Tyler Courtney was of mixed minds in the immediate aftermath of a violent crash at the Knight Before the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway in July that broke his T7 vertebrae and left him with a concussion.

When can I race
Is this a sign that I shouldn’t

This was the second crash in three years at Eldora that sidelined ‘Sunshine’ with back injuries and it would be easy for anyone in his early 30s to start looking at a bigger picture beyond racing but …

“As a driver, I always wanted to race as soon as I could,” Courtney told Motorsport.com on Wednesday. “But from a medical standpoint, I thought there might be a case for my doctors to say ‘hey, let’s look at doing something else,’ but they never did.

“They worked really hard to meet my goals. My head doctor was like ‘hey, I don’t know how hard you want to work at this,’ and by the end, he told me, ‘I didn’t think you were going to race a car again,’ but said I did everything I needed to do and passed me with flying colors.”

Courtney had spinal fusion from his T5 to T9. He says he has 10 screws and two or three plates added. He progressively worked from a 10-pound weight limit to 25 and then 50 before starting a physical therapy regimen.

“And then, I had a massive concussion with everything else too,” Courtney said. “There were some setbacks there and first and then we got with Dr. (Micky) Collins in Pittsburgh who is obviously a very highly decorated neurologist in Pittsburgh.

“He’s probably the best guy in the world at this. He’s amazing. He got me back on track. I just listened to him and did everything he told me to do. It wasn’t just sit around and heal your mind and body but also putting yourself into positions to make your brain work again.

“And some of that was really difficult but it was part of the process to get myself back into a race car.”

From there, it was strength training and cardio for Courtney to rebuild himself back into ‘Sunshine,’ the 2018 USAC Sprint champion, 2019 USAC Midget champion and two-time All Star Circuit’s champion.

And ‘Sunshine’ very much looked back this past weekend in winning the 360 Sprint DIRTcar Nationals championship with two wins and a fourth-place finish. The races came against a stout field of fellow 410 Sprint drivers too, whom were all on-site early to get a look at Volusia Speedway before the World of Outlaws season opener on Wednesday.

Was it validation in the work that he needed to put in to rebuild himself?

“Yeah, I think I think that's a good word for it,” Courtney said. “It was validation that I wasn’t just wasting away the past six months. I was working my ass off to get back in a Sprint Car and prove to myself that I could still do the things I did before.

“And yeah, it was just a 360 event, but this whole trip was just for me to get back into a rhythm and a process to learn to race for a High Limit championship. To come down here and race against some really great guys and have to pass cars the first two nights, it was good to know I could still do it. It’s not that I thought I forgot but I just needed to get back in the headspace I was in before I got hurt.”

For Courtney, it was only possible because of the support system around him in wife Aysia, team owners Tim Clauson, Richard and Jennifer Marshall and Lauren Albano from NOS Energy.

“They never wavered,” Courtney said. “They always asked what I needed and when I was ready to come back. There is a lot to say about that. I think that is why we’ve had the success we’ve had together because we are always pulling in the same direction no matter what happens.

“Like, I ran fourth last night, and didn’t run a perfect race, but I never have to worry about the seat getting pulled out on Monday. We share the same core values from ownership to sponsors and the crew. I have a firm belief that this is a reason why we’re going to keep having success this year.”

He believes a High Limit championship is obtainable too. Brad Sweet has retired and it leaves Courtney in a wide-open mix with defending champion Rico Abreu, Aaron Reutzel, Brent Marks, Justin Peck and Tanner Thorson.

“Brad leaving does leave it a little wide-open but Rico has done it and I have won championships before, and it doesn’t get easier, but it gives you the confidence that you already have the right mindset,” Courtney said. “There’s no reason we can’t do it again this year.

“Rico has some extra resources at (Tony Stewart Racing) and Brent Marks is there every night. Aaron had a great run in Australia. We just have a great group of guys we race with every night.

“I worked really hard to get back in a race car and win a championship. I have done a lot of cool things in racing but for the past six months, I realized there are a lot of things left I still want to do and winning a winged national championship is at the top of the list.”

In hindsight, the Cook Out Clash could have been run on Tuesday but when the decision was made on Sunday to run the preseason exhibition on Wednesday, there were so many variables for numerous decision-makers to sort through.

It’s objectively true that the snowstorm that passed through North Carolina was one of the five most impactful in the history of the state. In Winston-Salem, where the track is located, nearly a foot of snow was recorded.

Even more complicated is that nearly a foot was recorded in the greater Charlotte area where most Cup Series teams are located. For those Charlotte to make their way to Winston-Salem, they would have to pass through parts of the state that received over a foot to nearly two feet of frozen precipitation.

So sure, when looking at the area around Bowman Gray Stadium, it looks like the race could have been contested on Tuesday and project manager Justin Swilling stood by the Wednesday decision when asked during a press conference.

“It’s a great question but I just think it’s out of an abundance of caution,” Swilling said in response to a question from Motorsport.com. “It was the prudent and responsible thing to do because Winston-Salem very rarely gets a winter storm, much less two back-to-back, of this magnitude.

“We just wanted to make sure the community had the time they needed to get the ice and snowfall out of their neighborhoods, residential streets, and be able to travel safely. Yeah, we could have potentially run it today but we wanted to give ourselves the time to do it right. We felt Wednesday was the best option for that and wanted to try to avoid more postponements if we scheduled it for Tuesday and had to push it again to Wednesday.”

The next challenge for Swilling and all of those around him is another storm set to arrive on Tuesday night as rain and then potentially produce around half an inch of snow into Wednesday.

Racing in the rain

If NASCAR needs it, Goodyear has brought the wet weather tires, which can be used in a light drizzle or after a storm, but not in an active rain where windshield spray would impact visibility.

“We’ll continue to discuss with our competition team, but this is an event and venue that is within our wet weather tire policy so we’ll be ready to race no matter what Mother Nature throws at us,” Swilling said. “Based on the initial forecasts, it’s very light to mild conditions. And we can race in those tomorrow.”

Swilling urged fans to dress for cold weather and for light precipitation and urged anyone in the region to come out. Like last year, the Clash will feature an electric pre-race show with the lights and sounds.

