Crucial engine meeting set; key Red Bull figure departs – round-up

Henry Valantine 17 Feb 2026 9:00 PM

F1 news including a Red Bull engine cover.

Red Bull's chief designer is set to leave the team, as part of Monday's F1 news.

On the eve of the final test in Bahrain, it has been a busy day of F1 news as we get ready to see the cars back out on track once again.

We have a lot of significant headlines to get through, so we’ll get on with it straight away.

PUAC meeting could set direction of F1 2026 engines

A potentially crucial meeting over Formula 1 power units is due to take place on Wednesday, PlanetF1.com has learned.

With reports persisting over potential changes to the checks or overall regulations surrounding compression ratios, at least one manufacturer may be impacted just weeks before the season.

Our own Thomas Maher explains what this could all mean moving forwards.

Red Bull chief designer set to depart

Craig Skinner, Red Bull’s chief designer and a key mind behind the all-conquering RB19 from 2023, is set to leave the team.

Skinner has headed Red Bull’s design team for the past four seasons, and PlanetF1.com understands his departure is of his own accord ahead of the new season.

Red Bull said in a statement: “Craig has been an integral part of our team and its success, and we would like to thank him for his hard work and commitment.

“The whole Red Bull team wishes him all the best for the future.”

Alex Dunne spotted in Alpine-branded F2 car

Irish driver Alex Dunne has been testing in Formula 2, with the former McLaren junior spotted in an Alpine Academy-branded livery while running at Barcelona.

Dunne left the McLaren junior ladder last season and has been undertaking talks with Alpine over a move to join its ranks, which PlanetF1.com understands to have been agreed in principle, but not yet signed.

Pirelli’s wet tyre test… in the desert

Pirelli motorsport boss Mario Isola has detailed the tyre manufacturer’s plans to hold several wet tyre tests through the year, one of which taking place at the Bahrain International Circuit.

While rain is not predominant in the climate around Sakhir, he has been reassured by circuit officials that the whole track would be able to have water introduced in order to make such a test take place successfully.

McLaren and Mercedes are due to supply mule cars for this Bahrain test, which is pencilled to take place on February 28th and March 1st.

Smedley’s withering assessment of ‘we’ll get back to you’ messages

Former Ferrari stalwart, Rob Smedley, spoke in depth about the driver-engineer bond in Formula 1, explaining the ‘head coach’ type role they play with the driver.

Speaking about Lewis Hamilton’s relationship with Riccardo Adami formed last year, Smedley was not impressed with how Ferrari seems to work with its drivers.

He told the High Performance podcast: “It pains me when I hear ‘we’ll get back to you.’ This isn’t a call centre.

“The driver is trying to perform at 10/10 while driving at 200mph. Answer him and give him confidence. If you respond like you need to go ask someone else, those tiny moments erode trust, and the relationship becomes tense.”

Red Bull