Alyssa Liu Glides to Gold 

By Roxanne Moraga

Staff Writer

The sound of blades scraping against the ice, the crowd cheers after every turn and spin that is landed. Pressure and anxiety is felt by many Olympic ice skaters, but not Alysa Liu. Her mindset has dawned a new light on the art of figure skating. 

Alysa Liu is a Chinese-American figure skater who competed in the 2026 Milan Olympics for the United States team, and she is most well known for her gold medal win in women’s singles and team. Her father, Arthur, is an attorney who has been supporting Liu in every way that he can. Liu also has four younger siblings. Liu started skating at age 5, and she had many accomplishments before her big win this year. At age 13, she became the youngest woman to earn a U.S. Championship title. Liu earned many other titles and accomplishments until she retired skating at age 16. 

The reason why Liu temporarily stopped skating was because she felt pressured, mentally burned out, and controlled. She also felt that she accomplished enough and wanted to try a normal life. Eventually, in 2024, Liu decided that she wanted to get back on the ice because she missed the strength of being an ice skater. She began training again, won awards, and made it to Team USA. Alysa Liu performed her Short Program to the song “Promise” by Laufey, and she rose up to third place. Then, she performed her Free Style to “MacArthur Park” by Donna Summer, which landed her the first place gold medal. Liu has won the first U.S. Olympic women’s figure skating gold medal in twenty four years.

After winning the gold medal, Liu said, “I don’t need this…But what I needed was a stage, and I got that. So I was all good, no matter what. If I fell on every jump, I would still be wearing this dress, so it’s all good.” Alysa Liu did not compete for the medal; she performed to showcase the art of figure skating. When an NBC interviewer asked how she felt during the Olympics, Liu replied, “...Competitions are where I’m least stressed because people get to see what I do. That’s why I do it. So I can share my work.” At the Gala Exhibition, Liu performed “Stateside” by Zara Larsson and PinkPantheress. Alysa Liu’s joyous and carefree mindset is what sets her apart from many figure skaters. Liu hopes that her story will make people aware about mental health and inspire others.

Super Bowl Halftime Show

By Roxanne Moraga 

Staff Writer

The Super Bowl pregame show started with Charlie Puth singing the National Anthem, Brandi Carlile with “America the Beautiful,” Coco Jones singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” Green Day performing the Opening Ceremony, and Teddy Swims with the Tailgate Headliner. The halftime show this year was performed by Puerto Rican music artist, Bad Bunny. 

Bad Bunny’s show conveyed a story that showcased the culture and history of Puerto Rico. The first scene was a maze of sugar cane fields, which represent one of Puerto Rico’s original cash crops. The first song Bad Bunny performed was “Titi Me Pregunto.” The next set was on the roof of La Casita, which showed what a traditional Puerto Rican home would look like. Some notable people who were on the porch of the house were Cardi B, Karol G, Pedro Pascal, and Jessica Alba. A live wedding took place on top of the roof, and “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” was performed. The special guest was Lady Gaga, who sang “Die with a Smile” with a salsa rhythm backup from Los Sobrinos. Then, he performed “NUEVAYoL” with high energy and dance choreography. Another guest, Ricky Martin, sang part of Bad Bunny’s song, “LO QUE LE PASO A HAWAii.” Bad Bunny showed respect for reggaeton artists from earlier waves of Latino pop by including small parts of songs by Tego Calderon, Don Omar, Hector El Father, and Daddy Yankee (singer of the famous song, “Gasolina”). Next, Bad Bunny performed “El Apagon” atop a replica utility pole, which symbolized the blackouts that occurred after Hurricane Maria. The second to last song of the performance was “CAFe CON RON.” Before singing his final song, Bad Bunny yelled out, “God Bless America,” and he listed many other countries as well. He spiked a football that said, “Together, We Are America.” Bad Bunny’s final song was “DtMF,” the hit song from his Grammy-winning album, “DeBI TiRAR MaS FOToS.”

Bad Bunny’s halftime show was full of action and rich with culture. His performance and songs brought a feeling of unity and togetherness to many people watching the Super Bowl. 

