I'm really pleased to finally get update v1.1 of the 2026 mod out there, with plenty of new liveries, helmets, race suits, performance updates and other improvements added as the season has progressed.
General Updates
- Amended CSM previews, loading screens and coding to add the Bahrain GP at Sepang.
- Added Lawson and Tsunoda CSM previews and team art by KerleyF1.
- Fixed Cadillac carshapes being in the wrong order, along with textures carrying incorrect driver numbers and names.
- Added a missing logo to the McLaren livery.
- Ferrari track-specific textures updated by PauloDerpich.
GPxPatch and Graphics
- Fixed the driver order in MailsonTeles' GPxPatch graphics.
- Added FIA messages by MailsonTeles.
- Added Halo HUD by MailsonTeles.
Performance and Gameplay
- Added performance files by gitanes up to the Hungarian GP.
- Modified the generic performance file for the Dutch GP.
- Updated Tweaker positions for all cars.
- Added an experimental Magic Data fix. This is included for testing, but I would recommend leaving it disabled for now.
Below are some of the more visible changes introduced in v1.1.
Round 1 - Australian GP
Helmets
This isn't a special Australian GP helmet, but a newly painted version of Hamilton's standard 2026 design for the mod. He retained his familiar yellow colours for another season, although the 2026 helmet uses a lighter yellow base with darker yellow shading.
For his home Grand Prix in Melbourne, Oscar swapped his usual colours for the green and gold of Australia.
Yes, it's only Lance Stroll at the back of the grid, and yes, it's another sponsor collaboration. For the second year running, Melbourne-based Pepperstone took over his helmet for the Australian GP. The blue design is inspired by the candlestick charts used in financial trading and is an evolution of his 2025 Melbourne helmet.
Round 3 - Japanese GP
Helmets
Mercedes went all-in on a wolf theme for Suzuka as part of its collaboration with Y-3, the adidas label created with Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto. Inspired by the wolf's place as a guardian in Japanese mythology, the design appeared across the cars, race suits and helmets under the 'Unleashing the Beast' theme. Here's George Russell's predominantly black version.
Antonelli ran the corresponding white version of Mercedes' Y-3 wolf helmet.
Lewis swapped his usual yellow helmet for this striking white-and-red Daruma-inspired design. The traditional Japanese Daruma symbolises perseverance and determination, while the helmet also carries seven stars representing his seven World Championships.
Round 4 - Miami GP
Racesuits and Helmets
Both Racing Bulls drivers switched to yellow versions of their helmets to complement the team's bright Miami livery. The 'summer-sun yellow' colour scheme was inspired by Red Bull's Summer Edition Sudachi Lime. Here's Arvid Lindblad's helmet.
And here's Liam Lawson's matching yellow Miami helmet.
Leclerc returned to one of his favourite colours for Miami with this baby-blue special helmet. The oversized 'MIAMI' lettering is cleverly worked around the whole design rather than simply appearing as a logo on the side.
For Cadillac's first F1 race on home soil, the team added a subtle Stars and Stripes theme to its black-and-white livery, including 50 stars on the front wing – one for each US state. Pérez and Bottas also wore these special Miami race suits to match.
Round 5 - Canadian GP
Helmets
For his home race, Stroll teamed up with Canadian company Krown Produce for this British Columbia cherry-themed helmet. The cherries and branches form a wreath-inspired design symbolising victory, with red and white for Canada and Aston Martin green worked into the colour scheme.
Round 6 - Monaco GP
Cars
McLaren celebrated its 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix with this special metallic papaya and anthracite livery. Fittingly, the milestone came at Monaco, where Bruce McLaren entered the team's first F1 race in 1966. Hidden throughout the design are references to six decades of McLaren history, including race wins, championships, the Triple Crown and its world-record pit stop. The livery was also used at the following Spanish Grand Prix.
Aston Martin introduced a striking colour-shifting livery for Monaco as part of its ‘From Rock to Racetrack’ campaign with Ma'aden. An iridescent copper finish covered the front of the AMR26 before blending into the team's traditional green, symbolising the transformation of metals and minerals from the earth into high-performance engineering.
