Ferrari confirms Lewis Hamilton 2026 change as Red Bull grants Verstappen livery request – roundup

Friday’s fast-paced F1 news includes Ferrari announcing that Lewis Hamilton will work with a new race engineer in F1 2026 as Red Bull finally grants Max Verstappen’s livery requests.

Let’s blast through the day’s main F1 headlines at breakneck speed…

Ferrari confirms Lewis Hamilton to get new race engineer for F1 2026

Ferrari has announced that Lewis Hamilton will get a new race engineer for the F1 2026 season.

It comes as Hamilton’s 2025 race engineer, Riccardo Adami, moves to a new role within the organisation.

Adami previously served as race engineer to Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz at Ferrari.

Read more: Lewis Hamilton to get new race engineer as Riccardo Adami moves aside

Max Verstappen request granted as Red Bull reveals new F1 2026 livery

Max Verstappen quipped that he has been “asking for this for quite a while” after Red Bull revealed its new livery for the F1 2026 season.

Red Bull has moved away from its matte paint scheme in place since 2016, with the team reverting to shiny blue to mark its first season working with Ford.

Verstappen welcomed the change at Ford’s season launch event in Detroit.

Read more: Verstappen reveals Red Bull request he has been ‘asking for a while’

Cadillac hold F1 2026 shakedown at Silverstone

The Cadillac F1 team held its F1 2026 shakedown at Silverstone on Friday.

And the team shared a short clip of the car on track at the British Grand Prix venue.

Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez will race for Cadillac this season.

Read more: First look: Cadillac holds F1 2026 shakedown at Silverstone

Tech analysis: Red Bull RB22 and Racing Bulls VCARB03 launch

Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls became the first teams to reveal their 2026 colour schemes on Thursday.

And PlanetF1.com tech editor Matt Somerfield has identified the different approaches taken by the two Red Bull-owned teams to the challenge of the 2026 rules.

Unusually, the chassis and engine regulations have been overhauled simultaneously for 2026.

Read more: F1 2026 uncovered: The design clues that Red Bull and Racing Bulls renders reveal

Red Bull Powertrains breaks silence on F1 2026 loophole rumours

Ben Hodgkinson, the head of Red Bull Powertrains, is “confident” that the manufacturer is operating within the rules with its F1 2026 engine.

Rumours at the end of last year claimed that two manufacturers have identified a loophole in the new engine rules, with RBPT and Mercedes named in some media reports.

Speaking to select media including PlanetF1.com ahead of the Red Bull unveiling, Hodgkinson said: “My honest feeling is I suspect it’s a lot of noise about nothing.”

Read more: Why Red Bull Powertrains believe 2026 compression ratio intrigue is ‘noise about nothing’