F1 in 2026: A New Era of Racing

By Erick Santiago

Staff Writer

It’s lights out on the 2022-2025 Formula 1 regulations as the spotlight turns to the all-new 2026 regulations. Being one of the largest regulation changes in the sport’s history, 2026 is set to bring an overhaul of the fundamentals of Formula 1. With all new aerodynamic regulations, power unit regulations, fully sustainable fuels, a new track, AND two new teams that are ready to get racing, this season brings a new era of Formula 1 racing, one that I would not want to miss out on and neither should you. However, as someone who was previously a strong optimist for these regulations, it must be said that they are not without their flaws, so let’s talk about it. 

Fully Sustainable Fuels I didn’t want to start out too negative, so why not talk about something beneficial to the environment? So much is changing in 2026, that even the fuels used to power the cars will now be regulated differently. In accordance with F1’s plan to become net zero by 2030, the sport is now taking action through these sustainable fuels to help make that goal a reality. But how can fuels be sustainable for the environment? Fuel suppliers will have two options to answer that question this upcoming season. The first are through synthetic e-fuels which utilize carbon capture (taking CO2 from the air or from industrial emissions) to make a fuel. It is an energy-intensive process, but can make for a consistent fuel mix whilst being fully sustainable. The other option is creating a biofuel which is created through non-food biomass and/or municipal waste (daily waste produced from households, businesses, and institutions). At the moment, this method of creating fuel produces a more inconsistent fuel than e-fuels, meaning, some batches of fuel produced can be more powerful than e-fuels, reacting and burning quicker, whilst others could be less powerful. However, as the fuels continue to be developed, in the short term, it seems this more aggressive approach could hold a competitive advantage, as fuel suppliers may be able to figure out quickly how to minimize these inconsistencies and produce the most powerful fuels possible. Fuel suppliers can also choose to make a blend of both fuels into one mix. The idea is that in creating fuels that use carbon capture or common waste, the emissions they produce when burnt will cancel out. This essentially makes the fuels recycle the emissions they produce, therefore creating fuels that produce net zero carbon emissions. In F1, there are five fuel suppliers; Aramco who supply fuel to Aston Martin, Shell who provide fuel to Ferrari, Haas, and Cadillac, BP who supply fuel to Audi (a team we’ll discuss later), ExxonMobil who provide fuel to Red Bull and Racing Bulls, and finally, Petronas who supply fuel to Mercedes, McLaren, Williams, and Alpine. Shell has elected to take the biofuel route, Aramco has taken the e-fuel route along with Petronas who are rumored to do the same, but may take a blended approach, and both BP and ExxonMobil have yet to confirm which fuel approach they will take. As of late, (other than BP) Shell who already are rumored to have an advantage for taking the biofuel route, are the only ones who have their fuels officially approved by the FIA, whilst the other teams rush to do the same before the first race of the season in Melbourne. Rumor has it, the advantage is so big it may overcome any deficit top team Ferrari has to other teams on the engine side of the regulations. Aramco also has a rumored advantage, since they have experience with creating fully sustainable e-fuels for the F1 feeder series (F2, F3, and F4). However, if their fuel does not get approved in time for the Australian Grand Prix in less than two weeks time, that advantage is effectively voided. As for Petronas and ExxonMobil, they seem to be having to play catch-up to the other fuel suppliers. 

A New Track and Two New Teams That fuel will be burnt on fresh asphalt and in two new teams’ cars this season. That’s right, we also have one new track and two new teams to look forward to this F1 season. Up first, we have the brand new Madring Circuit being added to the 2026 F1 calendar as the Spanish Grand Prix held in Madrid, replacing the old Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona that will now be known as the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. The Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix will be put into rotation with the Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps from 2027 onwards. Whilst it is a brand new circuit that has some purpose-built corners (something the calendar has been lacking with more and more additions), it is still a street circuit as it utilizes some public roadways and a parking lot as circuit tarmac. Not only that, but when simulated on-board laps have been shown (on YouTube, for example), it seems like circuit designers made around four corner types and simply copy and pasted them around the track. One very unique corner the track has, though, is turn 12 which has been given the name “La Monumental.” The turn is a corner with 27% banking that is a LONG right hander which makes a full turn of about 180 degrees and is expected to be a high speed, flat out (no lifting on throttle or braking) corner. Hopefully I am proven wrong and this circuit is extremely entertaining and provides for some great racing. Who knows, this may be the case considering this is Formula 1, and mostly everything for this season has been changed. Next up, two new teams to watch this season. Along with Cadillac, which I explained in my regular monthly F1 article, we have Audi which have finally entered the sport this season. They bought Alfa Romeo in 2023 but only now decided to take full ownership of the team, with it becoming the Kick F1 Team during the 2024-2025 seasons. They have seen some pretty good success so far, running an overall smooth pre-season testing plan and providing some innovative aerodynamic solutions there. They also have hired former sporting director of a dominant Red Bull Racing F1 team from 2022-2023, Jonathan Wheatley, to be their Team Principal (F1 team boss/CEO) and former Ferrari Team Principal, Mattia Binotto, to be the head of their F1 project. Will their pre-season success amount to anything during the regular season? I guess we’ll have to wait and see for that answer on track. 

