Cadillac rolls out stealth test livery as F1’s next era inches closer — Alpine and Doohan part ways, and the ‘overtake mode’ debate heats up
Cadillac has pulled the sheet — sort of. The American marque became the first outfit to show anything resembling 2026-spec style, unveiling a blackout camouflage for its five-day, closed-doors running in Barcelona. It’s a clean, no-nonsense look: matte black, big crest, and a clever, almost sentimental touch — the names of founding members from its UK and US bases quietly ghosted across the bodywork.
The car proper lands on February 8. Until then, expect Cadillac to lurk around Spain like a secret prototype, gathering miles and data while the rest of the paddock keeps its powder dry. It’s a notable tone-setter for the new ruleset; if nothing else, Cadillac is comfortable being first to blink.
Alpine and Jack Doohan go their separate ways
Elsewhere, Alpine has confirmed a mutual split with Jack Doohan. The Australian started 2025 in a race seat before sliding back into reserve duties, and both sides have now decided to formalize the clean break to “allow him to pursue other career opportunities.”
There’s been steady noise about a potential reserve spot at Haas alongside a Super Formula program in Japan for 2026, with an eye on a full-time F1 return in 2027. For Alpine, it trims a driver ladder that’s been crowded and occasionally tense; for Doohan, it’s a pragmatic recalibration. He’s quick, he’s marketable, and at 22, he’s got time to rebuild the arc.
Goodbye DRS, hello ‘overtake mode’
With 2026 comes the end of DRS as we’ve known it. In its place: ‘overtake mode’ and a complementary ‘boost’ function, which together are designed to tidy up the passing toolkit without the sometimes artificial feel of flap-open fly-bys. The mechanics matter. How drivers manage energy deployment on corner exit and down the straights will make or break moves — and race craft will be back under the microscope.
Teams have been modeling scenarios for months. Expect some early-season chaos as everyone relearns the dance: track position vs. battery in hand, lift-and-coast vs. one-lap aggression. If the system does what it says on the tin, we’ll see fewer drive-by passes and more elbows-out execution.
Verstappen on Piastri: “You sell your soul”
Max Verstappen, never one to varnish a sentence, waded into McLaren’s 2025 team-orders management by saying he would have “definitely not” complied the way Oscar Piastri did at points last season. In Max’s words: acceding in that way means “you sell your soul,” handing the team a free pass to call shots against you later.
McLaren insisted it policed the intra-team fight with scrupulous parity as both drivers hunted the Drivers’ standings. Still, Verstappen’s point will resonate with every hard-nosed racer in the paddock: once you give ground, it’s hard to take it back. Piastri’s camp would counter that big-picture thinking sometimes wins championships. Call it philosophy, call it personality — in 2026’s tighter energy windows, the politics of team play won’t get any simpler.
Marko’s bar for Red Bull-Ford in 2026: just be in the fight
Before exiting the Red Bull orbit, Helmut Marko delivered a sober measuring stick for the new Red Bull-Ford power unit: if it’s competitive from the off, that’s already a “big success.” It’s a realistic line given the scale of the project. For the first time, Red Bull is building its own PU, with Ford badging and support, going up against decades of institutional expertise at Mercedes, Ferrari and Honda — and Audi joining the party.
Nobody outside the dynos knows exactly where the pecking order will land. But if Red Bull-Ford rolls into Melbourne 2026 within a punch of the front, Marko’s bar will look less like modesty and more like foresight.
Quick hits
– Cadillac’s stealth livery is a smart PR play and a practical one. Camouflage buys time. The names on the car buy goodwill. Both matter for a newcomer staking ground on two continents.
– Alpine-Doohan ending on good terms suggests doors stay open down the line. In an F1 paddock that never forgets, grace notes are currency.
– The 2026 passing package will reward the drivers who can think three corners ahead while nursing electrons. Expect some veteran guile to reappear on Sundays.
The countdown now is basically in hours and test days. One team has shown its colors — or lack of them — another has tidied its roster, and the sport is about to flip a chapter on how cars actually race. It’s the quiet before the noise. Enjoy it while it lasts.
