It's nearly time for the kick-off of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, and following the fanfare-filled launch of the Cadillac team's new car during the Super Bowl, plus a fanfare-free launch of the McLaren MCL40 on Monday, all of the teams are now accounted for. At least visually, that is. With just a private test session to go from, which didn't even feature all of the teams, the performance of an all-new chassis with an all-new set of engine regulations is kind of a crap shoot until they hit qualifying in Melbourne next month.

A full ten years ago a new American team was added to the grid, increasing the number of teams from 10 to 11. Back then it was Haas, but this year the same thing is happening with Cadillac. It's like poetry, it rhymes. 

One could argue that Formula 1 has never been stronger, with new manufacturer superpowers being added in the form of Cadillac and Audi, plus the return of Ford and Honda as engine suppliers with the Red Bull teams and Aston Martin respectively, and Toyota doubling down on its relationship with Haas. All of that, and Ferrari and Mercedes look stronger than perhaps they ever have. It's going to be a season for the ages. 

Since we can't judge these cars based on their performance just yet, we're going to have to settle for judging them on their appearance. With all of the 2026 liveries now accounted for, here's how we would rank them.  

Read more: These Are The Least Reliable Japanese Cars, According To Consumer Reports

#11 - Cadillac

I had high hopes for Cadillac in its first year on the Formula 1 grid. The Cadillac sports cars look absolutely resplendent in a variety of bold colorways, and I had hoped perhaps the gold livery would work its way over to F1. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will be driving around at the back of the pack in the most boring-looking black and white cars to ever grace the F1 grid. 

The Cadillac script is a nice touch just in front of the driver, and I like that the livery is asymmetrical with the right side of the car showing the negative of the left. That said, the team couldn't even find a title sponsor, and has to be saddled with TWG AI. In case you didn't know, TWG Global is the holdings company that owns TWG Motorsport, which itself owns Andretti Global and the Cadillac Formula 1 Team. 

The sponsor on the sidepod, TWG AI, is a partnership between TWG Global and Palantir Technologies, created with the intent of developing commercial AI tools for financial services companies. To muddy the waters even more, TWG Global owns Group 1001 insurance, whose CEO Dan Towriss, is also the CEO of TWG Motorsport. The company's logo should just be one hand with nine fingers washing the other with six. 

#10 - Racing Bulls

The Visa Cash App Racing Bulls haven't exactly gone far afield with the livery work in 2026, as it looks more or less exactly as it has for the last several seasons. It's not ugly, I guess, despite being a bit cluttered. I just wish it weren't white. White is such a boring color for a race car. Red Bull is supposed to be an action sports brand in the fastest motorsport on the planet, so why does it look so bland? 

Liam Lawson is keeping his spot for 2026, now joined by rookie Arvid Lindblad, so at least the team has a somewhat exciting lineup. Assuming Red Bull got its sums right, the junior team will probably be a bit further behind the "senior" RB team this year than it was last year. Time will tell where it shakes out, but I'd bet on the back half of the field, for sure. 

#9 - Red Bull

Red Bull has four cars on the grid, so why can't they manage to put together a livery that offers something interesting on any of them? Slightly better than the Racing Bulls, the big brother RB at least eschews white for black/carbon fiber, and leans heavier into the blue. There are so many better ways to do this, but this is what they chose, so here it is. I wish I had better news. 

Max Verstappen will be joined by Isack Hadjar in 2026, and you can probably expect a bit more of the same from Red Bull this year. The car will be built to suit Max, the team will blame Isack for not being faster, and they'll lose ground in the championship across the season. With all of the turmoil of 2025 behind them, hopefully the new team can put together a valiant effort and keep Ferrari and Mercedes from running away with it all. 

#8 - Ferrari

It's just testing, but Ferrari managed to top the time sheets during the first five-day test at Barcelona. Maybe if the team had put together a more impressive livery, it could convince me that it's a front runner in 2026. I've fallen for that bit a few too many times in the last decade, so I'm not ready to believe that Ferrari have pace until at least a few races into the season. I want to see Sir Lewis Hamilton do well again, but this year, in addition to Horse Team shenanigans, he'll also be facing downthe Kardashian Curse. 

