Uh-oh! The US has invaded and the world (championship) order is under threat. Here’s your Formula 1 grid for 2026.
Lando Norris [1] GBR, Oscar Piastri [81] AUS
The last McLaren driver to win back-to-back titles was Häkkinen, two weeks before 2025’s champion was born. Coincidence? Duh. But ironic that standing in Lando’s way is Mr. Unflappable 2.0, who led most of last season’s two-horse race...and finished third. Ouch. Oscar will be hungrier (and less amenable to team orders) this time.
Likely to… send X into meltdown over ‘favoritism’
Unlikely to… refer to the livery as hot rod ginger
Season target: avoid civil war
Andrea Kimi Antonelli [12] ITA, George Russell [63] GBR
Rumors persist that Merc’s engine is a grid killer, but with ground effect binned, the aero department needs to prove it can suss out the new regs. If it can, the shirtless wonder of King’s Lynn (no, not Martin Brundle) will be the title favorite. Closely followed by his teenage sophomore teammate.
Likely to… dominate every race with the power unit set to ‘merciful’
Unlikely to… stop flirting with Max Verstappen
Season target: make winning look difficult
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Max Verstappen [3] NED, Isack Hadjar [6] FRA
Blimey, Red Bull is building its own engines now (in league with Ford). Risky? You betcha. Hence the bun fight over Merc’s rumored compression-ratio loophole. But the PU has turned heads in testing, and even if the RB22 is half a second off the pace, Max will stick it on pole.
Likely to… throw the new boy under the bus after three races
Unlikely to… prevent Max from entering the N24 for the lolz
Season target: blame DNFs on Renault
Lewis Hamilton [44] GBR, Charles Leclerc [16] MON
Ferrari wrote off last season to throw the kitchen sink at 2026, so the dry spell ends now...right?! When Italy last celebrated a title, Kimi Antonelli was in nappies, and on recent evidence, most of the strategists still are. What will run out first: Lewis’ god-given speed or Charles’ god-given patience?
Likely to… generate a gigaton of hope and expectation
Unlikely to… live up to it
Season target: no more Q1 exits
Alex Albon [23] THA, Carlos Sainz [55] SPA
A former giant trying to get back on top, one gaffe at a time? Announce the Manchester United collab already. Last season was Williams’ best in nearly a decade, but it wasted those good vibes by missing January’s first shakedown. Everyone’s favorite second team, mostly because of its nice-guy drivers.
Likely to… announce a new brand partnership every week
Unlikely to… mean anything to anyone under 45
Season target: show up on time
Liam Lawson [30] NZL, Arvid Lindblad [41] GBR
Racing Bulls’ job is to nurture talent, in the same way a gamekeeper keeps grouse alive. So welcome Arvid, the latest hotshoe/victim plucked from F2 and 2026’s only rookie. He needs to be fast, but not so fast that he’s thrown into the Colosseum with Maximus Decimus Verstappenus. Strength and honor, lad.
Likely to… rock up to the Miami GP in lit team apparel
Unlikely to… end the season with the same lineup
Season target: 50% more Insta likes
Lance Stroll [18] CAN, Fernando Alonso [14] SPA
After a Succession-esque boardroom reshuffle, vortex whisperer Adrian Newey has wound up as Aston Martin’s team principal. Weird. He can’t afford to get distracted because this is his toughest gig yet: winning with—checks notes—the big cheese’s son and a man halfway between his debut and his pension.
Likely to… spend untold millions fixing its simulator
Unlikely to… put a driver in their prime anywhere near it
Season target: stay friends with Honda
Oliver Bearman [87] GBR, Esteban Ocon [31] FRA
A decade in the sport and still no podium to show for it, Haas’s dry storyline gets a much-needed plot twist from the arrival of American foes this season. Best focus on that, and not its middling status as a career lifeboat and/or young driver guinea pig. USA! USA!
Likely to… laugh at Cadillac every time they lap them
Unlikely to… feature heavily in the YouTube race highlights
Season target: Apex GP-style fairytale
Gabriel Bartoleto [5] BRA, Nico Hülkenberg [27] GER
Back in GP racing for the first time since the ’30s, the four-ringed behemoth arrives with winning know-how and its own power unit. Can’t fault the commitment. But starting from where Sauber left off is a massive handicap. And its only win in 32 years came with...BMW power. Awks.
Likely to… wow corporate guests with a five-star hospitality unit
Unlikely to… permit smiling, wisecracks, sarcasm, or mirth in the garage
Season target: ignore the tailgating gags
Pierre Gasly [10] FRA, Franco Colapinto [43] ARG
After finishing stone dead last in 2025, Alpine parent Renault has mothballed its engine program of half a century (!) and bought Mercedes power instead. How embarrassing. But entirely logical if it wants to score points occasionally. Which it desperately needs to now Dacia’s Dakar win gives it more clout.
Likely to… look half decent again with someone else’s engine
Unlikely to… justify an A110 Briatore Edition that costs £300k
Season target: hire more middle managers
Sergio Perez [11] MEX, Valtteri Bottas [77] FIN
General Motors is in F1 and it means business. Hence why it’s signed two race-winning cast-offs, and a team principal—ex-Marussia boss Graeme Lowdon—who can handle crushing disappointment on a weekly basis. Joking aside, if Caddy isn’t marooned at the back, it’ll be God’s best work since Creation.
Likely to… cause a spike in searches for ‘107% rule’
Unlikely to… escape the ‘I am the Caterham now’ memes
Season target: FIA-approved spinning rims
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
