P1racenews AI automatic summary:
F1 News Today: Mercedes submit Max Verstappen request as ‘diabolical’ team switch revealed
Mercedes has requested a postponement of a 2026 season-opening race to accommodate Max Verstappen’s participation. Despite having 24 grands prix with Red Bull that year, Verstappen aims to compete in the NLS at the Nurburgring. Reports suggest he may enter the Nurburgring 24 Hours through Mercedes-AMG, who seek to reschedule NLS to avoid overlap with the Chinese GP where Verstappen will race.
Oscar Piastri created buzz by taking a dig at Alpine before joining McLaren, diverting from his previous affiliation. His move triggered curiosity, especially considering a recent Google advert featuring him swapping Alpine mountain painting for a McLaren-themed one.
Amidst changes in Ferrari’s engineering team, Lewis Hamilton’s former race engineer, Riccardo Adami, has transitioned to the Ferrari Driver Academy. With the departure of Adami’s predecessor, Peter Bonnington, questions arose on the impact of the engineer swap on Hamilton’s performance.
Gianpiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen’s former race engineer, suggested that Verstappen’s early-career success was partly due to Lambiase’s experience in handling the young driver at Red Bull. Lambiase credited his own familiarity in motorsport for maintaining a successful partnership with Verstappen.
In 2026, Ferrari could face challenges as Ralf Schumacher predicts a difficult season ahead for the team. Schumacher highlighted potential issues stemming from the team needing to develop cars catering to the different preferences of drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The predictions suggest a tough road for Ferrari in the upcoming F1 season.