Ferrari has, in recent years, used a darker and more luxurious shade of red for its livery, but that seems to be gone now with a return to the violent and bright version of Rosso Corsa. Now outfitted with a big white airbox, clad with the bright blue Hewlett-Packard logo, the car at least has a splash of another color onboard. It's certainly better integrated than last year's car, with the white giving a bit of the Schumacher-era Marlboro look, or reminiscent of the white cockpit area of Niki Lauda's 312T2 of fifty years prior. 

It could be better, but it's definitely been worse.

#7 - Mercedes

Mercedes is largely keeping everything the same as it was in 2026, from the driver lineup to team management, a rarity on the grid this year. Considering the team found two wins and twelve podiums in 2025, firmly cementing itself as the "best of the rest" it makes sense to keep as much the same as possible, especially while the chassis and engine rulebook got blown up and completely replaced. Mercedes allegedly has an engine advantage that none of the other manufacturers could replicate, so maybe 2026 already belongs to Brackley? 

Mercedes is keeping things relatively the same in the livery department for this year, too. The black, silver, and teal livery is back. I'd be putting this way further down the list if it didn't have the well-defined Petronas teal swoop on it. A bold color choice to split up the greyscale makes this a bit better ranked than it likely should be. What can I say, I'm a sucker for teal. 

#6 - Aston Martin

Aston Martin has made some missteps with its livery in the past, going with a British Racing Green that was too dark on television to be differentiated from black. It appears that for 2026 that has changed. Not only is the green a brighter shade, but the team has incorporated more of the bright green/yellow accent that Aston Martin Racing has leaned into on its sports car efforts. 

The baby blue rear wing element for its Aramco title sponsor, however, doesn't fit the scheme. It'll be instantly recognizable on television, though, so for that I'm thankful. Also, putting Glenfiddich on the front wing endplates is just so delightfully James Bond Aston Martin Core. 

Sadly, Aston has probably the worst driver pairing on the grid. It hurts me to say this as a devout Fernando Alonso fan, but he's past his World Championship days unless Adrian Newey has put together a real rocketship for him. Teammate Lance Stroll, meanwhile, is a nepo baby billionaire who never had the makings of a World Drivers' Champion anyway, and wouldn't know what to do with a Newey chassis if it bit him. 

#5 - Haas

Another horrible boring red/black/white livery, but this time a bit more exciting with a giant Gazoo Racing logo adorning the airbox and sharkfin area of the car. Toyota Gazoo Racing joined up with Haas, acting as something of a consultant role in 2025. For 2026, however, the Japanese brand's racing arm has come onboard as title sponsor and technical partner. 

Haas has now completed ten tumultuous seasons in F1. Thus far the team has not managed to even luck their way onto a single podium. Across all ten of the seasons Haas has existed, the team has scored a scant 386 points in total. If the team had been allowed to bank all of its points for ten seasons and put them all down on the 2025 season, it would have finished fifth in the world constructor's championship, behind McLaren (833 points), Mercedes (469 points), Red Bull Racing (451 points) and Ferrari (398 points). 

Here's hoping Toyota bring an extra level of competence to Haas in 2026 and the team starts racking up some podiums. 

#4 - Williams

Yo listen up, here's a story: It's about a little team that lives in a blue world. And all day and all night and everything the team sees is just blue. Like itself. Inside and outside. 

Once again, I am in love with a team that chooses to use some color in its livery. There's a dark blue, a pale blue, an even bolder dark blue, and some purple, which is kind of like blue. And, because I always appreciate some whimsy to a design, the Duracell battery air intake box is back for 2026. I loved it last year, I love it even more this year. 

Williams has had a rough start to the 2026 season, missing the initial test in Barcelona because the car wasn't done yet. The new FW48, as it sits, is about 10 pounds over the minimum weight requirements of the rulebook, so it's probably a bit too heavy to be seriously competitive, but stranger things have happened. Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon are a talented-if-unlucky driver pairing, and Sainz even managed to grab two podium finishes in 2025. If the car is even close to being there this year, expect these two to extract more out of it. 