“We still got a killer pre-race ceremony,” Swilling said. “None of that was affected moving it from Sunday. The light show and pageantry, everything from the pyro to driver intros on the frontstretch, and we have a really cool plan for emcee and host for that, I think it will be really cool.

“If I were a fan, I wouldn’t want to miss out.”

NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray postponed once again after historic snowfall

NASCAR Cup drivers are helping shovel snow at Bowman Gray after storm

Who is racing in the NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray and what is the format?

Clash postponement emphasizes attendance; threat of more weather

Williams team principal James Vowles has explained the context behind the team missing the private test at Barcelona’s Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, admitting it was a consequence of chasing maximum performance and pushing the organisation's operating limits.

Speaking before the reveal of the 2026 livery, the former Mercedes strategist linked the delay to how late the teams are pushing to release key designs. With the 2026 regulations creating a steep and early development curve, the temptation to commit to a chassis, wings, floor, and bodywork as late as possible to capture gains is strong. 

Commit too early, and you could arrive at the first race with an out-of-date design, but if you commit too late, then you increase the risk of manufacturing lead times biting you. This is what happened to Williams.

“We stopped development of the 2025 car very early but also what you want to make sure you're doing is you want to make sure you're pushing your decisions on when you release chassis, front wing, rear wing, floor, bodywork as late as possible to catch all of the development goodness.”

He added: “So if you print a car, if you treat it that way, you say ‘OK, we're going to print the car’ in April last year. We, of course, would have a car, but it would be very slow compared to the capability of it, and you'd be behind in the upgrade race.

"The second is we have to test ourselves as a business. Championship level is not just being able to develop the car either aerodynamically or vehicularly. It's also pushing the boundaries of how long it takes you to get an idea produced into a real working car, and so we have to continually move that forward as a result of it.

"We were testing ourselves as a business. So both you keep the performance goodness, but also we have to start pushing ourselves more and more to get towards championship level."

But the team failed to hit its target of attending Barcelona. 

Williams FW48

Photo by: Williams

"I would much prefer to have been in Barcelona. I'm going to pre-empt all that. That was the goal. That was what we were intending to do. We did not achieve it.”

While Vowles argues that despite missing testing, his team has mitigated the impact of this through alternative prep work in the shape of VVT mileage, simulator work from Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon and feedback from Mercedes, its power unit supplier, which recorded over 500 laps across its drivers. 

“We are fortunate to the fact that Mercedes has sufficient runners that there's quite a bit of information coming back on both the gearbox and the power unit that enables us to get ahead when we come to Bahrain, means that I do not believe with six days of testing we'll be on the back foot.”

There is, however, experience that cannot be replicated.

"What's missing is there's a lot of knowledge for the drivers to inherently perfect what's going on on track. What's missing is a correlation for where our aerodynamics really are and a correlation for where our vehicle dynamics really are. So track data is the only way of establishing that.
 
"So there is a loss but with six days of testing, with our driver-in-loop simulator that we invested in - state-of-the-art and up and running in the last year – we are able to mitigate a lot of those."

He ended: "Right now no one knows, and I really do mean no one, what the pecking order is."

In a late move coming just weeks before the start of the 2026 season, NASCAR and Charlotte Motor Speedway have decided to take the Charlotte Roval off the calendar, replacing the sixth race of The Chase with a traditional oval race.

Marcus Smith, the CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI), confirmed the news first reported by The Athletic in a Tuesday appearance on the Dale Jr. Download. He joined Kelley Earnhardt Miller on the podcast, explaining the thought process behind the decision.

During a recent strategic meeting, Smith said executive Jessica Fickenscher brought the subject up, and it quickly gained traction. After talking with NASCAR, TV partners, and race sponsor Bank of America, everyone was supportive of it.

"At the time when we introduced the Roval, it was when road courses were having this amazing surge," said Smith. "Fans were saying we love road courses, it kind of raced like a short track, and so we brought out the Roval and it provided another road in the schedule and the playoffs. It made for something new and different. It was one of the highest rated races for TV in a couple of years. Great growth, great excitement, some great highlights from the race.

"But I think the new car and the way NASCAR officiates the racing isn't as exciting as it had been, initially. We want to deliver excitement and a great event with fantastic competition."

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet; Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

This means that the return of NASCAR’s ten-race ‘Chase’ format will not include a road course race. NASCAR first started hosting races on the infield road course at Charlotte in 2018, which ended in a dramatic finish as Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. collided in the battle for the win. As they spun through the final chicane, Ryan Blaney slipped by to take the checkered flag. Shane van Gisbergen is the most recent Cup Series winner at the Roval, which was the Round of 12 cutoff race in the previous championship format for some time.

The Roval and its place on the schedule has come under scrutiny in recent years as the Next Gen car has struggled to put on great shows at such circuits in comparison to intermediate tracks. By contrast, the 2025 Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte, which featured a historic last-to-first drive by Ross Chastain, was considered to be one of the best races of the entire season last year.

Former Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski openly called for the Roval’s removal last fall, and was among those petitioning for series officials to bring the event back to the oval.

Six Cup races took place on road/street courses during the 2025 season, but three of those circuits will not return. NASCAR will be adding the San Diego Street Course to bring the total to four, but all of those will take place during the regular season.

This will mark the first time since 2017 that Charlotte will have two points-paying races on its oval layout. The last time that happened, Martin Truex Jr. won the 500-mile race in the fall. 

Video: NASCAR unveils full San Diego street course layout at Naval base

NASCAR will not return to Chicago Street Course in 2026

Winners and losers from a dizzying elimination race at the Charlotte Roval

 The transition into the IndyCar Series has been relatively smooth for Mick Schumacher, so far.

It will get a bit steeper on Wednesday, though, as the 26-year-old German is set for his first oval test at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The private test at the 1.5-mile oval marks the first step of what he expects to be the toughest challenge: learning how to race on ovals.

“The challenges of it being so different and trying to understand what the high lines are, what the low lines are doing, what we can do in terms of aero disruptions from the front or the back,” Schumacher said. “That's all stuff that is very new to me. But I'm very curious and interested in learning about that.”