Audi paid tribute to Tazio Nuvolari and its Auto Union racing heritage. Nuvolari joined Auto Union in 1938 and became famous not only for his fearless driving but also for the yellow sweater he wore while racing. For Monaco, Audi replaced its usual red highlights with ‘Nuvolari yellow’, with Hülkenberg and Bortoleto wearing matching black-and-yellow race suits.
Williams made a subtle change to the FW48, replacing the usual black and white front wing with purple. Sainz and Albon also wore special race suits for Williams' ‘Pattern of Thought’ campaign with Claude, turning the team's recorded reactions and emotions into a distinctive graphic design.
Helmets
For his home Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc switched to a predominantly white helmet with red detailing, matching the colours of Monaco.
Lewis Hamilton went for Monaco glamour with a vivid metallic pink helmet covered in sparkling glitter and crystal-like detailing.
Oscar Piastri wore one of McLaren's special LEGO collaboration helmets. The half-and-half design combines Piastri's own colours and Australian-inspired details with an orange-and-black McLaren 1000th Grand Prix design, recreated with LEGO-style elements.
Lando Norris wore the matching LEGO collaboration helmet, combining his familiar fluorescent yellow identity on one side with McLaren's orange-and-black 1000th Grand Prix design on the other.
Valtteri Bottas ran one of the weekend's more unusual helmets, inspired by ‘Nigel’, the wild badger that regularly visits his Monaco home for cat food. Designed by his partner Tiffany Cromwell, the black-and-white helmet turns the front of the lid into Nigel's face.
To accompany Audi's Nuvolari tribute, Nico Hülkenberg wore a bespoke helmet built around Nuvolari's signature yellow. The asymmetric design also incorporates historic images of the legendary Italian, linking the helmet directly to Nuvolari's time racing for Audi predecessor Auto Union.
Kimi Antonelli completed a perfect Monaco weekend with his first pole and victory in the Principality. His special Mercedes helmet featured a white and dark-blue design with a leather-effect texture, inspired by the classic Mercedes-Benz 280 SL Pagoda.
Round 7 - Barcelona-Catalunya GP
Cars
Racing Bulls caught World Cup fever in Barcelona with this football-inspired 'VCARB FC' livery. The special crest combines a chequered flag with three stars representing the tournament's three host nations – Canada, Mexico and the United States – while the whole design plays on Barcelona's famous football culture.
Helmets
Albon marked a piece of Williams history with this Nigel Mansell tribute helmet. Having equalled Mansell's record of 95 Williams starts in Monaco, Barcelona was Albon's 96th – making him the most experienced Williams driver by race starts. His helmet recreates Mansell's iconic red, white and blue design from his 1992 World Championship season.
Round 8 - Austrian GP
Cars
Alpine increased the BWT influence on the A526 for Austria, replacing the blue sidepods with much more prominent pink panels. Appropriately, the change debuted at the home race of Austrian title partner BWT, and has remained on the car for the British GP.
Cadillac ditched the asymmetric black-and-white livery it started the season with, introducing this more conventional, predominantly white design in Austria. The change was influenced by the positive reaction to its white-heavy Miami livery, retaining USA in red, white and blue on the rear wing.
Helmets
Verstappen debuted his 2026 'Orange Lion' helmet in Austria, a tribute to the fans who have supported him throughout his career. The orange, dark blue and chrome design features a lion on top and four gold stars for his World Championships. He also used the helmet in Belgium and Hungary.
Round 9 - British GP
Cars
Williams celebrated its home race with glittering Union Flag-inspired flashes along the side of the nose of the FW48. The team also toured a show car carrying the livery through Cardiff, Manchester, Edinburgh and London in the run-up to Silverstone – and I was grateful to get the chance to see it in person.
McLaren looked back to where it all began with a livery inspired by the 1966 M2B, the team's first Formula 1 car. The white and British Racing Green design also marked 60 years since Bruce McLaren scored the team's first F1 point at the British GP, while promoting Google Gemini's 'Spark What's Next' campaign. Norris and Piastri wore matching white race suits with Bruce McLaren's name embroidered on the back.