#3 Audi

Much like Mercedes using teal to break up the silver and black, German counterpart Audi has gone for a silver and black livery with a whole lot of bright red/orange accents and wide swatches of the same red/orange toward the rear of the car. Somehow Audi have gone for a more eye-catching shade of silver than Mercedes as well. This is a rather fetching race car. I wish there was more of the bold color than just a swoop and some accents, but I'll be damned if it doesn't look as classy as they're trying to make it look. 

Title sponsor Revolut is the most valuable fin-tech company in Europe. It's more or less a digital bank, offering all of the typical features of a bank, including interest-bearing accounts, without any of the branches. It's looking to expand to the U.S. market in 2026, and being the title sponsor of an F1 team will probably do wonders for brand recognition in America. 

#2 - McLaren

The 2025 World Champions haven't really changed much about the look of their livery for 2026. Obviously, if it ain't broke, there's no sense in fixing it. The Papaya looks good on a McLaren and I'm always going to be in favor of a bright color like this one on the grid. There's a bit too much black in this for it to be the best on the grid, though. As with previous years, the Google Chrome rainbow on the wheel covers is inspired and should never go away. Gemini, Google's AI brand, however can pound sand. 

The driver pairing of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri provided most of the drama in 2025, and if these two can't agree on when and where they should be scrapping for points, it could lead to disappointment in 2026. Team Boss Zak Brown is committing many of the same errors his predecessor, Ron Dennis did. All of the best teams have a solid number one driver and a compliant number two driver. McLaren has two number ones. 

#1 - Alpine

Come on, it had to be Alpine. Any team that can brilliantly pair blue and pink is going to get my vote. BWT is the best thing to happen to F1 in a decade, because that corporate pink just looks so great on anything built to go this fast. Tack on the six-legged fire-breathing dog that makes up oil company Eni's logo, and you've got a real winner here. It's the best livery on the grid by a mile. I love it so much. 

Alpine is stepping away from its uncompetitive Renault powertrains for 2026, deciding instead to purchase Mercedes-AMG powertrains. With the Mercedes already proving quick and reliable, Alpine was fifth fastest, just a tick behind Max Verstappen and Red Bull on the fifth day of running. Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto have their work cut out for them if they want to join the proper front of the grid in 2026, though. The team only managed five points-paying finishes last season, and hasn't seen a race victory since Hungary in 2021. 

Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and add us as a preferred search source on Google.

Read the original article on Jalopnik.

Despite some confusing terminology, Mick Schumacher is content with his move from Europe to the United States and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. And he said he wants racing fans across the Atlantic to appreciate it more.

“I’m looking at what options are the best for me at the moment. It seemed like in the years after F1, I wanted to stay in Europe, and therefore WEC was a very attractive option. I just thought that I could see a long-term future in that. I didn’t after some time and preferred to do something else again. F1 wasn’t an option, and IndyCar came up. And I’m very happy to be here now, having learned more about it and seen more about it,” he said.

“I think there’s so many good things out here and I think so many good things that aren’t really being portrayed in Europe. Hopefully with me coming here, these things will come over to Europe and we’ll have more people joining. and hopefully the broadcast will also go back to Germany.

“I’ve had a couple of options with IndyCar already quite early on where I just didn’t pull in because I wanted to stay in Europe,” Schumacher said. “It was very much a decision I had taken because I was interested in it. I think racing here in America is quite fun, but it’s obviously good to come back and see familiar faces and people that I’ve been racing against since pretty much go-karts—also to get to know new people, people that I haven’t raced against yet, and see what they’re made of. There’s so many opportunities out there in IndyCar right now that are looking to be very fun for me. I’m sure that I’ll have a good time here.”

He said, “The adjustment has been fine. It’s really just about putting the dots together. I think it’s mostly vocabulary at the moment, where it’s been very different. Metrics have been quite different, as well. Instead of talking about meters, we’re talking about feet or yards or stuff like that. It’s quite tough for me at the moment. Oval racing, the challenges of it being so different and trying to understand what the high lines are, what the low lines are doing, what we can do in terms of aero disruptions from the front or the back, that’s all stuff that is very new to me. But I’m very curious and interested in learning about that.”

Christian Lundgaard, the rising Arrow McLaren star from Denmark, said, “I think the interest in IndyCar is growing [in Europe]. For Formula 1, Drive to Survive has increased the popularity significantly. I think we’re sort of seeing the same direction with 100 Days to Indy with IndyCar. Personally, I think we’re doing many great things. I think we need to do more of ’em. Ultimately in five years’ time, we might sit here and clap because we’ve gotten to that point.”

