Red Bull engine update offered as 'overpaid' driver makes motivation admission

F1 2026 is just around the corner, and here are all your latest F1 news headlines on the third-last day of the year 2025.

It’s only a few weeks until the launches and testing season for 2026 gets underway, with little insight into what the pecking order could be.

Red Bull and Ford’s new power unit for F1 2026 – will it be competitive?

The very first Red Bull-Ford power unit will hit the track soon, and Ford Racing global director Mark Rushbrook has offered an update on how the project is going.

“We are to plan, so where we need to be, but it all comes together when it’s actually in the car and on track,” Rushbrook told Motorsport.com.

“So that first day of testing is an important date, and an important week,” Rushbrook continued. “It’s when we get to see how all this hard work in the past three years is going to pay off.

“There’s always some level of nervousness or anticipation anytime there’s a new car or engine on track. Our computer tools are great for designing; our labs are great for evaluating and developing the hardware, and the calibration that goes with it, so we can simulate a lot in those environments.

“But until you get it all together on an actual racetrack, you haven’t seen everything. And it’s a question of what are you going to see on track that you didn’t see in the lab.”

12 years since Michael Schumacher’s skiing accident

Monday, December 29th, marks 12 years since Michael Schumacher’s life-changing skiing accident.

Over the years since, there’s been plenty of noise and speculation about his condition. In light of this, PlanetF1.com has waded through the information to bring you the facts – no speculation, just what is official and verified.

Max Verstappen wins a title

F1 World Champion? No, what every driver dreams about is winning the official team bosses’ best driver award.

The Formula 1 website held its customary vote among the team bosses for the best driver of F1 2025, in their collective opinion.

Each team boss submitted their top 10 list, a personal ranking which remains strictly anonymous.

The scoring works the same as the F1 points system, meaning the driver voted P1 gets 25 points, down to a single point for the driver voted P10.

While he may have finished runner-up in the championship, Max Verstappen made it five in a row, voted the best driver of F1 2025, with World Champion Lando Norris coming in second.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen: I was ‘overpaid’ in my final year at Sauber

Heinz-Harald Frentzen was once one of the most highly-rated drivers on the grid, even hauling his Jordan to an unlikely championship challenge in 1999.

But, by 2003, the German driver was “burnt out”, and Frentzen has revealed why he lost motivation so quickly upon his return to Sauber in 2003.

Oliver Bearman: F1 2026 regulations important for my future

As the leading prospect of the Ferrari Driver Academy ladder, Oliver Bearman can still only dream about a full-time drive with Ferrari.

But Bearman put in an impressive rookie season in F1 2025, and continues to receive feedback from Ferrari bosses as he races with Haas.

Quizzed on whether he has received any feedback on his performances, Bearman added: “No positive or negative feedback.

“I mean, it’s like I said, it’s an open discussion. We talk about what challenges I face.

“Also the future, you know, the next regulations are important. I have the same engine as what they will have.

“So, no. There’s been moments where they wanted me to improve on certain aspects. But for me, it was always going to be the case that I improve in these aspects, because my experience level is going up, and I naturally get better at the time, and so it’s a fact of life.”

Red Bull engine update offered as ‘overpaid’ driver makes motivation admission

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