Schumacher, who signed with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) in November, will lean on veteran teammate Graham Rahal, along with recently-signed driver coach Ryan Briscoe, in aiding his development on ovals.

To this point, Schumacher has put in a day of work on the simulator in preparation for Homestead.

“There's only so much you can do on a simulator,” Schumacher said. “It just keeps going left. There's not much you can really learn from it, bumps and all that and the way the car behaves is quite difficult to replicate. But I'll have time to get through it and understand how it feels to drive an oval.”

And settling in sooner rather than later will be important for the son of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher, with a full-field test Feb. 17-18 at Phoenix Raceway, a 1-mile oval that will also be the site of his first oval race on March 7.

Another element Schumacher will be getting used to in his oval acclimation is having a spotter, something he dealt with during his time in Formula 1 or the FIA World Endurance Championship.

“That's going to be a challenge and new,” Schumacher said. “But I've always been a driver, I think, more than some others that loved information, so I always kind of pushed my engineers to talk to me as much as possible. I guess that's going to be pretty similar.

“I guess one of the points that I was very vocal to my team about was why don't we have a dual-way radio system where those things that your engineer or whoever needs to can reach you even if somebody is talking so I think that's something I'm quite keen on trying to figure out because we have the problem that if somebody talking to you, the other person on the team can't get a hold of you. That's something where I come from, that's very common that we have an open discussion even as we're driving. It's something we need to figure out.”

Beyond familiarizing himself with the tracks, as well as a new car that also doesn’t possess power steering, the other smaller adjustment for Schumacher, the 2020 Formula 2 champion, has been down to general details such as vocabulary, as well as metrics.

“Instead of talking about meters we're talking about feet or yards or stuff like that,” said Schumacher, who will drive a Honda-powered No. 47 entry - the same number as his F1 days with Haas.

“It's quite tough for me at the moment. “We're in a transition where I'm trying to understand everything and putting everything together.”

IndyCar, Monumental Sports & Entertainment partner for Freedom 250 Grand Prix

Nolan Siegel says pressure of contract year "doesn't really change anything"

Adrian Newey, now leading the Aston Martin Formula 1 team into 2026 as team principal, has commented on the use of AI in how the outfit operates. This comes after the Silverstone squad showed off its impressive-looking AMR26 in the private Barcelona testing last week.

With the 2026 regulations demanding plenty from the teams with changes to aerodynamics, chassis and power unit, development through machine learning and similar techniques will be used by all teams. These techniques are especially important now due to the lack of real-world running before the season start, and will continue to be as the cars develop quickly over the first year.

In fact, Lance Stroll's first day of testing amounted to only a "handful" of laps being completed. Two-time champion Fernando Alonso banked 61 laps across the Friday. More testing will come later this month in Bahrain from 11 February.

This use of AI doesn't come in the form of ChatGPT or any other consumer chatbots. It instead comes in the shape of complex and specialist packages - something that has been used for years before anything like this was released to the consumer market. 

"Machine learning has been around for a long time," Newey said in the team's Undercut interview. "It's been superseded, if you like, as a buzzword by AI – everyone knows what AI is now. In truth, the AI that most people are using day to day is mainly just internet search-based and it’s pattern recognition."

He continues, explaining the team's usage: "What we are using machine learning, or AI, for is much more specific tasks and therefore how we use that AI is incredibly tailored.

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

Photo by: Aston Martin Racing

"We're typically not using anything off the internet because we are too specialised for that, but there are instances of using pattern recognition to help with relatively simple tasks and even race strategy through simulation and game theory."

He added: "There are more advanced applications... which I'd rather not talk about at the moment. 

"The thing about things like compute power, data processing, artificial intelligence, is it's all advancing so rapidly. What's new now will be pretty much out of date in 12 months.

"It's obviously incredibly exciting for us, and it's up to us to work with our partners to keep up with that because the opportunities it creates are absolutely immense. It's almost as if we have to keep reopening our minds to what's available, not on a daily basis, but certainly on a six-month basis, to take the most advantage as things evolve."

Cadillac has teased a new merchandise line with Tommy Hilfiger, which will be released on 5 February ahead of the team's livery unveiling on 8 February.

Tommy Hilfiger partnered with the American team in June 2025, prior to Cadillac joining Formula 1 as the 11th team from 2026 onwards. "Cadillac has a proud and storied racing history as far back as 1950 when they began competing at Le Mans at World Championship Level," said Cadillac Formula 1 team principal Graeme Lowdon at the time.

"Tommy has known Formula 1 for a long time. It's the pinnacle of motorsport, like Cadillac is for luxury automobiles. Cadillac's brand values are bold, sophisticated, and optimistic. That was a natural fit with the Tommy Hilfiger brand. Combining this offers an ambitious, confident outlook. The chemistry, vision, and passion felt right from the start. Racing is about passion and desire to win."

Hilfiger added: "These two iconic American brands come together with a colorful history in visual culture. I love racing's iconic graphics. The uniforms are very cool with patches, logos, and team names. It's rich in design territory. We had insight into the Cadillac team's design direction; it will look incredible across the collections.

"I didn’t see that coming in the earlier years. Formula 1 was automobiles and cars coming from Europe. Building out fanwear with our iconic prep with Cadillac's bold racing and motorsport motifs is an exciting playground to push the boundaries."

As the team prepares to line up on the grid for its first grand prix in Australia on 8 March, it will release its first Tommy Hilfiger x Cadillac line on 5 February before the livery is teased in Times Square, New York, from 6 February. The car's design will then be revealed in a TV advert during the Super Bowl on Sunday 8 February.

Williams unveiled its highly anticipated livery for the upcoming 2026 Formula 1 season today to much fanfare. 

After missing the Barcelona shakedown, which ran from 26 to 30 January, the Grove outfit revealed its new design featuring two tones of blue, white and a red-and-white pinstripe. Drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz joined team principal James Vowles to reveal the new design to the factory before it was released on social media for fans.

"2026 is the next step on the path back towards the top for Atlassian Williams F1 Team as we enter a new era for the sport, and we are excited about the season ahead," Vowles said in a press release.

