My 2026 Formula 1 Season Predictions
- Linus O'Howell
- 43 minutes ago
- 22 min read
With my Season Preview article now officially out, it’s time to delve into something just as exciting: My 2026 Formula 1 Season Predictions! As always, we will start off with some Starter Predictions, before delving into a full Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship order! Usually I make my predictions ahead of Preseason Testing, but I chose not to this year, so I wasn’t just picking people for the sake of “hopium”! Instead, I have watched Testing and still have no idea about anyone (pretty much)! This should be fun, especially as new regulations make last year’s performances pretty irrelevant!
10 Starter Predictions
My first Starter Prediction is there will be 7 different Race Winners in 2026! Now, it’s worth mentioning that I said the exact same thing last year, and it didn’t age well at all! However, I have faith that this year will be better!
My second Starter Prediction is 5 different teams will end up on the Podium this year! I feel like I’m being pretty safe with this pick, as I feel like saying anything more or anything less is a bit of a risk! Hopefully I’m wrong!
My third Starter Prediction is there will be 4 different Sprint Winners in 2026! I’m sticking with 4 as I got this correct last year, but it also feels like a good shout given the fact that we have six Sprint Races!
My fourth Starter Prediction is there will be 6 retirements in Australia! Maybe this is a bit too extreme, but I can see there being a lot of reliability issues, particularly at the start of the season, and when you combine that with driver mistakes, I’m going with 6 DNF’s in Melbourne!
My fifth Starter Prediction is Lance Stroll will suffer the most DNF’s this season! Sticking with retirements, I have very little reason to believe that Aston Martin will finish many Grand Prix’s at the start of this season, and the reason I’m going with Lance over Fernando Alonso is actually because Alonso suffered the joint-most retirements last year, so I think that could switch this time around!
My sixth Starter Prediction is not every team will score points in 2026! Last year I was correct in stating that not every driver would score points, so it probably would be smart to say the same thing again this year! However, given how big of a change these new rules are, I can see there being a situation where an entire team doesn’t score points this year (unfortunately)!
My seventh Starter Prediction is Cadillac will have the closest teammate pairing this season! I guess this sort of fits in with my previous prediction, but in fairness, I do think Valtteri Bottas VS Sergio Perez is going to be fascinating (and ever so slightly closer battle than the two McLarens)!
My eight Starter Prediction is there will be a lot of “off-track antics”! We’ve already seen this throughout both the off-season and pre-season, but this feels like a pretty safe bet! Whether that’s to do with the Mercedes engine, drivers lack of pleasure in regards to these new cars, or something else, I’m just certain there’s going to be a lot of noise before the engines even fire up for FP1!
My ninth Starter Prediction is George Russell will record the most Pole Positions in 2026! George Russell is arguably the quickest driver in the world across 1 lap, and if Mercedes have a top car, I feel like Russell should deliver this!
And finally, my tenth Starter Prediction is there will be a brand-new Race Winner this season! I was always going to say this one no matter when I made my predictions, in the hope that a smaller team would find great success! Whilst that now looks more and more unlikely, I’ve still got either Andrea Kimi Antonelli or Isack Hadjar to deliver the goods for me!
Drivers’ Championship
P22: Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas may be back on the Formula 1 Grid this year, but I don’t see how his season is going to go much better than his last! Valtteri’s achievements so far include finishing third in the 2007 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Championship before winning it a year later (alongside the 2008 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Title), finishing third in both the 2009 and 2010 Formula 3 Euro Series, before he won the 2011 GP3 Series! Last year, Bottas spent a year on the sidelines as Mercedes’ Reserve Driver after a difficult final stint with Kick Sauber! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Bottas has achieved 10 Race Wins, 20 Pole Positions, and 67 Podiums in 12 seasons, whilst his highest Championship finish was second in both 2019 and 2020! I simply don’t have enough faith in Cadillac to expect Valtteri Bottas to really achieve anything this season, with it being a close call as to which driver comes out on top! For me, I’ve put Valtteri behind his teammate based on the fact that even when he massively outperformed his teammate in 2024, he still got beaten by Zhou Guanyu (in the standings)!