IndyCar’s international appeal goes beyond Schumacher’s perception and Lundgaard's European perspective.

Brazilian Caio Collet, who bears a striking resemblance to a young Damon Hill and even a young Alex Zanardi, said, “I think it's a dream come true to be in IndyCar. I think definitely spending all those years on championships in Europe and also coming here to the U.S. but now in such a competitive championship like IndyCar is a dream come true, what every driver wants to achieve, so definitely really happy to be here.”

The A.J. Foyt Racing rookie, whose Brazilian logistics/transportation company sponsor Combitrans can penetrate the U.S. market, also is excited about his home country’s free-to-air television network, Rede Bandeirantes (“Band”), coming back to broadcast NTT IndyCar Series action.

“It's such a nice thing to have IndyCar on open TV in Brazil, and I think it will help grow the sport in South America,” Collet said.

Experience the Thrills of Year of the Horse Raceday 2026 in Hong Kong: Racing, Culture, and Festivities Await

Hong Kong is gearing up for one of the most exciting events in its Chinese New Year calendar — the Year of the Horse Raceday 2026. Set to take place on February 19, 2026, at the Sha Tin Racecourse, this event will blend the fast-paced excitement of horse racing with a festive celebration of the Chinese zodiac, specifically the Year of the Horse. This event promises an unforgettable experience that showcases Hong Kong’s vibrant culture and rich traditions, while offering an exhilarating day of sports and entertainment.

The Year of the Horse Raceday is an annual celebration that sees horse racing fans, tourists, and locals coming together to mark the third day of the Lunar New Year. This year’s event is set to bring even more excitement, with a host of live entertainment, cultural performances, and a series of thrilling horse races that symbolize the hope for prosperity and good fortune in the Year of the Horse.

A High-Octane Day of Racing at Sha Tin Racecourse

The heart of the Year of the Horse Raceday is the horse racing itself. The action kicks off at 12:30 pm, with a series of races culminating in the Year of the Horse Cup, which is expected to attract some of the best jockeys and horses from Hong Kong and around the world.

Hong Kong’s Sha Tin Racecourse, known for its state-of-the-art facilities, will be the hub for this thrilling day. With over 20,000 spectators expected to attend, the atmosphere is bound to be electric, as fans cheer on their favorite horses. The races are not only a test of speed and skill but are also a tribute to the Year of the Horse, a symbol of strength and vitality in Chinese culture.

The excitement doesn’t end with the races. The Sha Tin Racecourse will be adorned with Chinese New Year decorations, reflecting the theme of the Horse zodiac. Visitors will experience the magic of the festival through colorful displays, performances, and interactive activities that celebrate the start of the new lunar year.

A Cultural Extravaganza Beyond the Races

While the horse races are the centerpiece, the event offers a wealth of cultural activities that give visitors a taste of Hong Kong’s rich heritage. From traditional lion dances to live music performances, Year of the Horse Raceday offers an immersive experience that blends sport and celebration.

Visitors can enjoy photo opportunities with lucky decorations symbolizing the Horse zodiac, such as vibrant red lanterns, golden horses, and other festive ornaments that are deeply rooted in Chinese New Year traditions. These activities are designed to engage all senses, making the event a truly unique way to welcome the Lunar New Year.

There will also be a series of lucky draws, where attendees can win exclusive Year of the Horse souvenirs, including horse-themed collectibles and limited-edition MAK MAK merchandise, Hong Kong’s mascot. The event is a celebration of both family traditions and modern entertainment, attracting people of all ages.

Visitor Information and Accessibility

For those looking to attend, Sha Tin Racecourse is easily accessible via public transport, including the MTR (Mass Transit Railway), making it convenient for both local and international visitors to join in the festivities. Tickets for general admission are typically available through Octopus cards, and for those looking for a more premium experience, reserved seating and VIP packages are also offered.

One of the key features of this event is that general admission is free for those holding a valid travel pass or Octopus card, making it more accessible to tourists visiting Hong Kong during the Chinese New Year period. For those wishing to enjoy a more exclusive experience, premium hospitality packages are available, providing front-row views of the races and luxury amenities.