"We have a great driver line-up, some fantastic new partners, an ever-growing fanbase and want to build on the success we tasted last year, but we are not naïve about the challenge ahead of us. Nobody quite knows what will happen at the first race but we are looking forward to finding out, and hope our fans will love cheering us on with this great new livery."

While some fans argued that more could have been done with the livery, the one aspect that continues to catch the attention of fans is the Duracell battery airbox.

"As long as the Duracell battery stays then I’m satisfied," wrote one fan on Reddit, while another added: "Not my favourite seems a bit messy with the colours, Duracell air intake are still elite as ever."

One slightly disappointed fan commented: "I guess I’m in the minority, but I do think they could’ve done better. The three shades of blue is much less appealing than the gradient of last year imo," and another responded: "Yea the BARCLAYS shade of blue, doesn't work for me along the rest."

Other comments include, "Man, I like blue but I wished they splashed some yellow to reference their 1990s livery", "Oh thank god the other one was fake. That looks awesome" and "I don’t get the hate from the same fans that always love heritage stuff, the keyline is iconic and obviously the lighter blue is for Barclays, I think it’s pretty good tbh."

Aprilia MotoGP rider Jorge Martin has explained why he required further surgeries during the winter break, revealing he felt so weak that he couldn’t even lift a bottle of water.

Martin had appeared to put his bruising 2025 campaign behind him when he returned to action at the season finale in Valencia last November. This gave him the opportunity to assess his condition during a full race weekend, while also getting early experience of Aprilia’s 2026 prototype at the post-race Valencia test.

However, as it turned out, the Spaniard’s trouble did not end with the season, and the lingering effects of his previous injuries forced him to go under the knife again. One procedure fixed a bone he broke on his left hand in February last year, while a separate operation was carried out on a collarbone that had still not fully healed from his Motegi crash.

The 2024 MotoGP champion is missing this week’s Sepang test to complete his recovery, a significant blow to his hopes of hitting the ground running in the 2026 season.

Nevertheless, Martin travelled to Malaysia to follow the test trackside and spoke about his latest physical struggles.

“I feel much better now than what I felt in Valencia; this is a good sign,” he said. “After the Valencia race, I was more or less feeling good.

“I thought I had recovered, but two weeks after Valencia, I couldn't even pick up a bottle of water,” he said. “I started to have a lot of pain either in the hand or the collarbone during my life at home.

“So then, I understood that I had to go to a second review of my injuries. I had to undergo surgery again. Some of the bones were still not healed. I did surgery as soon as possible.

“There were some days of doubt after all that I've been through. To have two surgeries again was really tough, but I decided it was the best thing for my future, and to finally be at my 100% because I think during ‘25 I've never been at my 100% in all the season. 

“It's a pity, but finally, I closed that stage, and now I'm already on the way to finally being 100%.”

Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

After undergoing a bone graft during his second operation, Martin said his collarbone now feels back to normal, although he still has some concerns about his wrist as recovery continues.

“With the collarbone, I feel fantastic, the strength is getting there, so I feel good,” he revealed. "The recovery has been much more normal now. They've taken bone from my hip for the collarbone, and everything looks good.

“The hand is now consolidated, 100%. The problem is that I still have to gain a bit of strength and mobility. But yeah, I think I will be at 100% soon, so I'm relaxed about it.”

Martin is hoping to make a full recovery in time for the Buriram test on 21-22 February. The season will kick off with the Thai Grand Prix at the same venue a week later on 1 March.

“The target is to be at the Buriram test. We were a bit on the limit to be here [testing in Sepang], but finally the doctor said it's better to wait. 

“I will have another check on Monday and if everything is okay, then I will start riding more bikes in Spain before heading to the Thailand test.

“So Thailand test is the target, to have some feedback with the new Aprilia, because if not, we'll be a bit repeating the season of last year.”

In 2025, Martin suffered a major crash on the opening day of the Sepang test that forced him out of the remainder of pre-season running. It proved to be the first of several injuries in a brutal campaign in which he finished just four grands prix.

Fabio Quartararo to return home after breaking finger in Sepang MotoGP test

MotoGP Sepang test: Marc Marquez tops Day 1 as Fabio Quartararo crashes

Whilst celebrating the third victory in succession for the #7 Porsche 963 at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the #6 crew experienced a difficult finish to a race they had dominated alongside their sister car.

The #6’s race began to unravel when it stayed out as the only GTP car once the pitlane opened during the final caution. Motorsport.com has learned that a widespread communication issue at Daytona International Speedway was to blame, which also affected other teams and even the official timekeeping office.

In this instance, the #6 Porsche was caught off guard by this malfunction and was forced to pit later during the caution, subsequently dropping down the order. The crew managed to work their way back into the top three, only to suffer a mysterious late-race slump when Kevin Estre’s pace suddenly vanished.

Race damage and lingering issue

Asked at the official post-race press conference, Porsche’s Director Factory Motorsport LMDh Urs Kuratle denied that there was a lingering issue with the #6 car in the final stint.

However, in a later press release, Estre blamed the contact with the LMP2 car earlier in the race, which had also necessitated repairs during the long caution period overnight: “The team couldn’t fully fix the damage, so we’ll never know just how strong our 963 could have been without that incident.”

When asked for clarification, a Porsche spokesperson revealed to Motorsport.com: “The hit by the LMP2 car had damaged the car and led to higher fuel consumption. That’s why the #6 car had to save fuel to make it to the finish with what was left in the tank.”

That final stop was completed with 48 minutes remaining. Under normal circumstances, it is no problem for a GTP car to reach the finish on that amount of fuel, but the damage sustained meant the Porsche LMDh car suffered from significantly higher consumption than usual.

“Repair attempts were made and the drivers largely managed to compensate for this through their extraordinary efforts. But the car was wounded,” the spokesperson continued.

As Competition Director Travis Law explained during the post-race press conference, Porsche Penske Motorsport was hoping for a full-course caution in the final hour, which would have aided the #6’s fuel situation. However, the yellow never came, costing Penske a potential 1-2 victory.