P21: Sergio Perez
I think it’s going to be very interesting to see how Sergio Perez gets on after a torrid end to his time at Red Bull! Sergio’s achievements so far include winning the 2010 GP2 Series! Last year, Perez took some time away from racing following an abysmal 2024, with that clearly being the smart decision! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Checo has achieved 6 Race Wins, 3 Pole Positions, and 39 Podiums in 14 seasons, whilst his highest Championship finish was second in 2023! I think Sergio Perez is more than capable of proving the haters wrong when it comes to how good he truly is, but I am worried that he’s not exactly going to be able to showcase that whilst he drives for Cadillac, particularly this season anyway! I do have a little bit of faith in Checo though, which is why I have him to come out on top in the Cadillac head-to-head battle!
P20: Lance Stroll
This wasn’t at all what I was expecting to write at the end of 2025! Lance Stroll’s achievements so far include winning the 2014 Italian F4 Championship, the 2015 Toyota Racing Series, and the 2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship (by a whopping 187 points)! Last year, Stroll had one of his better seasons in recent years, earning a number of good points-scoring finishes, but he was still completely destroyed by his teammate! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Lance has achieved 1 Pole Position and 3 Podiums in 9 seasons, with his highest Championship finish being 10th in 2023! I think this could be a really hard year for everyone involved at/with Aston Martin, and if that’s the case, Lance Stroll’s motivation may be at an even lower level than usual! I still expect to see Lance score some points at some point this year, but it’s going to be a slog!
P19: Gabriel Bortoleto
Gabriel Bortoleto won’t want to be ending his sophomore season in the same position as he ended his first! Gabriel’s achievements so far include winning both the FIA Formula 3 and FIA Formula 2 Championships in back-to-back years (2023 and 2024)! Last year, Bortoleto didn’t have the easiest of Rookie campaigns, but his qualifying performances (in comparison to his teammate) were very strong! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Gabby has scored 19 points across 24 Race Weekends, with his highest Championship finish being P19! I really like Gabriel Bortoleto; I think he’s a lot closer in ability to his fellow Rookies than he was able to show last year, but I’m again not convinced about the Audi project, hence why I have Bortoleto to finish so low down again!
P18: Arvid Lindblad
Arvid Lindblad enters Formula 1 as the only Rookie on the 2026 Grid! Arvid’s achievements so far include finishing third in the 2023 Italian F4 Championship before he won the Macau Formula 4 Race later that year, whilst he also won last year’s Formula Regional Oceania Championship! Last year, Lindblad did a decent job in his first year in Formula 2, finishing 6th overall with 3 victories to his name! Racing Bulls is very much a team that I am uncertain about; there are reasons to believe they’ll perform either really well or really poorly, but either way, this is going to be an incredibly difficult task for Arvid Lindblad to have to learn what it’s like to be a Formula 1 driver whilst also having to get his head around these unorthodox new cars! Also, Arvid will spend half of this season as an 18-year-old, so this is one heck of a task for the young Brit!
P17: Fernando Alonso
I really didn’t want to put Fernando Alonso here, but even now I might be being too generous! Fernando’s achievements so far include winning the 1999 Euro Open by Nissan Title, the 2018 and 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 2018/19 World Endurance Championship, and of course the 2005 and 2006 Formula 1 World Championships! Last year, despite having a really disappointing car (both performance and reliability-wise), Alonso was still one of the drivers of the season, miraculously ending the year inside the top half of the Drivers’ Standings! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Alonso has achieved 2 World Championships, 32 Race Wins, 22 Pole Positions, and 106 Podiums across 22 seasons! Aston Martin look absolutely horrendous right now, and in fairness, you’d be right to think that P17 may be a little too high, even for someone as talented as Fernando Alonso! However, once Aston are able to find some performance (and finishes Races), I do believe that Fernando will be able to bag some good points-scoring finishes, although I’m using the word good in context to the current situation at Aston Martin, not what it should’ve been!
