By Kian Roy.
Formula 1 returns in 2026 with a new era of motorsport with new teams, new regulations, new drivers, and fresh hopes and dreams for the future as 11 teams and 22 drivers battle it out for the Formula 1 World Championship. Let’s take a look at what to expect in what’s sure to be another exciting year.
The biggest talking point in 2026 must be the brand-new car regulations that are certain to cause a massive shakeup in the paddock. So, what are these new regulations and how will they affect racing and the future of Formula 1? The new 2026 regulations introduce new revamped power units with increased electrical power, aiming for a 50/50 split between the internal combustion engine and electrical motor. The MGU-H is completely removed simplifying the hybrids system and making it more attractive to new manufacturers. There have also been changes to the aerodynamics of the cars these changes include active aero, allowing cars to adjust wing angles for optimal downforce and drag reduction. Formula 1 says these regulations have been introduced to promote sustainability and closer racing but only time will tell on the effects of these new regulations.
As well as new regulations Formula 1 has allowed a brand-new team to join the grid as well as one team being replaced by a new manufacturer. American outfit Cadillac join Formula 1 for the first time ever entering as the brand-new 11th team with Graeme Lowdon leading them as team principal with the newcomers choosing to go for experience when it comes to their 2026 driver lineup with two multiple race winners driving for the team in former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas and former Red Bull racing driver Sergio Perez. The driver pairing of two Formula 1 race winners is a strong statement of intent and shows the ambition of Cadillac for the future. Cadillac will also have to be realistic about their expectations coming into its first ever season as they will no doubt face many challenges and difficulties when it comes to competitiveness and reliability.
Cadillac’s preseason testing was described as a respectable debut as they were able to establish a reliable platform despite their lack of raw pace. The Americans are expected to be one of the backmarker teams come the start of the season but notably are expected to be ahead of Aston Martin. The team avoided having any major mechanical failures with only minor teething issues. They will look to have a steady start to their Formula 1 career with their early objectives expected to be just ensuring they finish in Australia and then try to build on their pace with upgrades throughout the season.
Audi has also joined the Formula 1 World Championship replacing Sauber as the new German outfit debuts its own in-house German power unit as they look to cause a shake-up in the Formula 1 standings. Audi decided to keep the same two drivers that drove for Sauber last season with the experienced podium finisher Nico Hulkenberg and young Brazilian Gabriel Borteletto who led their team to a 9th place finish in the 2026 season finishing on 70 points in a very up and down season for the two drivers. 2026 will provide a key learning curve for Audi as they look to make their mark in Formula 1.
Audi’s pre-season performance was quietly impressive despite some early reliability setbacks the German outfit recovered and looked like a strong midfield competitor in Bahrain testing with Bortelto coming 7th in the final day standings. Audi’s focus will be on their reliability in race one as they look to build on from testing and potentially cause an early upset in the fight for the lower points scorers come the start of the season.
Now let’s look at the rest of the teams and each of the team’s expectation for the new Formula 1 season based on their pre-season testing performances and their performances in recent years:
McLaren – Last season’s Constructors’ Champions return with the same lineup for the 4th consecutive season with World Champion Lando Norris and last year’s 3rd place finisher Oscar Piastri leading the McLaren teams into battle in 2026. The two drivers that brought one of the most exciting championship battles in recent years will be sure to lock horns again at the front as McLaren look to win their third constructor’s championship in a row as well as bringing home another driver’s championship.
Expectations are high for the team in papaya with their recent success showing how dominant they can be they will be sure to be one of the quickest teams. McLarens initial testing shows early signs of both strong reliability and good pace with some strong lap times, and it looks certain that they will be somewhere in the top four teams come the start of the season in Australia.
Mercedes – The 8-time Formula 1 Constructors’ Champions look to reclaim their place at the top of Formula 1 after a few struggles in recent seasons 2025 showed some promising signs throughout the season with the team eventually finishing in second place but quite the way off McLaren in first. The German outfit continues with the same lineup as last year as George Russell looks to carry his impressive 2025 form into the 2026 season. He continues alongside Kimi Antonelli who had an impressive 1st season in the sport securing 3 podiums as well as a sprint pole position in his rookie season resulting in a good first season for the young Italian. Mercedes will certainly be looking to challenge for both championships and early signs from preseason may suggest they are this season’s early favourites. Toto Wolff’s team seemed to set the early standard in terms of reliability and performance with their new W17 car and the team seems to have navigated the major regulation changes well so far but all will be revealed in the season opener in Australia.