2026 Aerodynamic Regulations Speaking of aerodynamic innovation, the new regulations for 2026 designed by the FIA leave plenty of room for just that–aerodynamic innovation. Previously, teams (primarily aerodynamicists) would complain that the regulations were too strict on what they could do, and therefore their expertise wouldn’t be needed as much, but this year, that is not the case. Extremely decorated aerodynamicist, Adrian Newey, who just moved to Aston Martin for this season would agree, changing his previously pessimistic views on these regulations. Instead of just a rear wing flap opening to activate DRS, essentially the whole rear wing will now open from an attachment to reduce dirty, turbulent air. See Ferrari’s aerodynamic innovation, for example, where they made their rear wing flip 270 degrees, which the aerodynamic regulations do not outlaw, so that on the straights they are reducing more drag than competitors, gaining an extra 5-6mph (8-10 kph) and generating LIFT, since the rear wing is meant to generate downforce when it is the correct way around, but when flipped having the opposite effect to just bring the rear tires up a bit on the straights to reduce rear tirewear. Genius! And it’s what F1 is meant to be all about–innovation. As I was briefly stating, these aerodynamic regulations are also meant to crackdown on the dirty air effect, one that makes following cars closely through corners nearly impossible. You see, when air doesn’t travel through a car, and instead, aerodynamicists design cars to disperse air as early as possible, reducing the car’s turbulence that it generates for itself, that air gets thrown behind to other cars, which can cause them to experience quite the bit of turbulence in the corners. That turbulent air generated by the car in front is also known as dirty air, and it causes drivers to have snaps of oversteer mid corner(s) if they are pushing the car too much, and therefore stops them from following the car in front too closely, causing less overtakes and less racing action. The way these aerodynamic regulations crackdown on this effect is by ensuring that in every part of the car as much air as possible is funneled THROUGH the car instead of away or out of it, eventually being expelled normally from the rear wing and diffuser. Keeping this air funneled through the car is called an aerodynamic in-wash concept, and it is seen in almost every part of the car; for example the front wing endplates are tilted inwards, there are boards extending from the floor meant to keep air in from the front wing, and the rear wing does not have cut-outs at the top of it--it stays connected all in one piece. For these reasons, I don’t understand some claims that the dirty air is expected to be as bad as last year (which is the worst I’ve seen it ever since I started watching the sport in 2022), if not worse. I think they are baseless claims that can be refuted just by looking at the rule book, so therefore I don’t think that will provide the overtaking challenge, but instead battery management will, which I’ll get into when I talk about the engine regulations. Additionally, this year’s cars have been made lighter, narrower, and overall, smaller. This will allow drivers to fight wheel-to-wheel more often, without track width being as much of a problem as it used to be. The weight reduction can be further seen in the removal of the front wheel arches and in smaller tires. Furthermore, since the underfloor venturi tunnels have been removed in these regulations (see December’s edition for an explanation of the venturi tunnels), teams are now allowed to raise the ride height of the car, as they don’t need to suction to the ground for most of their downforce anymore and can also soften the suspension as a result. This change will improve the cars drivability/handling an immense amount for the drivers, without them having to worry about the possibility of bottoming out on a bump or kerb. This will allow drivers to take higher risks on their kerb usage and improving low-speed performance, allowing drivers to take more speed into low-speed corners without worrying about rear sliding since they have improved traction as a result of softer suspension.