P16: Nico Hulkenberg
Nico Hulkenberg is looking to lead the Audi project forward! Nico’s achievements so far include winning the 2005 Formula BMW ADAC Championship, the 2006/07 A1 Grand Prix Title, the 2008 Formula 3 Euro Series (after finishing third the previous year), and the 2009 GP2 Series! Last year, Hulkenberg had a positive first year at Kick Sauber, scoring a massive 51 points whilst finally earning his place on a Formula 1 Podium! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, The Hulk has achieved 1 Pole Position and 1 Podium in 251 Races, with his highest Championship finish being 7th in 2018! A lot of the doubt for me with these predictions this year is the unknown, especially when it comes to how the teams are going to perform! A lot of the midfield drivers are very talented, with Nico Hulkenberg being a prime example of someone who should be finishing higher than this! However, this is a big project that Audi are undertaking right now, so for now, my expectations are low, although I do still expect Nico to be clear of his teammate (particularly on a Sunday)!
P15: Liam Lawson
Liam Lawson is hoping to finally have a calm(ish) season! Liam’s achievements so far include winning the 2016/17 NZ F1600 Championship Series, finishing second in the 2017 Australian Formula 4, the 2018 ADAC Formula 4, and the 2019 Euroformula Open Championships, winning the 2019 Toyota Racing Series, as well as finishing second in DTM (2021), third in FIA Formula 2 (2022), and second in Super Formula (2023)! Last year, Lawson was quickly dropped by Red Bull after just 2 weekends, being demoted back to Racing Bulls before he eventually found some form after Austria! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Lawson has scored 44 points across 35 Race Weekends, with his highest Championship finish being P14 last year! It’s crazy to think that we’ve been talking about Liam Lawson since 2023, and yet, this is the first time that he’s had a preseason with a team that he should remain with for the course of the year! Liam is without a doubt the team leader at VCARB nowadays, and a positive year should keep the Kiwi in the sport moving forward!
P14: Franco Colapinto
2026 feels critical for the career of Franco Colapinto! Franco’s achievements so far include winning the 2019 F4 Spanish Championship, as well as finishing third in both the 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup and Toyota Racing Series! Last year, Colapinto struggled a lot after being given an official seat with Alpine, ending the year on 0 points! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Colapinto has scored 5 points across 27 Race Weekends, with his highest Championship finish being P19 in 2024! I have reason to believe that Alpine will be stronger this year, hence why I have Franco Colapinto to finish higher than he did last year! I also expect Franco to score his first points for Alpine, but I’ll be honest when I say that I don’t rate him anywhere closely to how I rate his teammate, hence why I’ve got a pretty sizeable gap between the two!
P13: Alex Albon
I’m not convinced that Alex Albon’s going to be able to beat his teammate in the Championship again! Alex’s achievements so far include finishing third in the 2014 Formula Renault Eurocup 2.0 Championship (won by Nyck de Vries), second in the 2016 GP3 Series (behind Charles Leclerc), and third in the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship (behind George Russell and Lando Norris)! Last year, Albon had his best season in Formula 1 to date, with a mammoth first two-thirds of the season resulting in him finishing ahead of his teammate in P8! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Albon has achieved 2 Podiums in 6 seasons, with his highest Championship finish being P7 in 2020! There’s an argument to say that I’m being quite unfair on Alex Albon after how well he drove last year, but it has to be remembered that he ended the season pretty terribly! Also, right now, there’s a lot of concerns surrounding Williams (for a number of different reasons), so this is another driver where you could arguably say that I’m being quite generous!