What’s behind Cadillac's strikingly low LMDh rear wing?

2026 Rolex 24 analysis: Was Porsche really that superior?

Porsche after Rolex 24 win: “It looked more dominant than it actually was”

A Formula 1 pitstop is a carefully choreographed display of precision, agility and speed that sees teams replace all four tyres, make front wing adjustments and send a car back out to the race track in a handful of seconds. In total, a stop requires around 20 people doing different jobs, but one role is more stressful than the rest.

In every stop, three mechanics service each wheel, two people hold the car steady, two are on hand to make any wing adjustments necessary, one swoops in to raise the rear of the car and another has the most intense job of the lot: standing in front of an approximate 768kg race car as it slams to a stop mere centimetres from their toes. That position is, of course, the front jack operator.

“It's quite a brave role,” said Mark Lowe, sporting director of TGR Haas F1 Team. “You've got a car coming at you at 80 km/h and although the driver has a stop board, which is above one of the front wheels to use as a guide, he will also use the front jack as a way of lining up and making sure he's square in the box and stopping on his marks.”

Of course, there have been moments where the stop has gone wrong – who can forget Lance Stroll careering into his front jack operator at the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with the mechanic tumbling backwards after the clash?

Provided that doesn’t happen, the jack lifts up the front of the car and the surrounding mechanics can then get to work servicing all four wheels.

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

“Once all the wheels are correctly fitted, the front jack operator needs to move that jack out of the way as quick as they can so the car is not delayed,” Lowe added.

In order to pull off this explosive effort, the jack operators have a few broad height requirements, and also works to refine the stop repeatedly throughout the season.

"At every race we also do live pitstops during practice sessions so the team are used to a car coming into the pitbox and leaving as they would during a race,” Lowe adds. “We practice lots of different scenarios as well, such as if a jack fails, what will be done, who will step in, what they will do.”

On top of that, the jack operator also has a whole host of other tasks to complete over a race weekend, as this isn’t their only job within the team.

“Everyone in the pit crew has a primary role effectively and their pit crew position is additional,” explained Lowe. “The pit crew is made-up of mechanics, garage technicians, and electricians.”

Esteban Ocon predicts early F1 2026 pecking order after Barcelona test

Overtaking looks “difficult” with 2026 F1 cars, Esteban Ocon warns

Dario Franchitti is a four-time IndyCar champion, three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500,  an overall winner in the Rolex 24 ,and even a Daytona 500 starter in NASCAR, but now he's about experience something truly chaotic -- NASCAR Trucks at a street course.

The 52-year-old racer will compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series next month when the series joins IndyCar at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (February 28). He will drive the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage. 

Along with his incredible resume in IndyCar, Franchitti has some NASCAR experience, but it was a long time ago. Ten Cup starts in 2008, 18 O'Reilly Series starts between 2007-2008, and one appearance in Trucks during the 2007 season. That start came at Martinsville, and he finished 33rd after a mechanical failure.

But this time, a much older Franchitti will be driving for the best team in the NASCAR Truck Series, and he will be competing at a street course that is completely new to the rest of the field while he is expertly familiar with it. He's run eight IndyCar races at the technical street course, winning the event in 2011.

“The thought of racing a NASCAR truck on a street circuit is really intriguing to me. The different surfaces, the fact that part of it is on an airport, then you go into the streets, the different bumps all those things you got to try and master. This was just the chance to race on a circuit that I love, and a chance to do something fun," said Franchitti.

This deal came about through conversations with his friend and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who made it happen via his relationship with Toyota. Johnson will be driving the same truck in the San Diego street race later this year.

“Dario and I had been talking for a long time about the chance to race together, so when he approached me about St. Petersburg, I knew I had to get to work. I called him back a day later with an incredible opportunity to join a championship-winning team with Toyota and the great people at TRICON,” said Johnson. “It’s been a lot of fun getting him integrated into the team and spending more time together, going through the process of getting him back to racing."

Donald Trump signs executive order confirming IndyCar race in Washington D.C.

Jimmie Johnson set to make first NASCAR Truck start in over 17 years

NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray postponed once again after historic snowfall

IndyCar and Monumental Sports & Entertainment announced a partnership to promote the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C.

The historic event on 21-23 August will see a race take place on the National Mall and surrounding city streets for the first time for IndyCar - and first since the American Le Mans Series in 2002 - in celebration of America’s 250th birthday, following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last Friday.

As part of the effort, Monumental Sports & Entertainment will serve as the official marketing, sponsorships and corporate hospitality sales agency for the race weekend. The group is home to several professional sports teams in the area, including the Washington Capitals (NHL), Washington Wizards (NBA) and Washington Mystics (WNBA).

“This is an incredible partnership built to make history on the streets of our nation’s capital,” said Bud Denker, chairman of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. and president of Penske Corporation. “Like our organization, Monumental Sports & Entertainment is a highly driven and mission-oriented team, excited and ready to provide an exceptional showcase of speed, innovation and patriotic pride as the NTT IndyCar Series brings the Fastest Racing on Earth to the National Mall.”

Jim Van Stone, president of business operations and chief commercial officer at Monumental Sports & Entertainment, added, “This marquee event is more than a race—it is a celebration of our nation’s history that puts fans at the center and showcases the nation’s capital as a world-class host of unforgettable sporting experiences.

"We’re thrilled to partner with IndyCar to bring one of the most iconic motorsports experiences to the heart of Washington, D.C., and to power the sales and marketing eTorts that will connect fans to this landmark event.”

Similar to the rest of the IndyCar Series schedule, the race will be on network television courtesy of Fox Sports. Details related to the course and the event are set to be shared during a kickoff gathering in the coming weeks.

Nolan Siegel says pressure of contract year "doesn't really change anything"

Freedom 250 will be "economic benefit” to Washington D.C. says Roger Penske

The opening day of the Sepang MotoGP test offered KTM plenty of reasons for encouragement, even if it remains too early to draw firm conclusions about the true performance of the 2026 RC16.

The Austrian manufacturer took an aggressive development approach over the winter, with greater stability at its Mattighofen headquarters allowing it to push ahead with updates that had previously been out of reach.

