Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...
We are hours away from NASCAR's new championship format being announced. Formula E was in Mexico. The Dakar Rally is halfway home. Supercross opened its season in Anaheim, and a few riders are already banged up. New surroundings were not a learning curve for some. IndyCar teams are getting richer, as $11 million was added to the Leaders Circle program. IndyCar officials will have new tools for technical inspection. Will Power ran his first test with Andretti Global. Jimmie Johnson has locked up the Open Exemption Provisional for the Daytona 500, and Johnson will run the Truck race in San Diego. Brad Keselowski will miss the Clash after breaking his leg skiing, and Corey LaJoie will substitute in the #6 Ford. There is so much to look forward to in 2026, but not everything might be on the top of your mind.
What Piques My Curiosity in 2026?
We are still a way's off the heart of the 2026 motorsports season. A few races are popping up slowly. There are a number of notable events early in the year, but when we really feel the season in bloom and at its busiest in a few months. We have a fair greater number of questions than answers, and it will be that way for at least half the year, if not longer.
Plans have been made for this year, but we aren't sure how things will play out. We must wait and see, but there are a few things that have my interest for this year, and we are a few months from knowing how things will turn out.
In middle January, what am I keeping an eye on for 2026 in the motorsports' world? There are a few things under the table that should get some light.
Kalle Rovanperä in Super Formula
One of the best rally drivers in the world has made the switch to single-seaters. The two-time World Rally Champion Rovanperä announced last year he would leave rallying at 25 years old and be moving to Super Formula.
It is one thing to switch disciplines, it is another thing to leap right into Super Formula with limited circuit racing experience, especially single-seater experience. Rovanperä has run some Porsche Carrera Cup rounds, but that is not similar to Super Formula at all. The closest thing they have in common is running tarmac. That’s it, that’s the list!
It would be one thing if Rovanperä started in Super Formula Lights or even started from scratch in Formula 4. Super Formula is as deep as it gets. It isn't Formula One, but it is a proper series and those cars are serious machines that will test a driver. This move feels like a step too far.
Rovanperä is preparing diligently. He is running in the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy, the four-round series held in New Zealand that started this weekend. The first weekend was encouraging. He was not the strongest, but he did not appear too far out of his depth, though he was in an accident in the final race of the weekend. Formula Regional Oceania is a large distance from Super Formula. Finishing 17th, 12th, 13th and having a retirement in a 19-car series that is essentially at the Formula Three level isn't quite the same as being competitive in Super Formula.
I am curious see how this experiment goes. Does it see out the full season?
Can Adrian Newey work his magic at Aston Martin?
New regulations and Adrian Newey working for a mad-man with money? The combination is ripe to produce a Formula One winner. It is a mighty task for Aston Martin against the likes of McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari, but if anyone can lift a team from the middle of the pack to the top, it is Adrian Newey.
And he would be doing it with Fernando Alonso! It isn't just Newey, but if Aston Martin succeeds, it will be at the hands of Alonso, a driver who is going on 13 years since his most recent Grand Prix victory and 20 years since this most recent championship. Alonso could blow the record book out of the water in terms of longevity and droughts ending. And Lance Stroll would have to do somewhat well if the car is great. Maybe he wins. It would be better than the last few seasons.
Newey has produced winners at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull. He even had March/Leyton House finishing on the podium over three-and-a-half decades ago. It feels more likely than not Aston Martin is going to be a contender.
Formula One on Apple TV
In the United States, Formula One will have a new broadcast home in Apple TV. It is a big change for the series after spending much of the last decade on ESPN, and having a semi-regular position on network television dating back to the NBC days that started in 2013, and even before that with a smattering of races on Fox while Speed was the main broadcaster.
How will this broadcaster change be different? Formula One in the United States had its own broadcast for a good period of time. From the early ESPN days in the 1980s and 1990s with Bob Varsha and David Hobbs on the call, to the Speedvision and then Speed days with Varsha, Hobbs and Steve Matchett joining the booth, and then NBC had Leigh Diffey leading Hobbs and Matchett, there was a dedicated American broadcast with its own commentators, its own pre-race show and features, its own identity.
When ESPN took over the rights in 2018, it took the world feed and did little more. That didn't hurt interest in the series as ratings rose to its highest levels ever. It feels like most didn't mind. With the move, will Apple continuing doing the same, or will it have its own dedicated broadcast?
With how much money Apple has spent, and what it has done with its other endeavors into the sporting world (Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer), I think we are going to see something new. We are less than two months away from the first broadcast. It feels like we would have heard something by now if that was the case, but there is still plenty of time. Perhaps nothing will change.
