Ferrari confirms driver departure as Lawson reveals Ricciardo phone calls – roundup
Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo celebrates his victory at the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix
Friday’s fast-paced F1 news includes Ferrari confirming the departure of reserve driver Guanyu Zhou ahead of F1 2026 as Liam Lawson reveals his phone calls with Daniel Ricciardo.
Let’s charge through the day’s main headlines at breakneck speed…
Liam Lawson reveals phone calls with Daniel Ricciardo amid Red Bull struggles
In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com, Liam Lawson has revealed that he spoke “quite a bit” to Daniel Ricciardo during his struggles at Red Bull in F1 2025.
Lawson replaced Ricciardo at the Racing Bulls team in late 2024 before landing a Red Bull seat at the start of last season.
The New Zealander was demoted after just two races of 2025 with Yuki Tsunoda taking his seat.
Read more: Liam Lawson reveals Daniel Ricciardo impact after Red Bull demotion
Guanyu Zhou leaves Ferrari ahead of F1 2026 season
Guanyu Zhou has left his role as Ferrari reserve driver ahead of the F1 2026 season.
Zhou linked up with Ferrari for 2025 after being dropped by Sauber at the end of the previous season.
The Chinese driver made 68 F1 starts between 2022 and 2024, scoring a total of 16 points.
Read more: Ferrari issues farewell message as reserve driver departs
Red Bull reveals new logo for F1 2026 season
Red Bull Racing has revealed an updated team logo ahead of the F1 2026 season.
It comes after long-term rivals Mercedes also debuted a new look for the coming season on January 1.
The F1 2026 season will mark the first of Red Bull’s partnership with US manufacturer Ford having parted ways with Honda.
Read more: Max Verstappen request granted? Updated Red Bull logo sparks RB22 livery rumours
F1 deputy race director Claire Dubbelman leaves FIA
F1 deputy race director Claire Dubbelman has left her role at the FIA ahead of a move to Saudi Arabia’s national motorsport federation, PlanetF1.com understands.
Dubbelman spent almost nine years at the FIA, joining the governing body as championship manager in 2017.
She was promoted to the position of F1 sporting manager and deputy race director in February 2024, working alongside new permanent race director Rui Marques last season.
Read more: Key FIA figure departs ahead of F1 2026 season as new role emerges
Alan Permane on the most important race of F1 2026
In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com, Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane has admitted that the F1 teams “are all faced with exactly the same problem” entering the F1 2026 season.
The problem is wrestling with how far to push car development ahead of the first test of the new season in Barcelona later this month.
“The later you develop your car, the faster it will be, in simple terms,” Permane says.
Read more: The most critical race of F1 2026 revealed