 2026 Engine Regulations Finally, we have all new engine regulations for this upcoming season, and this is where things take a less favorable turn. In these new engine regulations, teams and engine suppliers agreed to increase the amount of power generated from the electric motor (or battery) to achieve a roughly 50/50 power split between the battery and the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). The result is an electrical component that generates around 475 horsepower, with the ICE producing around 550 horsepower. The intended effect, being assisted by active aerodynamics, are cars that travel faster in a straight line when maximum power is unleashed, and with a downforce reduction from the removal of the venturi tunnels and not enough compensation in the front and rear wings, cars that travel through most corners slower (especially medium to high speed corners). For me, this goes against everything that F1 stands for. F1 doesn’t race the fastest cars on circuits because of their top speeds, they do so with the downforce they produce in the corners. No other motorsport has been able to rival that, but now F1 seems to be taking more of an IndyCar approach, favoring top speed over cornering. To me, if enough top speed compensates for time lost in the corners, then so be it. F1 will still have the fastest cars racing around a circuit, but that’s just the thing, at the moment, these cars don’t seem to be able to recover that time lost, especially during a race where it seems like, unfortunately, they won’t even be close. Before I explain more, it’s important to note just how so many power unit manufacturers and teams agreed to these engine regulations. In removing the MGU-H, a complicated power unit component that recovered excess heat and exhaust gasses and converted that to electrical power, recharging the car’s battery, power suppliers were satisfied and intrigued to be able to make a less complicated power unit, overall, that was more road-relevant. Such a component is not seen in regular road cars, so by removing this component and simplifying the power unit, as I say, power unit manufacturers like Audi and Ford were attracted to the sport and Honda decided to remain in the sport. More power unit manufacturers gives F1 more exposure and additional sources of income, whilst F1 returns the favor by also giving power unit manufacturers exposure and income from prize winnings (see November’s edition for details on the prize pool). However, this means the only way to recharge the batteries, now, is through the MGU-K component, which charges the battery by harvesting energy produced under braking. The problem is the battery may take a few laps to be fully recharged, but can be depleted at the highest energy deployment mode, in its entirety, on a single straight. This is causing MAJOR recharging issues like “super clipping” where cars are still at full throttle, but because they ran out of battery energy, on any given straight to recharge the battery in order to have more power, cars will naturally slow down and maybe even need to be downshifted to 7th gear, essentially braking before the end of the straight and the start of a corner. Additionally, this same phenomenon occurs in some high speed corners where drivers are applying full throttle, but because the battery needs to be recharged, the driver cannot shift up beyond a certain gear, essentially braking by simply not accelerating beyond a certain point. As a result, in those high speed corners, these cars may, at times, be slower than Formula 2 cars. From an entertainment perspective, that is absolutely ridiculous, considering fans want to see drivers race each other flat out towards the end of a straight, and not brake before it ends during a race, but also want to watch the fastest race cars on any given circuit. This, along with being as slow as F2 cars in some corners is simply not that. Even worse, if the drivers don’t recharge enough battery to last on shorter straights from having just drained some in favor of a longer straight, the super clipping effect may kick in before the cars even have an opportunity to be faster in a straight line than last year’s regulations. The removal of the MGU-H also creates a race start problem for some cars, as it assisted in getting the turbo spooled up to, well, go turbo off the starting line, meaning now drivers will have to rev their engines for longer before they get their turbos in a favorable position to start a race, whilst also having to be careful to not overcharge their battery from excessive revving. This can result in some drivers failing to get off the line in time when the lights go out, creating dangerous obstacles other drivers have to weave around and if they are unable to do so, creating some scary crashes. It is also worth noting that fans have complained that they want louder engines, so by removing the MGU-H you get just that, with all the excess heat and exhaust gasses being naturally exhausted, creating a louder sound. However, now you have all these recharging and electrical issues, the point being you can’t have it all. Hopefully, as teams develop their power units further and find better materials to build batteries out of, or in finding other breakthroughs (maybe even by the FIA) these batteries will become significantly more efficient and all these recharging and electrical issues will vanish. I have no doubt that teams (and maybe the FIA) will be able to do this, as they always have, and as I had expected them to already, but when they do, I believe there will be nothing holding these regulations back from being astonishing. That’s the brilliance of Formula 1, innovation, and it's something this season is sure to be full of that you wouldn’t want to miss out on, starting at round one in Melbourne, Australia.