Pedro Acosta had already suggested at the launch that the scale of the changes made the bike feel as though KTM was “building a bike from zero” - even if, technically, it is not a clean-sheet design. KTM’s quartet of factory riders put the 2026 prototype through its paces at the Sepang International Circuit on Tuesday, a week after test riders Pol Espargaro and Dani Pedrosa carried out an initial evaluation in the official Shakedown.

On the timesheets, KTM ended the day as the second-fastest manufacturer, with Tech3’s Maverick Vinales finishing third behind Ducati duo Marc Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio with a late effort of 1m57.295s.

Vinales stuck to the same chassis he sampled at the Valencia test last November, instead spending the day evaluating a new swingarm and updated aero parts.

The Spaniard praised KTM for finally addressing several long-standing weaknesses of the RC16, leaving him encouraged by the direction of development.

“During the morning, I was with the standard bike from when I left Valencia and straight away it was a very good feeling with the bike,” he said. “I feel really good with the feedback of the bike, with the feeling I get from it. Just that most of the day I was with the medium tyres, which are not that great to be on [for] good lap times. 

“But the feeling was good, so as soon as I put the soft, like the others, I made a big jump on the timesheets.

“I tried aero, which we already know from Valencia was a step forward. And then I tried a swingarm and something that is included with the swingarm.

“Every little thing we try is a step forward on where we were weak last year. So, I think the guys did a really good job on those terms. But still there is room to improve and room to understand how I can be faster with the bike."

He added: “For tomorrow, we will keep adding new items to the bike. I will have a chassis to try and some other stuff from 2026 to decide what works and what doesn't work. 

“But I'm really happy with KTM because for me it's the first time in a long time that you can see that the factory touches the weak points of the bike. So that's great news for me.”

Acosta on 2026 KTM

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Acosta, meanwhile, was unable to complete a proper time attack in the afternoon, leaving him 15th on the combined times based on his early effort on medium tyres.

Even so, the 21-year-old came away encouraged with KTM’s new-for-2026 chassis, which he believes will allow him to shift focus towards aerodynamic development during the remainder of the test.

“I was doing chassis configuration testing in the morning and I have to use these tyres to make it [through]. I think the chassis side is quite sorted. I'm quite happy about that,” he said. “We know that we suffer a lot in these long corners, like at Turn 3 or tracks like Australia or Silverstone. It looks promising, to be honest

“Then, in the afternoon, I was more focused on aerodynamics, just making laps. 

“Now, I think I will need to work again tomorrow on aerodynamics because there is still work to do there.”

As for what he wants from the aero package, Acosta said he is looking for “a bit more turning” and “a bit more stability in the front of the bike.”
 
One of the RC16’s biggest weak points in 2025 was its tendency to chew up tyres, which often left KTM riders struggling in full-distance races. Acosta said it is still too early to say whether that issue has been fully resolved.

“I completed a lot of laps in the tyre, to see also the rhythm of the race. This looks quite ok,” he said.

“But tough to say, because you know that the tyre situation is quite limited. I see that many guys were using a lot of time on the medium this morning, and I was just making 15 laps and jumping early in the stops to make chassis checks. 

“For this reason, maybe I lost the chance to make some time attacks in the afternoon, but it was quite ok.”

KTM entered the 2025 season in the middle of a wide-ranging restructure under administration, which severely limited its ability to develop the RC16.

However, the situation couldn’t be any different at the start of the new season, with Acosta noting that KTM  reacted to the feedback he provided after his first run on the 2026 prototype in November’s Valencia test.

“It's a big improvement compared to last pre-season,” he said. “But one thing is to be surprised and the other thing is to be happy now. They were working a lot, they brought exactly what we were asking for, and it looks like, at the moment, they touched the point with the chassis. Let's see what is waiting for us tomorrow.”

But for all the resources KTM has invested in developing its 2026 contender, Acosta remains realistic about whether the upgrades would translate into improved performance on track.

Asked if he can be happy with KTM’s work over the winter, he said: “I can tell you on day three. If you are not fast, the work is for nothing.”

KTM’s other riders Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder finished 12th and 13th on the leaderboard. The latter largely ran the same RV16 as last year “to build up the speed”, but will “start throwing stuff on the bike” from Wednesday.

Fabio Quartararo to return home after breaking finger in Sepang MotoGP test

MotoGP Sepang test: Marc Marquez tops Day 1 as Fabio Quartararo crashes

It’s all change in Formula 1 this year, as the series rolls out radical new rules that will upend the chassis and engine regulations. Ahead of the season-opener in Australia, teams have begun unveiling their 2026 challengers.

Red Bull was the first to reveal the cars that will compete for its titular outfit and sister team Racing Bulls, before five further teams showcased their 2026 Formula 1 cars.

Now, with just four teams yet to unveil their new machines, this is every 2026 Formula 1 car that we’ve seen so far.

Red Bull RB26

Red Bull Racing RB22

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Drivers: Max Verstappen & Isack Hadjar
Power Unit: Red Bull-Ford

Red Bull was one of the first teams to unveil its 2026 challenger, throwing the covers off the RB22 at an event in Detroit, Michigan. The car will be the first Red Bull racer to use an in-house developed powertrain, which has been created in conjunction with American automaker Ford.

Racing Bulls VCARB 03 

Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

Photo by: Davide Cavazza

Drivers: Liam Lawson & Arvid Lindblad
Power Unit: Red Bull-Ford DM01

The VCARB 03 was premiered at that same event in the US and makes use of the same Red Bull-Ford power unit, which has been named in honour of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz. It made its on-track debut in a filming day in Italy, but rookie racer Arvid Lindblad had a few teething problems and went off track at Imola.

Haas VF-26

Oliver Bearman, Haas VF-26

Photo by: Haas F1 Team

Drivers: Esteban Ocon & Oliver Bearman
Power Unit: Ferrari

Now officially known as the TGR Haas F1 Team after agreeing a new title sponsorship deal with Toyota, the American team will race the VF-26 this year. The new car has been a long time coming, with Haas technical director Andrea De Zordo revealing that it has been in the works since 2024.

