Its incredible to think that in just over five weeks time, the Formula One teams will convene in Barcelona for the first of an extended pre-season tests. The Schedule allows for each team to run their car for three days in a five day window at the Circuit de Catalunya, followed by two three day tests in Bahrain during February.
Given the massive change in the car and power unit design regulations, the FIA have mandated the Spanish test will take place behind closed doors. Of course nobody wants the world to see their all new power units going up in smoke, or the suspension failing repeatedly on the chassis.
Yet by banning the media and the public from the Barcelona test, will only turn up the heat in the paddock rumour mill as many of the trackside team will privately brief those outside the bubble on what happened.
Driver’s unsure of F1’s 2026 new cars
Much has been written about F1’s new powertrain and chassis designs although with the exception of Toto Wolff, most drivers and engineers comments are either negative or neutral at best. What is certain is the drivers will be doing a lot more behind the wheel than ever before with energy management to become a key feature of the racers role.
Alex Albon was the first to break silence over the 2026 F1 cars after a simulator session in the Williams prototype. He claimed a lot of “brain power” would be required, suggesting the persistent need to manage the electrical energy will be something which dominates the drivers’ attention.
Charles Leclerc having tried out Ferrari’s virtual offering claimed he was “not a fan” and George Russell recently commented that there would be a number of “obscure” places where overtaking wold now be possible. Albon had also suggested the cars felt slow when compared to the current specification and there’s the spectre of an F1 car running out of electrical charge half way down the straight and slowing, a side effect first pointed out by Christian Horner back in 2023.
Paddock analysts such as Sky’s Bernie Collins (ex-McLaren and Aston Martin engineer) believes Mercedes will deliver the best engines once again, although much has changed since they dominated the last time new power units were introduced.
Hamilton says of F1 racing spectacle: “I’m not sure you’re going to like it”
The Mercedes budget was said to be unlimited in terms of R&D sanctioned for the all new V6 turbo hybrid for 2014, whilst Renault reportedly spent a fifth of their German rivals. Honda rocked up a year late an struggled with the “GP2” style power unit, whilst Ferrari couldn’t compete with the might of the Brixworth engineering genius.
For 2026, a cost cap has been introduced in terms of the R&D spend each manufacturer may make. Bench testing and other resources are also restricted and so the playing field is already much more level than for 2014.
The lates paddock figure to discuss the all new 2026 racing, with its push to pass buttons and active from and rear wings is Lewis Hamilton. When asked how he thought the pecking order would shake out, he was noncommittal. “I think it’s really, really hard to predict what it’s going to be like,” Hamilton said to assembled media in Abu Dhabi.
“I don’t want to dog it. I don’t want to say too many negative things. It feels so much different, and I’m not sure you’re going to like it. But maybe I’ll be surprised, and maybe it’ll be amazing. Maybe overtaking will be incredible. Maybe it’ll be easier to overtake, I don’t know. But it is a massive challenge for us all, and I think that’s really what the sport’s really about, right? It’s about continuously challenging ourselves. If we just did the same thing all the time, then it would be easy.”
Villeneuve rejects common Verstappen theory
FIA powers to stop F1 domination
Maybe we just need to think F1 meets video game, where the drivers Mario Kart style can throw a banana skin in front of their nearest rival on track whilst scoring points collecting stars whilst remaining within track limits.
Hamilton’s observations are fascinating, given the feed back from other drivers stops well short of suggesting F1 fans may not enjoy the new spectacle. The imagination runs wild as to the potential pitfalls Lewis has seen in the Ferrari simulator.
Frankenstein’s monsters was how Christian Horner famously described the new V6 hybrids. Even the FIA were concerned enough about how the cars will run, to call a big sit down with all the teams and manufacturers in Bahrain this season. They proposed reducing the electrical contribution to overall power from 50% to 35-40%.
Yet this met with obstruction from at least two of the power unit manufacturers given the proposal was never carried forward. This then created a political narrative coming from both the FIA president and FOM’s Stefano Domenicali. The latter claimed if the regulations were being agreed ‘now’ then very different decisions would have been made.
FIA confirms terms for new 2026 technology
He criticises the expense and complexity of the net generation of F1 power, adding the future for this iteration of F1 power may be quite short and a return to V8’s could come as early as in 2030.
F1’s problem is that the manufacturers are calling the shots at present and given the complexity of the modern F1 power unit, no third party suppliers like Cosworth who have been highly successful in F1 historically, can afford to take a punt on designing and building one.
Post the meeting in Bahrain it felt like there had been a shift in the force, with the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem backing his once bitter rival FOM’s Domenicali in calling for a return to less expensive and simpler engine technology in the future.
Whatever the F1 circus serves up in just over five weeks, will no doubt create a huge debate over the future direction of the sport, although the FIA have indicated they will use all their powers to prevent one team/engine from dominating as did Mercedes in 2014.
Zak Brown called out “arrogance” at McLaren & Ferrari should take note
The Maranello festive bash is almost upon us and its usually a time for the F1 team’s management to throw some bones to the hard core Italian media and fans. Last season Fred Vasseur revealed at the Christmas celebrations that for 2025 the team were building a “completely new car” sharing less than 1% of its predecessor.
This decision came back to haunt Vasseur and Loic Sera as they took a drastically wrong step in terms of their suspension layout, something which plagues the race team all season and meant the car was abandoned in terms of aero upgrades in April, as Vasseur revealed in Qatar.
Parsing the various comments Lewis Hamilton has made during the 2025 season, it appears there’s an arrogance in Maranello that despite winning nothing for almost twenty years, is holding the team back and creating repeated mistakes… READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
