Wolff's PU warning, Russell's title battle hope, Button's Aston Martin role

It’s another new week, and we have started with a busy, busy day of F1 news – so let us catch you up through the main headlines.

Mercedes conducted an official season launch of its new challenger, the W17, debriefs continue from Barcelona testing, and a World Champion has popped back up in the paddock in an ambassadorial role.

Toto Wolff tells rivals ‘get your s*** together’

Mercedes team principal and CEO, Toto Wolff, explained that the team’s power unit is fully legal, after concerns around a potential loophole around compression ratios.

Confirming the team had been in positive dialogue with the FIA throughout the process, he criticised rivals looking to use underhand tactics, such as ‘secret letters’ sent to the governing body, to see if there was any illegality.

Instead, Wolff told rivals to look inwards instead, and that getting the FIA to invent testing methods which do not exist should not happen.

Jenson Button takes on Aston Martin role

Jenson Button, 2009 F1 World Champion, has joined Aston Martin as team ambassador ahead of the new season, doing so on a multi-year basis.

Button did not drive for the Silverstone-based team in its various guises through his career, but does hold a long affinity with power unit suppliers, Honda.

The Briton will represent the brand on a world stage in a marketing, media and partner capacity, which also sees him partially reunite with Fernando Alonso, with the two having been McLaren teammates in the mid-2010s.

George Russell wants Max Verstappen head-to-head

George Russell is the early favourite for title glory in 2026, though a race has not yet unfolded. Second in the market is Max Verstappen, and the Mercedes driver said he would relish such a battle.

The two have not always seen eye-to-eye when it comes to on-track battles, and while the Briton somewhat downplayed expectations around the W17, he echoed his team principal in saying it is not a “turd” of a car to work with.

Expressing his surprise at how well Red Bull has adjusted to the new regulations, particularly in making its own power unit for the first time, he would enjoy the prospect of taking on the four-time World Champion.

True demands of new F1 2026 cars revealed

After concerns of having to downshift on straights and placing extra demands of lift-and-coast requirements on the drivers, some have spoken about their early experiences.

The switch to greater electrical power had prompted concerns of ‘clipping’ – where the car’s speed would top out partway down a straight before losing speed, if battery runs out.

However, the drivers have noted not too many changes so far, even though downshifting on straights has become a reality to some.

Lewis Hamilton: F1 2026 cars ‘more enjoyable’ than predecessors

Lewis Hamilton has had a proper introduction to 2026 machinery through testing in Barcelona, and explained the preference he has for this new era over the ground effect machines just gone.

“The car generation is actually a little bit more fun to drive,” he explained. “It’s oversteery and snappy and sliding, but it’s a little bit easier to catch.

“Yeah, I would definitely say more enjoyable.”

Wolff’s PU warning, Russell’s title battle hope, Button’s Aston Martin role

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