Audi R26

Audi F1 Team R26 livery

Photo by: Christopher Otto

Drivers: Nico Hulkenberg & Gabriel Bortoleto
Power Unit: Audi

After taking over the Sauber team, Audi unveiled its first F1 racer at an event in Berlin last week. The new car, which has a striking silver, black and red livery, will use Audi’s own power unit – the only car on the grid to do so.

Mercedes W17

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes W17

Photo by: Mercedes AMG

Drivers: George Russell & Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Power Unit: Mercedes

After losing its way in F1’s ground effect era, Mercedes will be hoping that the W17 can help it get back to the front. After shaking down its new car last week, innovative details have been spotted on the car, including an intriguing hole at the rear of its diffuser.

Ferrari SF-26

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-26

Photo by: Federico Basile | AG Photo

Drivers: Lewis Hamilton & Charles Leclerc
Power Unit: Ferrari

Another team hoping to make the most of F1’s reset is Ferrari, which will race the SF-26 this year. With Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at the wheel, the team needs a car that the pair can extract the most from in order to get back to winning ways.

Alpine A526

Alpine A526 livery

Photo by: Alpine

Drivers: Pierre Gasly & Franco Colapinto
Power Unit: Mercedes

Alpine ceased development of its 2025 challenger early to get a head start on the A526, which will be the first car in the team’s history to use a Mercedes engine. The team reports that it was already handed a “confidence boost” when it took to the Silverstone track with its new car last week.

McLaren MCL40

McLaren MCL40 livery

Drivers: Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri
Power Unit: Mercedes 

McLaren will be hoping that the MCL40 can continue its reign at the top in F1 after it won back-to-back constructors' crowns and Lando Norris clinched the drivers' title last year. Ahead of the start of the 2026 season, McLaren revealed the new car in a testing livery that it will run in Barcelona. The team will unveil its 2026 design at an event in Bahrain on 9 February.

Williams FW48 

Williams FW48

Photo by: Williams

Drivers: Carlos Sainz & Alexander Albon
Power Unit: Mercedes 

Williams unveiled the livery for its 2026 challenger after the Barcelona shakedown, having missed the test due to delays with the build of its FW48. The team unveiled renders showing its new livery, which features a mainly dark blue and black design like its predecessors. The new look adds light blue and white on its sidepods, accommodating the Barclays and Komatsu logos, with more white on the front and rear wings.

When will the others be unveiled?

There are still two teams yet to reveal their 2026 challengers, and each will come ahead of the first Bahrain test session – which kicks off on 11 February at the Bahrain International Circuit.

The all-new Cadillac team will showcase its first car during a Super Bowl advert on 8 February. Finally, Aston Martin will reveal its 2026 challengers on 9 February – just two days before the first scheduled Bahrain test.

What to expect from F1's Barcelona test – and why the first 2026 shakedown is being held in secret

Here’s what the intriguing holes in Mercedes’ and Ferrari’s F1 diffusers are for

Williams has unveiled the livery for its delayed 2026 Formula 1 car.

The FW48 will feature a mainly dark blue and black design like its predecessors, but will also feature light blue and white on its sidepods, accommodating the Barclays and Komatsu logos, with more white on the front and rear wings.

The team announced on Wednesday that the British bank would be its “official banking partner”, while Komatsu, a Japanese construction equipment manufacturer, has been sponsoring the outfit since the 2024 season.

“2026 is the next step on the path back towards the top for Atlassian Williams F1 Team as we enter a new era for the sport, and we are excited about the season ahead,” team principal James Vowles said.

The challenges facing Williams ahead of F1 2026

“We have a great driver line-up, some fantastic new partners, an ever-growing fanbase and want to build on the success we tasted last year, but we are not naïve about the challenge ahead of us. Nobody quite knows what will happen at the first race but we are looking forward to finding out, and hope our fans will love cheering us on with this great new livery.”

Williams’ journey “back towards the top” got off to an inauspicious start as the team missed the Barcelona pre-season test, making its FW48 the only 2026 car yet to appear publicly – which remains the case as today is merely a livery reveal.

The team owned up to “delays in the FW48 programme”, but Vowles subsequently insisted Williams “could have made it to Barcelona”, though he admitted this would have put the squad on the back foot in terms of spare parts.

Williams FW48

Photo by: Williams

“We have the power unit provided by Mercedes, the gearbox provided by Mercedes, so the learning that they’re going through this week in Barcelona will carry over into us, into Bahrain,” the Briton said last week.

“It’s not that I want to be resting on their hard work, but also it is worth stating that that is still an advantage for us that falls out of it, or a disadvantage that’s negated. I’m confident with six days in Bahrain, we will run through the programme that we need to and it’s why we’re on the VTT [Virtual Test Track] now.

“What I wanted to do is to make sure from the outset in Bahrain, we have a reliable car ready to go so that we're not sitting there doing what a lot of individuals and teams are trying their best to do in Barcelona, but not leave the garage. We've got to be there ready to go.”

The Bahrain pre-season tests are taking place from 11-13 and 18-20 February; the actual FW48 is not expected to be unveiled any sooner.

How Williams benefits from F1 Barcelona shakedown - despite no running

This is every 2026 Formula 1 car we’ve seen so far

Max Verstappen has confirmed that he does not see himself returning to Formula 1 in a management role when he decides to retire from racing.

The four-time champion has often made it clear that he is in the championship to win and has left the door open to a potential exit if he fails to enjoy the new regulations in 2026 or after his current contract with Red Bull ends in 2028.

"I'm only there to win. I'm not there to just participate because that for me is not sustainable, then it's not fun anymore," he told TAG Heuer. "And that's exactly what I'm always trying to look out for. And at the moment, that's going really well."

There has been speculation about Verstappen taking a management role in the Milton Keynes outfit in the future when he decides it is time to step away from the driver's seat. He has now confirmed he does not have an interest in this while he discussed his motivation to bring sim racers into real-world racing.

"Racing," he laughed, when asked what he is passionate about outside of racing.

"But then not racing, not even necessarily myself, but for example, one of my goals is to bring a simulator driver into the real world. That has happened this year already and he's doing very well.