Why Year of the Horse Raceday Matters to Hong Kong’s Tourism

The Year of the Horse Raceday is not only a thrilling sporting event but also a key attraction for tourists looking to experience Hong Kong’s unique mix of tradition and modernity. As one of the most popular events in Hong Kong’s Chinese New Year celebrations, it plays a vital role in promoting tourism during one of the busiest times of the year.

In 2026, the event will undoubtedly attract a significant number of international tourists, especially those interested in experiencing Hong Kong’s sporting culture combined with traditional Chinese New Year celebrations. The event’s family-friendly atmosphere, combined with the opportunity to witness world-class horse racing, ensures that it remains a must-attend event for both locals and visitors alike.

The Year of the Horse Raceday is also an opportunity to showcase Hong Kong’s tourism offerings, including its renowned shopping destinations, fine dining experiences, and cultural landmarks. Many international tourists flock to Hong Kong for its festive atmosphere, making it a perfect time for both tourism marketing and cultural exchange.

Looking Forward: The Future of Year of the Horse Raceday

As Hong Kong continues to strengthen its position as a global travel hub, events like Year of the Horse Raceday are crucial to showcasing the city’s dynamic culture and vibrant tourism industry. The event not only highlights the importance of horse racing in Hong Kong’s sporting culture but also celebrates cultural traditions, offering visitors a unique way to experience Lunar New Year celebrations.

With each passing year, Year of the Horse Raceday is set to become an even larger event, attracting more visitors and offering an increasingly diverse set of activities and attractions. It’s not just about the races—it’s about experiencing the full spectrum of Hong Kong’s cultural vibrancy and welcoming the New Year with excitement, joy, and prosperity.

The post Experience the Thrills of Year of the Horse Raceday 2026 in Hong Kong: Racing, Culture, and Festivities Await appeared first on Travel And Tour World.

NVIDIA's Resident Evil Requiem game bundle for GeForce RTX 50 GPUs is now available, offering gamers a free copy of the latest entry in the Resident Evil franchise. NVIDIA Bundles A Free Copy of Resident Evil Requiem In Latest GeForce RTX 50 GPUs Promo Resident Evil Requiem, or Resident Evil 9, is the latest title in the long-running survival horror/action franchise. The game comes out on the 27th of February, so with just a few days left, NVIDIA has decided to update its RTX bundle to include a free copy of the game with its RTX 50 series GPUs. As […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/nvidia-resident-evil-requiem-game-bundle-geforce-rtx-50-gpus/

Aston Martin unveiled the livery of its 2026 Formula 1 challenger in an event on Monday 9 February in Saudi Arabia. 

The AMR26 features the British Racing Green colour scheme that fans have come to expect from the Silverstone outfit, with a matte finish and lime green accents.

While many fans branded the livery as “safe”, it still received a lot of praise. “So they’ve gone matte this year. It's a safe livery but it was already very nice originally so they probably didn’t need to change it much. Little fresh factors but will look good on track imo,” one fan commented on Reddit.

“AM is always just carried by its cool colour,” another fan wrote, while someone else commented: “If it ain't broke, don't fix it, but it's harder to get excited about this or McLaren compared to the new hotness we've been seeing.”

2026 marks the start of Aston Martin’s power unit partnership with Honda. Some fans would have preferred it if the branding of the Japanese manufacturer had been more prominent on the design of the AMR26.

"Was hoping for more Honda branding on spots like the wing, ala the RB16B. The new Honda typeface isn't doing it for me though," one wrote. 

Aston Martin AMR26

Another fan commented: "I was expecting to see a bit of red since it's Honda, but I'm fine with this car since it looks really nice and one of my favourites this season," and another added: "As an AMR fan who supported them because of the green, I am once again happy that it is indeed green. The new Honda typeface does look like sh*t though. It easily gets lost on the car, which you'd not expect considering the exclusive PU."

The reveal came ahead of the first three-day block of pre-season testing in Bahrain, which will run from 11-13 February.

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

Adrian Newey has admitted that Aston Martin ran out of time to paint its AMR26 Formula 1 car as it rushed to take part in the Barcelona shakedown last month.