Red Bull Racing – Red Bull look to reclaim top spot in both World Championships in the 2026 season after last season’s inconsistencies. The Milton Keynes team largely dominated the previous era of Formula 1 most noticeably in 2022 and 2023 where they blew the competition away winning 17 of the 22 races in 2022 and 21 of the 22 races in 2023. Four time World Champion Max Verstappen continues at Red Bull and despite the teams struggles last season the Dutchman managed to pull his widely regarded fourth fastest car to the very front of the grid coming very close to one of the great F1 comebacks pushing Lando Norris all the way to the final race of the 2025 season but ultimately missing out by just two points to the McLaren driver. He is partnered by Issack Hadjar who has been promoted from Red Bulls Junior team Racing Bulls to replace Yuki Tsunoda (demoted to Red Bull reserve driver) as Red Bull’s number two driver. The Frenchman had a very impressive rookie season at Racing Bulls in 2025 led the team to an impressive 6th place finish with the young driver collecting 51 points for RB.
Red Bull will be looking to right the wrong of the 2025 season as they faced huge performance issues in the middle of last season that ultimately ended up costing Max Verstappen his 5th World Championship but a strong end to the 2025 season under new team principal Laurent Mekies will give them plenty of hope heading into the new season. Pre-season testing was expected to be a tough period for the team with them introducing their very own brand-new Red Bull engine for the first time after parting ways with former engine manufacture Honda, but the team had a surprisingly strong pre-season after a few early hiccups the team showed strong reliability and pace but with other teams being even stronger, members of the team expect them to only be the fourth fastest team heading into Australia – but it would not be the first time a team tries to play mind games with their competition.
Ferrari – The Scuderia look to put an end to a miserable run of seasons as F1’s most prestigious team have massively underperformed for many years in relation to the expectations of their fans. Ferrari haven’t won a single Constructors’ Championship since 2008 or a driver’s championship since 2007 which for a team of their reputation is nothing short of unacceptable. The Italian outfit came 4th in the Constructors’ Championship last year with long time Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and 7-time drivers world champion Lewis Hamilton who both struggled to get to grips with a very underwhelming Ferrari car. However, the pair return for the 2026 season looking to finally get Ferrari back to where they belong. If pre-season testing is anything to go off, Ferrari should be a fierce challenger for both Championships in 2026 as Charles Leclerc set the pace in Bahrain testing setting the fastest overall time with the team showing exceptional reliability and pace. The SF-26 displayed stability, strong long run performance and impressive power unit efficiency establishing Ferrari as a potential competitor to Mercedes come race one.
Williams – After a very impressive 2025 season Williams look to continue their climb up the grid after finishing 9th in 2024 Williams made the most progress out of any time finish 5th place in 2026. The driver lineup of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz worked wonders for Williams giving them their highest finish since 2017 as well as scoring a podium finish with Carlos Sainz. Since the arrival of James Vowles as team principal the team has come on leaps and bounds and look to continue their great form by upsetting the big four ahead of them and continue to score big points and get a few more podiums in the 2026 season. Despite Williams high hopes they seemed to struggle during pre-season which could leave them on the back foot when it comes to the start of the season as they faced significant delays that caused them to miss early running and leave them in a vulnerable position. The team did manage to achieve solid mileage in Bahrain with 790 laps but the car was noticeably overweight and lacked downforce with many expecting them to start the season at the back half of the midfield but they will certainly be looking to push themselves back to regular high points finishes throughout the season.
Racing Bulls – Racing Bulls enjoyed a good season in 2025 with rookie Issak Hadjar (Red Bull) being the real highlight of their season as the Frenchman burst onto the grid impressing many with his pace and qualifying in his first season. However, RB will have to adapt to life without Hadjar as he moves on to Red Bull racing and they have replaced him with 18-year-old Red Bull prodigy Arvid Lindblad who continues his rapid ascent up the motorsport pyramid. The British driver is highly rated by Red Bull, and he is the youngest race winner in both Formula 2 and 3 and he will be looking to impress the main Red Bull team as he looks towards the future.
