcelona, with Ferrari opting for Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

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China’s Zhou Guanyu has joined Cadillac ‍from Ferrari as reserve driver for the Formula 1 debutants this season, the General Motors-backed team announced on Monday.

The 26-year-old raced in 68 grands prix with Swiss-based Sauber from 2022 to 2024 and has been managed by Cadillac team principal ⁠Graeme Lowdon.

US-owned Cadillac, the 11th team on the grid with experienced Finn Valtteri Bottas and Mexican Sergio Perez as race ‍drivers, will be using Ferrari engines when they debut in Australia ‍in March. Cadillac also have American former IndyCar driver Colton Herta, who will compete in F2 this year, ⁠as test driver.

 

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Formula One has offered fans an early glimpse into the future with the release of official renders for the 2026 car, marking the beginning of a major new chapter for the sport. These images showcase a machine that looks noticeably different from the cars racing today and signal how deeply the upcoming regulation changes will reshape Formula One both on and off the track.

An overhaul of Formula One technical regulations is scheduled for the 2026 season, and it is designed to push the sport toward a stronger balance between close racing and real world innovation. The changes touch nearly every area of the car, from the power

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