F1 Today | Mercedes submits request for Verstappen, Schumacher warns Ferrari

22:02, 17 Jan

byKada Sarkozi

Mercedes has requested to make a change to the NLS season opener, and Ralf Schumacher warns of changes at Ferrari. Catch up on the biggest stories of the day with GPblog!

Mercedes submits request to reschedule NLS season opener for Verstappen

At the Red Bull launch, Max Verstappen told GPblog that he would drive at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring event if he has time to prepare for it properly.

At the moment, the season-opening race in the Nordschleife Langstrecken-Serie clashes with the Chinese Grand Prix.

Mercedes-Benz boss Ola Källenius and Toto Wolff, CEO of the Mercedes F1 team, submitted a request to the organizers to reschedule the event, so the Dutchman can take part.

Find out more here!

Ralf Schumacher warns of changes at Ferrari

Ralf Schumacher warns of changes at Ferrari, including the team principal position, if the team fails to perform in 2026.

In the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, the former F1 driver explained: "If that doesn't work again, then of course there will be decisions. I'm pretty sure about that. But everyone knows that. That's nothing new with Ferrari. There is a wonderful statistic, how many team principals have already been there and how often drivers have been changed."

Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull skips crucial shakedown ahead of the F1 2026 season

Red Bull and Racing Bulls were the first teams to reveal their 2026 challengers in Detroit, Michigan, at the event hosted by Ford.

However, GPblog understands that the Austrian team will not have a shakedown ahead of the first pre-season test in Barcelona, set to take place from 26 to 30 January.

On the other hand, Racing Bulls will carry out a shakedown ahead of the Barcelona test. The car is set to make its first appearance at Imola, where the team will also begin collecting the initial data on the new power unit.

Check out the latest episode of GPblog's F1 Paddock Update below!

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.