"I just want to try and grow that project naturally because that is definitely something that I enjoy a lot. And outside of Formula 1 for the future as well because I like being in F1 as a driver, I don't think I would ever come back in F1 in a management role let's say like that.

"But in a different category, more like endurance-style, yes I do see that happening and creating that opportunity for young drivers that do not have the funds or the possibilities of getting into a real racing car to try and stimulate that from the simulator world as well."

Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli has likened upcoming Formula 1 racing to “speed chess” based on the world championship’s new technical regulations.

Entering a new era, F1 has discarded the DRS and introduced new tools such as active aerodynamics (mobile front and rear wings) and Overtake Mode (a power boost that will be used just like DRS was).

More interestingly, the new machinery also features Boost Mode, an energy deployment tool that can be used anywhere to attack or defend, while drivers will need to optimise energy harvesting as electric power takes greater prominence, which could lead to intriguing gambits.

“With all this energy management, also the way you race, the way you have to use your energy while fighting with others, that is a very big step,” Antonelli said.

“This year you have to come into the season very open-minded, and in some way you need to be very creative as well, because you can play so much with the energy, especially when fighting other people. When, you know, it's like playing chess, but like kind of a speed chess.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Mercedes AMG

“Obviously you don't have as much time to think for every move, but this year you always have to try and be two steps ahead of the others, especially when fighting. When you're planning an overtake or when you're defending, you always have to try and be two steps ahead of the other and try to predict him or force him to do something.

“So there's a lot to play. And that's why I think this season you have to be really open-minded – and as I said before, even creative at times.”

The new machinery represents a steep learning curve across the board, but Antonelli believes younger drivers may have an advantage despite their lack of F1 experience.

Kimi Antonelli eyeing F1 2026 title fight with Mercedes currently favourite

“Definitely for all the rookies that joined F1 last year, coming into this year with a new car is kind of good, because obviously we've been used to drive a different car every year,” the 19-year-old Italian pointed out. “So we've been used to try and adapt as quickly as possible to a new car.

“So of course, on that side, it's good that we have a new car this year, because it's a reset for everyone. Maybe it will help us out to understand the car a bit quicker than others. But of course, the other drivers are not stupid and they're pretty good, so I think they will figure it out very quickly as well.”

Williams has announced a new partnership with Barclays ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season, marking the British bank's first-ever F1 collaboration.

Barclays will become the official banking partner of the Grove outfit and its branding will appear on the FW48, which is set to be unveiled later today (3 February), as well as on the helmets of both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, team clothing and throughout the garages and team's hospitality units.

Williams team principal James Vowles said about the new partnership: “We are delighted to welcome Barclays into the sport as Official Banking Partner to Atlassian Williams F1 Team. As we prepare for one of the most significant regulatory changes in Formula 1 history, we’re preparing to seize the opportunities of the new era together with Barclays as we continue investing for long-term success.” 

Barclays Bank PLC president Stephen Dainton added: “Our partnership with Atlassian Williams F1 Team will deepen our client engagement and elevate our brand across our key markets as we grow our investment banking and private banking and wealth management relationships. Working with one of the most storied teams in Formula 1 brings unparalleled global visibility. 

“Barclays has long been one of sport’s most committed corporate partners — from the Premier League and the Women’s Super League to Lord’s, Wimbledon, NBA Brooklyn Nets and WNBA Liberty — and we pair those world stage platforms with major investment in community and grassroots sport. It’s this combination of elite performance and local impact that defines our approach.”

Williams has introduced a string of new partnerships ahead of 2026, including Anthropic, BNY, Sparco and Wilkinson Sword.

Interestingly, Spanish bank Santander has been removed from Williams' list of partners. It had partnered with the team when Spanish driver Carlos Sainz joined from Ferrari in 2025.

Adrian Newey has revealed Aston Martin didn’t start its 2026 wind tunnel programme until mid-April 2025, which accounts for the team’s current setback.

As Formula 1 held a five-day shakedown last week at Barcelona, where each team was allowed to run on three days, Aston completed just one full day of testing, on Friday, after covering a handful of laps on Thursday evening.

This required the new challenger to be flown from the team’s factory to the circuit – more precisely the nearest airports in Birmingham and Girona – in order to have any track time at all.

How Aston Martin rushed the AMR26 to Barcelona on a 50-year-old Antonov plane

But Aston’s delay may originate from what happened 12 months ago at the outfit’s Silverstone campus.

F1 teams were banned from running any wind tunnel or CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) tests relative to 2026 machinery before 1 January 2025, keeping costs and resources under control amid the regulatory overhaul.

Yet, Aston Martin waited for its new wind tunnel to be fully operational, reveals team principal Newey – who joined the team on 1 March, initially as ‘managing technical partner’.

“2026 is probably the first time in the history of F1 that the power unit regulations and chassis regulations have changed at the same time. It's a completely new set of rules, which is a big challenge for all the teams, but perhaps more so for us,” the legendary British designer said.

Adrian Newey, Managing Technical Partner of Aston Martin F1

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

“The AMR Technology Campus is still evolving, the CoreWeave Wind Tunnel wasn't on song until April, and I only joined the team last March, so we've started from behind, in truth. It's been a very compressed timescale and an extremely busy 10 months.” Aston Martin previously announced on 13 March 2025 that its new wind tunnel was up and running.

“The reality is that we didn’t get a model of the '26 car into the wind tunnel until mid-April, whereas most, if not all of our rivals would have had a model in the wind tunnel from the moment the 2026 aero testing ban ended at the beginning of January last year. That put us on the back foot by about four months, which has meant a very, very compressed research and design cycle. The car only came together at the last minute, which is why we were fighting to make it to the Barcelona shakedown.”

Like rival outfits, Aston Martin now faces a steep development curve with its new car.

“The AMR26 that races in Melbourne is going to be very different to the one people saw at the Barcelona shakedown, and the AMR26 that we finish the season with in Abu Dhabi is going to be very different to the one that we start the season with,” Newey added. “It's very important to keep an open mind.”

Adrian Newey’s extreme Aston, Red Bull, and Mercedes: Early tech trends of F1 2026