Joining the rookie well be Liam Lawson who continues his stint at RB after recovering from a very harsh start to the 2025 season as he was demoted from Red Bull to RB after just two races last year. The man from New Zealand recovered well in the end racking up 38 points for RB last season and will be looking to keep improving in 2026.
Racing Bulls showed promising signs in pre-season with a reliable and consistent performance in Bahrain. RB looked to of positioned themselves as a strong contender in the midfield the team manager to rack up 1,051 laps in total with both drivers reporting a generally positive report on their cars.
Aston Martin – Aston Martin return for the 2026 season looking to make a huge improvement on their 2025 season with legendary motorsport figure Adrian Newey leading the team, Newey is known for making some of the quickest cars in F1 history including all of Max Verstappen’s championship winning cars. Aston Martin had a tough season in 2025 with the constructor coming 7th in the standings as the team struggled to get grips with their car and quickly moved focus to the 2026 season and the new regulations.
Fernando Alonso had a solid season in 2025 coming 10th in the drivers’ standings which in relation to their cars performance that season was a good finishing position. The two-time world champion was adamant that Aston Martin have what it takes to compete for race wins and championships from 2026 onwards and continues to believe that he can win his third drivers’ championship with Aston Martin in the future. He continues to be partnered with Canadian driver Lance Stroll who faced some difficulties last season specifically when it comes to qualifying being knocked out of Q1 14 times out of the 24 races last season. Stroll will look to reignite the hunger he once had and have a strong 2026 season.
Despite their high hopes for the new season and analysts high expectations the Silverstone based team have had what can only be described as a nightmare pre-season with the drivers complaining about many major problems when they did drive the car which was a very rare occurrence as the team struggled massively with reliability and their new Honda power unit as the team had the lowest mileage of any competitor completing only 128 laps during the final 3 day test in Bahrain. The primary issues has been major vibrations from the engine that will ultimately lead to limited running for Aston Martin in Australia as team principal Adrian Newey confirmed that they don’t expect to complete the opening race of the season and Fernando Alonso believes he can only complete 25 laps before risking permanent nerve damage in his hands which stroll agrees with. Aston Martins season won’t really begin in Australia it seems putting them at an immediate disadvantage in 2026.
Haas – American team Haas had a solid season in 2025 coming home in 8th place, one place lower than 2024 with the main highlights of their season coming from rookie Oliver Bearman who gave a good first impression in Formula 1 with 6 Q3 appearances in his debut season and collecting 41 points overall. The Brit will return with Haas for 2026 partnered by Esteban Ocon for the second consecutive season with the Frenchman looking to improve on his poor first season with Haas as he was beaten by his rookie teammate which came as a big surprise as Ocon is a very experienced and capable driver who will be looking to improve on his first season with Haas.
Ayo Komatsu’s team will be looking move further up the grid and start challenging for higher points finishes in the 2026 season and lead the midfield. Pre-season has given the team a lot of encouragement heading into Australia by establishing themselves as a potential leading force in the midfield as they completed the second most mileage in all of testing with analysts expecting Haas to be best of the rest at the start of the season.
Alpine – Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto will continue to race for Alpine in 2026 despite a very disappointing 2025 showing. Gasly a very highly rated driver will hope Alpine can finally give him a package that he can compete with while Colapinto has had a very inconsistent start to his Formula 1 career and consistently struggled in both qualifying and race pace last season failing to score a single point in his 18 races with the team. Despite his poor form Alpine have stuck with the youngster as they believe with a better car he can improve massively and become an important driver for Alpine.
The French team had a very successful pre- season and the decision to abandon their 2025 development early to focus on 2026 has shown very early signs of paying off with their car looking like a strong midfield contender which seems to be mainly down to their Mercedes power unit that looks to be the best power unit on the grid in 2026. Gasly managed to finish 5th on the final day of Bahrain testing just behind the expected top 4 with the team having very strong mileage with both drivers having positive feelings towards their car. Alpine will look to rise from last right through the midfield and assert themselves as best of the rest in 2026.
The beginning of a new era for Formula 1 is certain to bring much excitement and many surprises for fans around the world as four teams are expected to fight it out for both championships as Lando Norris looks to retain his drivers’ World Championship which won’t be easy with drivers like Max Verstappen, and George Russell hungry to make 2026 their year. The Formula 1 season begins at Albert Park in Australia with the first race on Sunday the 8th of March.