P12: Carlos Sainz
This feels sad! Carlos Sainz’s achievements so far include finishing second in the 2011 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship, as well as winning both the 2011 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC and the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series Titles! Last year, after a lot went wrong in the first part of the year, Carlos came alive towards the end of the season, returning Williams back to the Podium not once, but twice! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Sainz has achieved 4 Race Wins, 6 Pole Positions, and 29 Podiums in 11 seasons, whilst his highest Championship finish was 5th in 2021, 2022, and 2024! The one thing I am confident on this year is that Carlos Sainz will beat Alex Albon in the Williams head-to-head battle! However, other than that, I have absolutely no clue how Carlos is going to get on, not because of his talent, but because Williams are seemingly all over the place at the moment! Carlos can definitely finisher higher than this, but he’ll need his team to deliver for him in order to do so!
P11: Esteban Ocon
Esteban Ocon is aiming for a much better 2026 after a difficult couple of years! Esteban’s achievements so far include finishing third in the 2013 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Series, winning the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship (ahead of Max Verstappen), and winning the 2015 GP3 Series! Last year, despite starting the season so strongly, poor Qualifying performances saw Ocon get comfortably outperformed by his Rookie teammate! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Ocon has achieved 1 Race Win and 4 Podiums in 180 Races, with his highest Championship finish being P8 in both 2017 and 2022! Haas are looking likely to start the new regulations on the front foot, and I also expect to see Esteban Ocon perform at a much higher level than what he managed for a lot of his maiden year at Haas! Despite that, I still think that Estie Bestie will finish behind his teammate again!
P10: Oliver Bearman
After appearing in the Top 10 of My 2025 F1 Driver Rankings, I’m now predicting Oliver Bearman to break into the Top 10 of the real standings! Oliver’s achievements so far include winning both the 2021 ADAC Formula 4 and Italian F4 Championships, as well as finishing third in the 2022 FIA Formula 3 Championship! Last year, after a tricky run of consistent P11 finishes, Ollie Bearman was able to find his form in a big way, guiding Haas to their joint best result in Mexico City (P4)! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Bearman has scored 48 points across 27 Race Weekends, with his highest Championship finish being P13 (last year)! I think Oliver Bearman could be set to have quite a brilliant season, with the potential of a first-ever Haas Podium not a million miles away! If I’m being honest, I could’ve placed Ollie higher!
P9: Isack Hadjar
After an incredible Rookie Season, Isack Hadjar steps up to the main Red Bull team! Isack’s achievements so far include finishing third in both the 2020 French F4 and 2022 Formula Regional Championships, whilst he also finished second in the 2024 FIA Formula 2 Championship! Last year, Isack Hadjar produced one of the great Rookie seasons, achieving an insane level of consistency that led him to a maiden Podium in Zandvoort! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Hadjar has achieved 1 Podium finish in 1 season, with his highest Championship finish being P12! I really, really want to see Isack Hadjar perform well this year, against all odds when it comes to that dreaded second Red Bull seat! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; Isack is better than all of the young drivers that have stepped up to take on Max Verstappen (at the time), and because of that, I think he’ll do better! Unfortunately for Hadjar, I’m actually less convinced in Red Bull-Ford than I am his own fortunes!
P8: Pierre Gasly
Yep, I think Pierre Gasly could cause a lot of people’s P8 prediction to be wrong! Pierre’s achievements so far include finishing third in the 2011 French F4 Championship, winning the 2013 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship, finishing second in the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series (behind Carlos Sainz), winning the 2016 GP2 Series, and finishing second in Super Formula (in 2017)! Last year, Alpine failed to deliver Gasly a car that someone of his talents deserved, with the Gasman only ending up 18th in the standings (although he did decimate both of his teammates)! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Gasly has achieved 1 Race Win and 5 Podiums in 177 Grand Prix’s, with his highest Championship finish being 7th in 2019! I know that this prediction aged absolutely horrifically last year, and it’s even worse this year given I’ve put him stronger than just “best of the rest”, but I believe in Alpine x Mercedes, which is why I have Pierre Gasly going on to have a very successful season! Give him the car, and Pierre will deliver!