Aston Martin took part in only two of its permitted three days of track running at the Barcelona shakedown due to delays in having its car ready, as Lance Stroll completed just five laps on its opening day after stopping with technical issues.

However, the Silverstone-based team was able to enjoy a better final day as Fernando Alonso completed 61 laps of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in the all-black AMR26 – the squad’s first car overseen by managing technical partner Newey since his move from Red Bull.

Read Also: How Aston Martin rushed the AMR26 to Barcelona on a 50-year-old Antonov plane

At Aston Martin’s livery launch in Saudi Arabia, Newey conceded the team had no time available to paint the car for the Barcelona shakedown, which is why it ran in black rather than a special testing livery.

“It's great to see the car as we will race it. The car we ran briefly at Barcelona for a day-and-a-half, it was all black, partially in truth because we didn't have time to paint it,” Newey said. “And that was fabulous.

“Funny enough, Lawrence [Stroll] and I, when it first pulled out of the garage with Lance driving, we were standing next to each other in the pitlane. I think we were both quite close to having a tear in our eyes, because it's been a long, emotional journey of passion and a lot of hard work to get it to Barcelona.”

Aston Martin AMR26

With the new Aston Martin in its familiar British Racing Green, the team is prepared to take part in the first Bahrain test on 11-13 February, where it will be joined by the other 10 F1 teams including Williams, which missed the entire Barcelona shakedown.

Newey, who has also stepped into the team principal role at Aston Martin following Andy Cowell’s job change at the squad, faces mounting expectation as the British team begins its new era as a works outfit through its new engine partnership with Honda.

The AMR26 is also the first F1 car to be fully developed in the Silverstone base's new wind tunnel as the Lawrence Stroll-owned team aims to become a competitive force following a difficult two years fading from regular podium finishers to midfield fighters.

Read Also: The challenges facing Aston Martin ahead of F1 2026

Combined with the major changes to both the chassis and power unit regulations, Newey sees the new era in F1 as a golden opportunity for Aston Martin to profit.

“Whenever there's a big regulation change, there's always huge opportunities,” he said. “It's who spots what and which one ultimately proves to be the correct solution, only time will tell. We saw that in 2022 when the last big regulation change came out.

“Then, [at the] start of 2022, there's lots of different interpretations, solutions. In the end, one turned out to be the correct or the most appropriate one and that's what by the start of 2024, everybody started to converge on it.”

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

Over the past few days in Sepang, one of the main attractions of the opening 2026 tests was beginning to gauge what realistic objectives Toprak Razgatlioglu should aim for in his rookie MotoGP season. And those expectations do not look the same now, after the shakedown and test sessions, as they did beforehand.

That is not so much down to the obvious limitations of a brand-new Yamaha M1, but rather to those of the Turkish rider himself, who received a harsh reality check in Malaysia.

The Pramac rider finished 18th on the combined timesheets, almost two seconds off Alex Marquez, the fastest rider over the three days, and eight tenths slower than Alex Rins, the best of Yamaha’s representatives. His pace over long runs was no better. Beyond the now-famous stoppies, one thing that must be credited to the rider from Alanya is his honesty and lack of excuses.

“I’m angry because the lap times just aren’t there. I’m trying to adapt my riding style,” Razgatlioglu explained on Thursday afternoon. “Under braking, I feel good and comfortable, but I struggle in fast corners. When I open the throttle, the rear tyre starts sliding and doesn’t stop, and that makes it hard to turn.”

In his attempt to bring his riding closer to the standards required by a MotoGP prototype, Toprak has also asked for certain changes to the bike, which, in his view, should make the transition from the WorldSBK-spec Yamaha R1 less traumatic.

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pramac Racing

In addition to fitting a wider handlebar, he also feels more comfortable relying more on the rear of the bike. That, however, has triggered other consequences: the increased distance between the lowest point of the seat and the maximum height any part of the tail unit can reach meant he had to go out on track on several occasions without the rear winglets, with the resulting aerodynamic penalty.

“I ride the same way as before, but the lap times don’t come. In WorldSBK, I used the rear tyre to turn, with the throttle. Now, in MotoGP, you have to ride like in Moto2 and accelerate very smoothly. Jack [Miller, his team-mate] always tells me I need to be gentle, but that’s much easier said than done,” said the #07, who made no attempt to hide his frustration – especially given where he finds himself just three months after celebrating his third world title.

