Ricciardo’s advice, Red Bull’s fresh paint, and a quiet shake-up at the FIA — Friday turned into one of those deceptively busy off-season days that tell you plenty about where the sport’s heading next.
Lawson leans on Ricciardo after Red Bull rollercoaster
Liam Lawson says he spoke “quite a bit” with Daniel Ricciardo while the Australian was battling through a rough patch at Red Bull in 2025, according to PlanetF1. It’s a striking admission because it underlines something we rarely see through the optics of the driver market: how quickly the sport turns and how often those turns are navigated privately, with the phone on speaker and the walls closing in.
Lawson stepped in for Ricciardo at Racing Bulls late in 2024, then jumped to the senior team to start 2025 before being moved aside again after just two rounds, per the report, with Yuki Tsunoda taking over. That’s a lot of turbulence for a 23-year-old trying to cement his place at the front of the grid — and a reminder that even in the most ruthless operation in F1, the human side still matters. Ricciardo’s been through nearly every shade of Red Bull drama over the last decade; if anyone knows the emotional geometry of that garage, it’s him.
Zhou exits Ferrari reserve role ahead of 2026
Ferrari, meanwhile, is making quiet changes of its own. The team has confirmed the departure of reserve driver Guanyu Zhou before the 2026 season. Zhou joined Maranello for 2025 after his Sauber stint ended the year prior, and leaves with 68 Formula 1 starts and 16 points to his name. It’s a short, tidy chapter that never turned into a race opportunity — not unusual at Ferrari, where the step from reserve to race seat is more drawbridge than staircase.
The move also reflects a paddock already reshuffling around the 2026 regulations and the driver market churn that will follow. Expect more of these tidy announcements in the coming weeks as teams sharpen their structures for a very different technical era.
Red Bull rolls out a new mark for the Ford era
Red Bull Racing has unveiled an updated team logo for 2026, just as the Ford partnership officially comes online. Mercedes showed off a refreshed identity on January 1, and now Red Bull’s tweak will inevitably fuel livery talk — and not just the online kind. Teams don’t change badges for the fun of it; they do it to signal intent, new alliances, and a fresh story to sell. This one says: the Ford chapter starts now.
We’ll see whether the final RB livery for 2026 leans into Ford iconography or stays close to the modern classic. Either way, the brand calculus is clear: when you bring in a manufacturer with that history, you make room on the front page.
A key FIA departure in race control
PlanetF1 also reports that Claire Dubbelman has left her post as F1 deputy race director after nearly nine years with the FIA, set for a move to Saudi Arabia’s national motorsport federation. Dubbelman’s résumé inside the governing body is no small thing: from championship manager in 2017 to F1 sporting manager and deputy race director as of February 2024, working alongside race director Rui Marques last season.
Race control has been under the microscope since 2021, and stability has been the watchword ever since. Any senior change there matters, both for process and perception. The FIA’s next moves — and who steps into that deputy role — will be watched closely heading into the new campaign and beyond.
Permane: Barcelona is the season’s first real race
Racing Bulls team boss Alan Permane has put it plainly: the first pre-season test in Barcelona later this month is the most important “race” of 2026. “The later you develop your car, the faster it will be, in simple terms,” he told PlanetF1, crystallizing the development paradox everyone faces. Do you keep the factory lights on until the last possible minute to chase lap time on paper, or lock the spec earlier to arrive with a car that actually behaves?
Permane’s point lands because 2026 is a clean-sheet rethink — a power unit reset, a new aero philosophy, and a fresh set of trade-offs teams are still mapping out. Whoever reads that balance right in Barcelona won’t just top session times; they’ll be setting their upgrade cadence and correlation confidence for the year.
What it all adds up to
String these moves together and the picture is familiar but telling. Drivers are searching for allies in a cutthroat market. Ferrari is keeping its house disciplined. Red Bull is marketing the future as much as it’s building it. The FIA is turning a page in race operations. And the midfield — where Permane now thinks like a prizefighter — is treating a test like a grand prix.
It’s January noise with real signal in it. By the time the cars roll out in Spain, we’ll start to see who guessed right — and who’s already playing catch-up to a season that hasn’t officially begun.
