No Audi F1 compromise as special Cadillac team radio message released – roundup
Audi's first-ever F1 driver pairing: Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg
Wednesday’s fast-paced F1 news includes Audi F1’s take on the F1 2026 engine loophole rumours as Cadillac releases a special Sergio Perez team radio message from its Silverstone shakedown.
Let’s charge through the day’s main headlines at breakneck speed…
Audi F1 rules out F1 2026 engine compromise
Audi F1 technical director James Key says the team would “never accept” a compromise over the F1 2026 engine rules.
Reports at the end of last year claimed that two manufacturers – Mercedes and Red Bull Powertrains – have identified a potential loophole in the new 2026 engine rules related to the compression ratio.
Key insisted that F1 has “got to have a level playing field.”
Read more: Audi insists it will never accept an FIA compromise on 2026 power unit loophole
Cadillac releases Sergio Perez team radio
Cadillac has released footage of Sergio Perez’s special team radio message to the team at the end of its F1 2026 shakedown.
Cadillac, which is preparing for its debut season in Formula 1, completed its first laps with its 2026 car in a shakedown at Silverstone last Friday.
Perez was on driving duties as teammate Valtteri Bottas watched on.
Read more: Sergio Perez delivers emotional team radio after Cadillac F1 2026 shakedown
Alpine A526 appears in Silverstone shakedown
Alpine has taken to the track with its F1 2026 car for a shakedown at Silverstone.
The Enstone-team finished bottom of the constructors’ standings last season, finishing 48 points adrift of ninth-placed Sauber.
Alpine enters F1 2026 with fresh hope having abandoned its own Renault engines in favour of a Mercedes customer supply.
Read more: First look: Alpine on track at Silverstone as A526 takes first laps
McLaren confirms Puma deal after $40m-per-year Castore partnership ends
McLaren has confirmed that Puma will become its new apparel partner from the F1 2026 season.
The announcement comes after it emerged last year that the reigning F1 champions had moved to end its partnership with previous supplier Castore a year in advance.
McLaren’s deal with Castore, which was originally due to expire at the end of this year, was worth a reported £30million ($40m/€34.3m at current exchange rates) per year.
Read more: McLaren confirms Puma for F1 2026 season after ending $40m-per-year deal early
Max Verstappen breaks silence on F1 2026 engine loophole rumours
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen says “it’s impossible to know” the impact of the supposed F1 2026 engine loophole at this stage.
Verstappen’s comments come after Ben Hodgkinson, the head of Red Bull Powertrains, told PlanetF1.com and other select media last week that his “honest feeling is that “it’s a lot of noise about nothing.”
Read more: Impact of controversial engine loophole ‘impossible to know’