“It’s not easy for me to see myself so far down, especially after Superbikes. The first five races will be tough; I’m going to suffer.”

For all the disappointment caused by his Sepang outing, the start of Razgatlioglu’s MotoGP story is not so different from those of riders who, like him, made the jump from WorldSBK. On the horizon, the benchmark is probably Ben Spies, who joined MotoGP full-time in 2010 with Yamaha, one year after winning the Superbike title, and he went on to claim a grand prix victory (Assen 2011), six podiums and fifth place overall in the championship.

Razgatlioglu’s magnetism is unquestionable, and that is something widely applauded throughout the paddock. It only takes a brief conversation with anyone at Yamaha to realise how much hope has been placed in him.

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pramac Racing

“[Paolo] Pavesio [the managing director] is ‘in love’ with him,” is a line repeatedly heard from those leaving the factory team’s garage. The bond between the Italian executive and the rookie goes back a long way, to their time together in the production-based championship. The bet carries Pavesio’s signature, even if that devotion raises some reservations among certain key figures within the structure.

In fact, with the rider market already simmering, there are those who are beginning to point to the Turk as a potential candidate for a factory Yamaha M1 in 2027, alongside Jorge Martin.

At Pramac, his current team, the commitment to a rider who is a pleasure to work with is equally strong. “Because he’s polite and a great guy,” underlined Gino Borsoi, team manager of Paolo Campinoti’s outfit. But Razgatlioglu’s appeal does not stop with those who work alongside him every day; it extends across the entire MotoGP paddock.

“Toprak is a fast rider, I have no doubt about that. I think he’ll end up being competitive,” said one Ducati executive when asked about Razgatlioglu’s potential ceiling. “The thing is, he needs to go through an adaptation process to MotoGP, and that has to happen at every level, not just riding. He’s come from a championship with a level that is clearly lower than this one. Here you have the very best of the best, and I think over these days he’s realised that.

“As happens with most riders, their environment can either help or hinder that adaptation period. In his case, I get the feeling that people haven’t stopped telling him how good he is — which may well be true. But there are moments when that doesn’t help, and when you need to speak clearly and say things that are probably not pleasant to hear.”

Read Also: "Angry" Toprak Razgatlioglu losing motivation after struggling in Sepang MotoGP test Toprak Razgatlioglu: I may fail to get my first MotoGP podium in 2026 Toprak Razgatlioglu hailed as ‘Casey Stoner 2.0’ ahead of MotoGP debut

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

Cadillac has unveiled the livery that will adorn its Formula 1 car for the 2026 season.

The color scheme was presented in a commercial during Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday night.

Cadillac ran with an interim livery during its private shakedown at Silverstone in mid-January and then at the recent group shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The livery will now adorn Cadillac’s inaugural machine, which will be raced by veterans Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, across the course of the 2026 campaign.

The team will return to action Monday for a filming day at the Bahrain International Circuit.

That comes ahead of the first official pre-season test, which runs Wednesday through Friday in Bahrain, the first of two tests across corresponding weeks.

The opening round of the season takes place in Australia on March 8.

The unveiling of Cadillac’s livery means just two teams have yet to present their final 2026 schemes.

Reigning World Champions McLaren are due to unveil their 2026 colors in Bahrain on Monday, with Aston Martin launching their season later the same day in Saudi Arabia.

Samsung's Exynos 2600 chip is certainly shaping up to be one of the highest performing mobile-focused chips of 2026, especially in the graphics department, where its Xclipse 960 GPU is emerging as an absolute beast of a performer. Now, that same GPU has pushed the Exynos 2600 to the top of the Basemark Ray Tracing leaderboard. The Exynos 2600 SoC's Xclipse 960 GPU propels it to the top of the Basemark Ray Tracing leaderboard For the benefit of those who might not be aware, the Exynos 2600 is Samsung's first chip that leverages its 2nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) process, which is a […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/samsungs-exynos-2600-chip-takes-first-place-on-the-basemark-ray-tracing-leaderboard-after-beating-snapdragon-8-elite-gen-5/