P7: Max Verstappen
Yep, I’ve said what I’ve said! Max Verstappen’s achievements so far include finishing third in the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship and of course winning 4-straight Formula 1 World Championships between 2021 and 2024! Last year, despite not having a good enough car for the large majority of the year, Max arguably pulled off his greatest-ever season to finish just 2 points shy of becoming a 5-time World Champion! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Verstappen has achieved 4 World Championships, 71 Race Wins, 48 Pole Positions, and 127 Podiums in 11 seasons! You won’t find someone who has more confidence and belief in the ability of Max Verstappen than me; he is easily the best driver in the world, and that has consistently shown with my Driver Ratings/Rankings over the past 4 years! However, this year feels incredibly hard to predict, and out of the top 4 teams, my biggest concern surrounds the new Red Bull-Ford Powertrain! I genuinely am not sure about it, and whilst I do believe that Max will win Races this year, I can’t put him ahead of anyone else based on my feelings around RBR right now!
P6: Lewis Hamilton
Could this be Lewis Hamilton’s final year in Formula 1? Lewis’ achievements so far include winning the 2003 Formula Renault UK Championship, the 2005 Formula 3 Euro Series, the 2006 GP2 Series, and of course a record-equalling 7 Formula 1 World Championships! Last year, Hamilton had a bit of a torrid first year in red, with a Sprint victory in China the only highlight in an otherwise horror season! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Hamilton has achieved 7 World Championships, 105 Race Wins, 104 Pole Positions, and 202 Podiums in 19 seasons! Last year was an absolute disaster as far as Lewis Hamilton was concerned, his dream move turned into a nightmare, and if things don’t go well this year, it could very well be the final season in Hamilton’s illustrious career! Personally, I do think that Lewis will perform better this year, but I’m not sure that’s going to make any difference to his overall standing!
P5: Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Andrea Kimi Antonelli needs to find better consistency in his second Formula 1 season! Kimi’s achievements so far include winning both the 2022 Italian F4 and ADAC Formula 4 Championships, as well as the 2023 Formula Regional Middle East and Formula Regional European Championships! Last year, Kimi Antonelli struggled for consistency, with a weird performance gap depending on which part of the world F1 raced in, but a Sprint Pole in Miami was definitely a highlight! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Antonelli has achieved 3 Podiums across 24 Race Weekends, with his best Championship finish being P7! If Mercedes are going to have the best package in 2026, it’s crucial for them that Andrea Kimi Antonelli improves his consistency to be up in the fight for both Championships! Personally, until we see it in action, I can’t put Kimi Antonelli close to his teammate, unless Merc are really clear out front!
P4: Charles Leclerc
Whilst Testing was positive, I’m still not convinced that 2026 is going to be the year when Charles Leclerc becomes World Champion! Charles’ achievements so far include finishing second in the 2014 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Championship, before winning both the 2016 GP3 Series and the 2017 FIA Formula 2 Championships! Last year, Leclerc had his trickiest year in the sport since 2020, failing to win a single Grand Prix, but he can still say that he massively outperformed his record-breaking teammate! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Leclerc has achieved 8 Race Wins, 27 Pole Positions, and 50 Podiums in 8 seasons, whilst his highest Championship finish was second in 2022! As long as Ferrari’s car is better this year, Charles Leclerc will perform at a much higher level! If Ferrari can deliver a Championship-winning car, Charles can definitely win it all this year! However, I don’t quite have enough faith in the Scuderia (in comparison to the Mercedes-powered cars), hence why I’ve only got Leclerc 4th!
P3: Lando Norris
For me, Lando Norris is not going to end the year “and still”! Lando’s achievements so far include finishing third in the 2014 Ginetta Junior Championship, winning the 2015 MSA Formula (British F4) Championship, the 2016 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, Formula Renault 2.0 NEC, and Toyota Racing Series Titles, the 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship, as well as finishing second in FIA Formula 2 (2018), and winning last year’s Formula 1 World Championship! Last year, a better and more consistent year in comparison to his teammate was enough for Norris to scrape across the line as World Champion! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Norris has achieved 1 World Championship, 11 Race Wins, 16 Pole Positions, and 44 Podiums in 7 seasons! Some people will say that Lando Norris is the worst World Champion we’ve seen in a long time, but I think his ability is far better than that! In fact, I actually think Lando will raise his game now that he’s a World Champion, as that doubt that he wasn’t good enough should go away now! However, despite all of what I’ve just said, I don’t expect McLaren to have the type of advantage that they had last year, if at all any advantage, and that’s kind of why I have Norris here, even behind his teammate (which we’ll get onto in a second)!
