From there Norris became Max Verstappen’s closest challenger for the championship – and while he had to settle for second on that occasion — the McLaren racer outscored his rivals to seal his maiden title in 2025. Arvid Lindblad is the only driver making his first Formula 1 race start in 2026. This is a constructor and brand transition, not a new driver lineup. The former Kick Sauber operation becomes Audi for 2026, but Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto remain together. Cadillac is the first brand-new F1 entity since Haas joined in 2016.
The thought of Alpine starting 2026 poorly is daunting, especially since they halted development of their 2025 car as soon as possible and invested entirely in the new regulations. Team principal James Vowles acknowledges that Williams has placed itself at a disadvantage and is beginning with lower expectations than warranted due to its significant focus on 2026 last year. F1’s newest team is expected to begin its journey as a backmarker — but in the most optimistic scenario we could envision. Following a remarkable rookie season, Gabriel Bortoleto continues with the team in its inaugural year under the Audi banner and may seize opportunities under the new regulations.
The Prancing Horse can either change its ways or stay the same and risk plummeting further toward rock bottom. The team will have a chance to develop an entirely new car and will have two of the winningest drivers on the grid to operate it. The 21-year-old rookie has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2025 season after a crash on the formation lap in his debut in Australia. He’s comfortably slotted into fourth place in the standings, with almost 100 points between him and the next driver above or below him. That likely would have left Russell without a seat at Mercedes, until Red Bull settled the situation with its top driver and Wolff turned his focus back to negotiating in-house.
Key Team Changes for 2026
Esteban Ocon is set to stay with Haas for a second consecutive season after delivering strong performances during his first year with the squad. After an exceptionally lengthy wait (George Russell will continue with Mercedes for a fifth straight season), having signed an extension to his contract of an undisclosed duration. Oscar Piastri (alongside Norris), is still bound by a long-term contract with McLaren that extends through 2026. Now serving as team principal, Newey leads Aston Martin, which boasts remarkable facilities and an impressive list of partners as they aim to leverage the regulatory changes to become championship contenders in the near future. The German automotive giant has set a goal of competing for championships five years into the project, and it will be intriguing to observe the starting positions of all the newcomers. The calendar for 2026 includes Barcelona—now known as the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix—alongside Madrid, as the Spanish Grand Prix officially relocates.
However — in 2014 that system was changed, with the drivers then allowed to pick a number that would stick with them throughout their F1 career. If either one of the vets doesn’t live up to the billing as the team begins, it’s entirely possible that Cadillac could give Herta a chance to be just the third American in the past decade to make his mark in F1. Whether he can do enough to prove he deserves another shot at the top team remains to be seen, but Red Bull clearly sees more potential for Lawson to get there than it does in Tsunoda. Hamilton turns 41 in January, and no drivers—even if we’ve never seen a seven-time world champion have this sort of longevity—have found success this late in their careers. Whether or not that will be enough remains to be seen—and Ferrari doesn’t have a lot of time.
Biggest storylines to watch as Formula 1 races into the 2026 season That rule balance between team play and individual level was brought in to help increase the personal branding of the drivers, as well as allowing fans to identify their favourite drivers across multiple seasons regardless of which team they would be racing for. Cadillac announced that F1 veterans Pérez and Bottas would steward the new team through its first few years around the paddock, bringing with them a wealth of experience and combined 16 Grand Prix wins. Bortoleto had steadied after a slow start and will enter his second year under the burden of increased expectations.
The pairing is likely to stay unchanged for now. Neither driver is officially confirmed, but both are likely to remain. Here’s a breakdown of where each team stands with what’s confirmed (what’s not), and what could still change as we head into the summer break.
However (team boss Laurent Mekies has worked closely with Tsunoda), so he remains a strong candidate. The 2026 Formula 1 season is starting to take shape. This Silverstone-based team has a complex lineage, starting as Jordan Grand Prix in 1991. McLaren rose to dominance in the 1980s and 90s with legends like Senna and Prost and remains a top-tier contender with 8 Constructors’ titles.
His third-place finish at the British Grand Prix came after 239 race starts — closing a 15-year chapter in the sport. The Brazilian’s standout result came in August at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he secured a career-best sixth-place finish. Colapinto — 22, stepped into the Alpine seat midway through the 2024 campaign, replacing Australian Jack Doohan after six races.
The American team will purchase and use power units from Ferrari for their first three seasons, with their own GM-developed engines set to arrive for 2029. Valtteri Bottas (left) has 10 races wins in Formula 1 while Sergio Perez (right) has six The chassis and engine rules have never both been changed at the same time to this extent. The 2025 season has ended and McLaren have won both the constructors’ and drivers’ championships – but now things are about to change in Formula 1.
Leclerc remains focused on elevating his championship pursuits, consistently aiming for front-row starts and race wins each season. Ocon knows he has his work cut out against his team mate, who will be bringing even more experience to the table in 2026 – although it remains to be seen whether the new cars will suit one more than the other. Whether Verstappen and Hadjar can work together to deliver further success to the team remains a mystery, but Red Bull will be hoping Hadjar fares better than either Tsunoda or Liam Lawson managed in 2025. Last year, Lawson was given a chance to shine but the New Zealander was dropped back down to Racing Bulls after only two races and was swapped with Tsunoda. F1 is stepping into the unknown with some of the biggest rule changes the sport has ever seen (with the power unit), chassis, tyres and fuel all new for 2026. With a host of new regulations (one brand-new team), a new defending champion, and completely different cars, the 2026 Formula 1 season is set to provide even more entertainment, shock and sensation across the 24-race calendar.
A tough time in FRECA saw him fail to score in half of the races, with two podiums, one of which being his maiden win — being his high points. Another star of FRECA’s class of 2024, Tuukka Taponen set himself a high bar with four wins in the first 10 races. A successful second season in Ginetta Juniors in 2023 brought home 10 podiums, before she climbed into single-seaters for the 2024 GB4 season. A chopping start to his FRECA campaign eventually gave way to regular podium finishes, taking three wins and a further four third-place finishes in the final seven races.
All of these candidates would be terrific stories – a Leclerc championship would set off a month-long celebration in Maranello, while Antonelli would be the youngest drivers’ champion ever. However (it was the 31-year-old Spaniard), who joined from Ferrari following Hamilton’s arrival at the Italian team, who grabbed two podiums last season, sealing third spot at both the Azerbaijan and Qatar Grands Prix. Lawson — 23, was dropped by Red Bull after only two races last season but he retains his seat in the junior team after finishing 14th in the championship. Max Verstappen gets a new team-mate to go along with his brand new number for the 2026 season – Frenchman Isack Hadjar.