Cadillac decided that the British GP was the perfect place to celebrate 250 years of American independence from Britain – ouch. With the 4th of July falling on the Saturday of the race weekend, the cars went full stars and stripes in red, white and blue.
Helmets
Cadillac carried the 250th anniversary theme onto the drivers as well, with special race suits and stars-and-stripes helmets. Here's Pérez's red, white and blue design.
Bottas went even more American. Tiffany Cromwell's design features stars and stripes, a huge bald eagle across the front and a nice personal touch – Route 66 becomes Route 77.
For his home race, Lando gave his familiar fluorescent yellow 'blob' design a chrome makeover, replacing the usual dark shapes with a mirror finish. His gold number 1 also carried the Union Flag inside it.
For his first home GP as an F1 driver, Lindblad looked back to his childhood dream of reaching Formula 1. Designed with artist Navinder Nangla, the deliberately childlike drawings map his journey from watching at Silverstone with his dad as a five-year-old to finally racing there himself.
For his 20th British GP as a Formula 1 driver, Hamilton went right back to the beginning and recreated his original 2007 F1 helmet. The yellow base and red, blue and green stripes return, updated for 2026 with Ferrari's Prancing Horse and plenty of glitter.
Ollie Bearman went suitably British for his home race, mixing Union Flag colours with racing stripes. Sitting proudly on top is 'Obbie', Bearman's little bear mascot.
And of course, it wouldn't be a Lance Stroll special helmet without a sponsor tie-up. This time Ma'aden returned with a copper and bronze patina design, continuing the raw-materials-to-advanced-technology theme first seen on Aston Martin's Monaco livery.
Round 10 - Belgian GP
Helmets
Hülkenberg switched things around for Spa with this red and silver-chrome helmet, almost an inverse of his usual 2026 colours. He kept the design for the following race in Hungary.
Ocon returned to one of his favourite themes with another Spider-Man helmet – his third after previous designs in 2022 and 2025. This year's version was a tie-in with the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, taking details from Tom Holland's Spider-Man suit. Ocon used it in both Belgium and Hungary.
Round 11 - Hungarian GP
Helmets
Albon celebrated his 100th race start for Williams with this special half-and-half helmet, becoming the first driver in the team's history to reach the century. The design brings together the blue and pink colours of his previous Williams helmets with the new white and chrome look he introduced for 2026.
Round 12 - Dutch GP
Cars and Helmets
With Isack Hadjar ruled out by a wrist injury, Liam Lawson was called back up to Red Bull for the weekend. The RB22 has therefore been updated with Lawson's race number, along with an updated version of his helmet for his return to the senior team.
Lawson's move left a vacancy at Racing Bulls, so reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda made a surprise return to the grid. The VCARB has been updated with Yuki's familiar number 22, along with his helmet on the Schuberth model he switched to midway through the 2025 season after many years with Arai.
For the final Dutch GP at Zandvoort, Max wore this beautiful blue-and-white helmet inspired by traditional Delft Blue pottery. The design was a tribute to Dutch heritage and to the home fans who have supported him throughout the Zandvoort era.
Race winner Lando Norris went into 'dark mode' for Zandvoort with this Alienware-inspired helmet. The gloss-black base is covered in holographic contour lines which change colour under the light, taking inspiration from Alienware's futuristic gaming hardware.
Special Thanks
Finally, a special thank you to everyone whose work has contributed to this update – KerleyF1, PauloDerpich, Oggo, MailsonTeles and gitanes. GP4 has always been at its best as a community project, and I'm grateful to be able to include and build upon their work in this release.
It's been a difficult few months personally, so I'm particularly delighted that, somewhere amongst all that's been going on, a little bit of GP4 modding has continued. It's been good to get back to the mod and finally put this update together.
Thanks as always to everyone who still downloads, plays and enjoys GP4 after all these years.
Installation Notes
2026 CSM F1 Mod v1.1 Update
This is only an update and requires the original 2026 CSM F1 Mod to be installed already.
If you don't already have the original mod, you can find it here:
To install the v1.1 update, open CSM and select:
File > Install Carset/update
Then select the downloaded F1_2026_v1.1.cmu file and follow the installation prompts.
Download F1 2026 v1.1 Update