P2: Oscar Piastri
Whilst I think he’ll come close, I can see Oscar Piastri missing out on another World Championship! Oscar’s achievements so far include finishing second in the 2017 F4 British Championship, before going on to win the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup, the 2020 FIA Formula 3, and the 2021 FIA Formula 2 Championships! Last year, Piastri started the season incredibly strongly, but a dip in form following a team order call in Monza saw the Title slip out of the Aussie’s hands! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Piastri has achieved 9 Race Wins, 6 Pole Positions, and 26 Podiums in 3 seasons, whilst his highest Championship finish was third last year! As long as Oscar Piastri keeps improving year on year, he will become World Champion one day! Because of this, I do expect Oscar to show better consistency than he did last year, meaning he’ll do just enough to finish ahead of his teammate (although I expect it to be extremely close)! However, I can’t see Piastri winning the Title simply because of McLaren (take that however you want)!
P1: George Russell
For me, George Russell is the favourite for this year’s World Championship for a reason! George’s achievements so far include winning the 2014 BRDC Formula 4 Championship, finishing third in the 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship, as well as winning both the 2017 GP3 Series and 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship Titles! Last year, Russell showed an amazing level of consistency, winning twice in what was easily his best season in F1 to date! Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Russell has achieved 5 Race Wins, 7 Pole Positions, and 24 Podiums in 7 seasons, whilst his highest Championship finish was 4th in both 2022 and 2025! I’ve firmly believed that George Russell is good enough to be a World Champion since his first appearance for Mercedes back at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, and I’d say his performances since then against both Lewis Hamilton, and in particular last year, are enough to prove that! The only thing that George needs to win a World Title is a good enough package, and this year, I think Mercedes are capable of delivering him that!
Constructors’ Championship
P11: Cadillac
I’d like to think that this prediction is pretty self-explanatory! Cadillac enter 2026 with zero expectations, with them being the first brand-new team to enter the sport since Haas in 2016 (and even they got some parts from both Ferrari and Marussia)! The likelihood of Cadillac scoring any points in their first season is extremely low, and the only real excitement for them is going to see who comes out on top between Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez!
P10: Aston Martin
For a team that had so much hype and belief heading into new regulations, it’s safe to say that as of right now, Aston Martin are a complete and utter failure! Last year, Aston struggled for performance, dropping to 7th in the Constructors’ Championship, but it wasn’t an absolute disaster given they’d told us that they were going all in for 2026! Instead, by the looks of it, Aston Martin are going to need a miracle to turn things around, and I’m not sure that either Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll are going to be able to achieve success for quite a while until Honda and Adrian Newey are on the same page!
P9: Audi
After years of waiting, the Audi name is finally on the Formula 1 Grid! Last year, Kick Sauber massively improved in comparison to their 2024 campaign, scoring 70 points and a Podium finish on their way to 9th overall! We have to still remember that this team is basically Sauber, just badged with a different name! However, the brand-new Audi engine does pose as a potential way for this team to rise up the ranks, but for now, Audi will struggle to adapt until they get fully used to their new PU!
P8: Racing Bulls
Racing Bulls are definitely one of the hardest teams to predict this season! Last year, Racing Bulls built a great midfield car, with Isack Hadjar’s Podium in Zandvoort being a real standout moment for a team that ended up 6th in the standings! It’s worth noting that VCARB as a whole aren’t exactly known for nailing new regulation cycles, but I guess this year really comes down to whether Red Bull-Ford are able to deliver a strong engine or not! As you may have already worked out, I’m not convinced that Ford are going to be able to deliver, which is why I’ve only got Racing Bulls to finish 8th!
