Former Ferrari engineer Javi Marcos is returning to Formula 1 with a new key role in the Cadillac project.

The Spaniard was previously working as Charles Leclerc’s race engineer at Ferrari, but was replaced by Brian Bozzi ahead of the 2024 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. After that, Marcos decided to leave the Italian team and join Cadillac.

Last year, Marcos worked in the American manufacturer’s WEC and IMSA programs and was also officially appointed technical director of Cadillac’s LMDh project.

However, it is now known that he will focus on Formula 1 again. According to sources, Marcos has been appointed chief racing engineer of the future Cadillac team, which will enter the championship in 2026.

Cadillac will join the peloton as its 11th Formula 1 team. The American team, which will use Ferrari power plants in the first seasons, will switch to its own engines in partnership with General Motors from 2028.

The team had previously confirmed that Carlo Pasetti and John Howard would serve as race engineers for Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez respectively. Marcos will serve in a position above them and will coordinate the work of the engineering staff.

Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher shared his views on the best drivers in the history of the championship, naming Max Verstappen and his brother Michael Schumacher as the two best drivers he has seen in F1.

According to the 50-year-old German, this special duo; It will be an ideal combination in terms of speed, stability and mental toughness.

Schumacher said: “My brother and Max Verstappen. It would be very interesting. They would get along well because they are both at the top level and at the same time very reasonable. I think it will be a healthy but tough fight. If we talk purely about skill, these are two of the best drivers I have seen in Formula 1.”

The former racer also highlighted the key characteristic he believes distinguishes Williams, Verstappen and Michael Schumacher from the rest: the ability to consistently be at their best in crucial moments.

“The ability to perform under pressure, always being faster than your teammate and getting the best out of the car and the team – that’s what sets them apart,” he added.

Both drivers have long been regarded as some of the best in Formula One history. Michael Schumacher won seven championships, five of which were with Ferrari. Verstappen now has four titles.

Max Verstappen said that being the only Red Bull driver who can challenge McLaren in the 2025 Formula 1 season is more of an advantage than a disadvantage.

In 2025, the Milton Keynes team again tried to solve the problem of the second car. However, the experiment with Liam Lawson failed – after two unsuccessful weekends, the New Zealander was replaced by Yuki Tsunoda.

However, the Japanese racer has not been able to perform at a consistently high level. Red Bull therefore decided to move Tsunoda to the reserve driver role in 2026, betting on Isak Hajjar.

Verstappen was forced to face McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri alone in the second half of the season, launching a surprise comeback to the title challenge.

Although Red Bull does not have a second car in the leading group for a more flexible strategy, Verstappen believes his status as the sole favorite has helped him.

“When you are alone you can attack and be much more aggressive. I always prefer that,” Verstappen said.
“If we’re almost equal in speed then I can only wish them luck because then you’ll start to work out the issues between you.”

The four-time world champion also emphasized that Norris and Piastri regularly take points away from each other, while McLaren’s driver parity policy makes strategic decisions difficult for the team.

Therefore, according to Verstappen, he would always determine the hierarchy in the team.

“If I were the team leader, I would always clearly define numbers one and two,” the Dutchman said.
“Of course, the second driver needs to collect enough points to compete for the constructors’ championship. But there needs to be a hierarchy.”

According to Verstappen, it was the lack of such an approach that cost McLaren some of its strategic advantages.

“They lost some of their strategic capabilities because they had two equal pilots. Of course, we benefited from that.”