F1 Daily: MotoGP Joins F1 in Austin, New Liveries in Austin, and the Latest on Middle East Races

Motorsport fans of all kinds and backgrounds won't get bored this weekend. Racing bikes and cars will take over the Circuit of The Americas, adding another layer of festivity to the already star-studded United States GP.

Moreover, the teams are bringing in new exciting liveries to their cars. The excitement just got to another level here at Austin.  

For the first time ever, MotoGP will appear simultaneously on a Formula 1 weekend. MotoGP will stage a high-speed, four-bike demonstration before F1's Free Practice 3 on Saturday. KTM's Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), Andrea Dovizioso (Monster Energy Yamaha), and Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing) will complete high-speed laps in the said showcase.

MotoGP already had its race in COTA back in March. Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi won the race, with his teammate Jorge Martin and KTM's Pedro Acosta rounding out the Top 3. Martin also won the Sprint Race that weekend.  

Cadillac celebrates their Western roots with a special livery in their home race in Austin. The MAC-26 features an embroidery effect on the bodywork, along with Western symbolisms like the 50 stars, Texas cacti, the Austin skyline, the COTA map, and a good-luck horseshoe. 

Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas are still hunting for their first championship point in a Cadillac uniform. 

After new livery announcements from Haas and Cadillac, Mercedes is joining the party with their own one-off livery in the United States GP. It is a custom blue livery that deviates from their usual silver-black-teal color combination. The bold blue and turquoise design was created with its MANUFAKTUR customization program.

Along with their new livery, Mercedes confirmed that both cars will run their latest upgrades in Austin. Kimi Antonelli was the first beneficiary of the upgrades in Singapore, with George Russell following suit this weekend. 

Formula 1's initiative to shorten races in 2027 will only last for one year. The FIA confirmed that they will restore the races to their standard distance, starting in 2028. 

The plan to shorten the races is linked to the new hybrid power unit era. Shorter races mean significant reductions in fuel demands and changes in battery deployment. However, this will be just a temporary adjustment next year. 

The FIA still plans to continue with F1's race weekends in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. There's still no confirmed decision, as we expect the sport to wait until November before making a concrete announcement. But for now, the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix are expected to take place towards the end of the season.