P7: Williams
What a disappointing off season for Williams! Last year, Williams looked to have finally turned a corner, with them easily ending up as the best of the rest as both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz recorded positive seasons! The problem for Williams is not only did they miss the entire Barcelona Shakedown, but they also seemingly have a car that’s far too overweight in comparison to the rest of the field! This will cost Williams a lot of performance in the short-term, but I do have faith in them to figure things out as the season goes along! However, it might be slightly too late for them to not end up as the lowest-placed Mercedes-powered car!
P6: Haas
I know I said this last year, but I expect Haas to have a strong campaign! Last year, Haas would’ve probably been slightly disappointed to have only finished 8th in the Constructors’ Championship despite scoring 79 points, but it was still a good season for them overall! Last year was the second-highest points tally that Haas have ever recorded in a single season, and as long as Esteban Ocon steps up his game, this team should have two really strong midfield drivers competing for points on a regular basis (as long as Haas’ car remains good throughout the year)!
P5: Alpine
After being by far the worst team in 2025, I’m backing Alpine to return back to being the best of the rest! Last year, Alpine built a pretty useless car, with them completely sacking off any development in order to put all of their resources into a strong 2026 package! On top of this, Alpine also decided to shut down their entire engine facility, with a terrible Renault PU potentially being replaced by a top-tier Mercedes engine! Alpine are similar to both Aston Martin and Williams in the sense that they have no excuses not to deliver, but unlike those other two teams, I think Alpine will hit the ground running from the start of this season!
P4: Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing enter 2026 with a lot to prove! Last year, Red Bull had a tale of two halves, with Yuki Tsunoda struggling massively all year round (after originally replacing Liam Lawson just 2 rounds in), whilst a sensational resurgence led to Max Verstappen finishing just 2 points off becoming a 5-time World Champion! Whilst they have been developing this engine for a while now, it’s still going to be tricky for Red Bull-Ford to hit the ground running! The positive for Red Bull is they do have a second team, something neither Audi or Honda (Aston Martin) have, meaning their engine should develop quicker (due to getting more miles on the board)! However, performances wins prizes, and I’m not sure even Max Verstappen is going to be able to drag this car to the front (like he did so brilliantly last season)!
P3: Ferrari
Ferrari are so... not back! Last year, Ferrari were absolutely awful, finishing well off expectations as they didn’t even win a Race (minus Lewis Hamilton’s Sprint Win in China)! This year, the expectations seem to be quite high around Ferrari after a very positive pre-season test! Now, I think the Tifosi does have an awful lot to get excited about at the start of this season, with their apparent off-the-line advantage, but the problem is is that the Scuderia have been doing the same thing for years now! Charles Leclerc is great, Lewis Hamilton can be great again, but it’s just not going to be enough for them to finally win a Championship again!
P2: Mercedes
This might surprise some people! Last year, Mercedes had a positive year in the sense that they returned to second in the Constructors’ Standings, but it wasn’t a good year in the sense that they got absolutely destroyed by a team that they supply an engine too! Mercedes enter 2026 as the favourites, and rightly so given their history of nailing brand-new engine formulas! However, until Andrea Kimi Antonelli steps up his game enough, I think that could cost Mercedes from doing the double!
P1: McLaren
I know that this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I still think that McLaren are the team to beat! Last year, McLaren destroyed the competition in terms of car performance, winning the Constructors’ Championship by an absolute mile, whilst Lando Norris managed to beat Oscar Piastri to a maiden Drivers’ World Title! If we’re so sure that Mercedes are going to have the best engine, it makes perfect sense to me that McLaren are going to remain Constructors’ Champions! See, I expect both Lando and Oscar to improve this year on the things that hurt them last year, and they’re by far the closest teammate pairing (across the top four teams)! Whilst neither’s going to win the Drivers’ Championship this year, I think Norris and Piastri will guide McLaren to their third-straight Constructors’ World Title!
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