The move to a streaming platform will be an adjustment. Formula One is not going to be on network television for a half-dozen races like it got with ABC. It will be out of a loop, and while cable is not thriving, it also is not going away. It does feel like Formula One is a property that can sustain on streaming. The viewers are younger and more willing to subscribe to a streaming service. Formula One will also be available at no additional cost. This will not be a fee on top of a fee. Some people will not follow, but I think a fair number will or this change will not cause any change in habits.
The NASCAR Truck Race at St. Petersburg
This is mostly for the absurdity of it all. For the first time in NASCAR Truck Series history, it will run a street race, and it will be during the IndyCar weekend at St. Petersburg on February 28.
I don't know what the race is going to look like, but St. Petersburg is a tight street course with a few good passing areas. Turn one is wide and presents good opportunities for passing, but it narrows quickly in turns two and three. Turn five will be a legitimate passing zone, but it has been a trouble area for IndyCar, and we are going to see contact there in the Truck race. It will get physical from turns six through nine. We are going to see dive-bombs galore into turn ten.
This is also NASCAR's weakest series on talent. I don't expect any one offs to get a chance, although it would be cool if Jack Hawksworth got a shot or if Ryan Hunter-Reay got an entry. I doubt either will happen. It is different. I think it will be fun, and then NASCAR has all three of its national series running on a temporary circuit at Naval Base Coronado in June.
Asian Le Mans Series Hypercar Class
We will have to wait until late 2026 to see this, but the 2026-27 Asian Le Mans Series will feature a Hypercar class, which will be open to Pro-Am entries. Currently, BBM Sport will run two privateer, wingless Peugeot 9X8, which last contested a round in 2023, and that is the only confirmed entry. JDC-Miller MotorSports, which field a Porsche 963 in IMSA, and Vanwall are evaluating programs.
I am not sure what this class will look like, but with the success of convergence between Le Mans Hypercar and LMDh in both he World Endurance Championship and IMSA, it feels like there is a place for a Hypercar class in another series. I have been thinking the European Le Mans Series could have a Hypercar class. ALMS has an opening for it. The Pro-Am nature of it is intriguing, especially since champions are awarded 24 Hours of Le Mans invitations.
In WEC, Hypercar is not a Pro-Am class. Would the ALMS Hypercar champion get a Hypercar invite or would it be an invite for LMP2 the same way LMP3 champion in ELMS gets an LMP2 invite? If the class is not large enough, is it treated like a separate entity and receive no Le Mans invite?
A success in year one would be a half-dozen entries. It has the potential to be exciting. The door is open for AF Corse to run a Ferrari and Proton Competition to bring a Porsche. JDC-Miller's interest is curious as the Asian Le Mans Series overlaps with the 24 Hours of Daytona. I guess it could do both but that does figure to stretch the team's resources. Could this be a place where the Glickenhaus returns? If Vanwall comes back, isn't anything possible?
It would be a good filler for sports car racing between December, January and February. I wouldn't be against another four or five races with the top category of sports car racing in competition.
Who will Dale Coyne Racing Hire?
Seriously? First, there was a deadline of hiring a driver by Thanksgiving. Then, there was a deadline of Christmas. We are beyond Orthodox Christmas and Chinese New Year is around the corner. Deadlines mean nothing to Dale Coyne. We would be in big trouble if he was a hostage negotiator.
The longer this continues the less I know where this goes. It doesn't feel like it is going to be Romain Grosjean if it has carried out this long. Conor Daly has already said he isn't in the mix. Jacob Abel has announced his shifted focus to LMP2 as an endurance-only driver in IMSA. We are running out of guys.
With Dennis Hauger as its other driver in an Andretti Global-support entry, I am surprised there wasn't more urgency to get this second Coyne seat decided. Andretti may not be supporting both cars, but wouldn't it be for the best of both cars if both drivers were known and could start working together? Coyne had Rinus VeeKay finish 14th in the championship in 2025. This team is poised for a rise in 2026, but it feels like it has fumbled an opportunity waiting to round out its driver lineup.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Kalle Rovanperä's results, but did you know...
Louis Sharp (race one), Zack Scoular (race two) and Ugo Ugochukwu (races three and four) split the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy races from Hampton Downs.
Eli Tomac won the Supercross race from Anaheim. Max Antsie won in the 250cc class.
Nick Cassidy won the Mexico City ePrix.
Coming Up This Weekend
The Dubai 24 Hour.
Supercross heads to San Diego
Formula Regional Oceania Trophy will be at Taupō.
It is also Chili Bowl weekend.
