Hamilton engineer change under scrutiny; Bottas and Perez react to Cadillac shakedown – roundup
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton faces the media at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix
Saturday’s fast-paced F1 news includes Lewis Hamilton coming under scrutiny after Ferrari opted to change his race engineer for the F1 2026 season as Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas react to Cadillac’s shakedown.
With Ferrari releasing footage of its supposed ‘revolutionary’ new engine, let’s fly through the day’s main F1 headlines at the speed of light…
PF1 reacts to Lewis Hamilton Ferrari race engineer change
Ferrari announced on Friday that Lewis Hamilton will get a new race engineer for the F1 2026 season.
It comes as Riccardo Adami takes a new role within the organisation, working with the team’s junior academy and TPC program.
Our writers debate where this development leaves Hamilton ahead of his second season with Ferrari.
Read more: PF1 verdict: Our reaction to Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton race engineer bombshell
Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas react after Cadillac F1 2026 shakedown
Sergio Perez says he is “fired up for more” after completing his first laps with the Cadillac F1 2026 car in a shakedown at Silverstone.
Cadillac became the latest team to carry out a shakedown with its F1 2026 car on Friday with Perez on driving duties at the British Grand Prix venue.
Perez’s teammate Valtteri Bottas watched on as the former Red Bull driver took to the track.
Read more: First Cadillac F1 reaction as Perez and Bottas break silence on Silverstone shakedown
Ferrari reveals sound of F1 2026 engine
Ferrari has released footage of the team’s F1 2026 engine fire up ahead of the official launch of the SF-26 car next week.
It arrived on the same day Ferrari’s ‘revolutionary’ new power unit completed its first laps with customer outfit Cadillac.
Ferrari has reportedly developed steel cylinder heads for its 2026 powertrain, moving away from aluminium in the hope of achieving more efficient combustion.
Read more: First listen: Ferrari reveals sound of ‘revolutionary’ F1 2026 engine
Max Verstappen blow as Helmut Marko backs Mercedes PU for F1 2026 title
Max Verstappen will face a struggle to regain the Formula 1 title in F1 2026.
That is the claim of former Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko, who believes the championship will go to a driver with access to the new Mercedes engine.
Mercedes’ preparations for the new rules have long been thought to be advanced, with the German manufacturer powering its own factory team, McLaren, Williams and Alpine in 2026.
Read more: Marko voices Max Verstappen concern with ‘one hearing’ about potential dark horse
Red Bull Powertrains: Why ICE could be the new tech battleground
Ben Hodgkinson, the head of Red Bull Powertrains, believes the internal combustion engine could become a performance differentiator in F1 over the coming years.
Red Bull will produce its own engines for the first time in 2026 with its Powertrains division working in collaboration with Ford.
Hodgkinson, the RBPT technical director, moved to Red Bull in 2022 after more than two decades with Mercedes High Performance Powertrains.
Read more: Red Bull identifies new technical battleground for engine development
