Friday\u2019s fast-paced F1 news includes Red Bull driver Max Verstappen missing Friday\u2019s end-of-season FIA prize-giving ceremony through illness as the long-running Sky F1 channel is temporarily taken off air.<\/p>\n
With Honda providing a first taster of the F1 2026 engine sound, and developments on the political front, here\u2019s today\u2019s roundup\u2026<\/p>\n
Max Verstappen misses FIA prize-giving ceremony through illness<\/p>\n
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen missed Friday\u2019s FIA prize-giving gala through illness.<\/p>\n
Verstappen fell two points short of a fifth world championship at last weekend\u2019s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as McLaren driver Lando Norris secured his maiden title.<\/p>\n
PlanetF1.com understands that Verstappen came down with flu before the end-of-season ceremony.<\/p>\n
Read more:\u00a0Max Verstappen set to miss year-end FIA Prize-Giving Gala<\/a><\/p>\n Sky F1 replaced with darts channel at end of F1 2025 season<\/p>\n The dedicated Sky F1 channel has been temporarily replaced by a specialist darts channel to coincide with the 2026 World Darts Championship.<\/p>\n It comes just days after Lando Norris, the McLaren driver, became the 11th British driver to win the Formula 1 world championship at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.<\/p>\n The World Darts Championship has become one of the sporting highlights of the year following the emergence of teenage sensation Luke Littler in 2023.<\/p>\n Read more:\u00a0Sky F1 taken off air as darts takes centre stage<\/a><\/p>\n Honda reveals sound of new F1 2026 engine<\/p>\n Honda has offered a first taste of the sound of the new F1 2026 engines with a short clip to social media.<\/p>\n F1\u2019s chassis and engine regulations will change simultaneously next season as the sport embraces 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics.<\/p>\n Honda will enter a new partnership with Aston Martin for F1 2026 after parting ways with Red Bull.<\/p>\n Read more:\u00a0The sound of F1 2026 revealed as Honda posts huge update<\/a><\/p>\n Mohammed Ben Sulayem secures second term as FIA president<\/p>\n The FIA has announced that Mohammed Ben Sulayem has secured a second term as FIA president.<\/p>\n Ben Sulayem took the role at the end of 2021 when he succeeded Jean Todt, the former Ferrari F1 team principal.<\/p>\n As revealed by PlanetF1.com in October<\/a>, Ben Sulayem effectively ran unopposed due to a quirk in the voting rules.<\/p>\n