A New Chapter In Formula 1 Is Here, As We Look Ahead At The 2026 Season

In just a week’s time, the madness that is the 2026 Formula 1 season will kick off in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix serving as the opening event of 24 rounds of racing. And this year it’s really anyone’s guess as to what’s going to happen over the 24-race-long season. We have very few actual driver changes; we have several returning faces and one rookie lining up this year. On top of that, we have two new teams, new engine supplies and new technical regulations regarding the drivetrain and aerodynamics of the car. Gone is the DRS system we’ve more or less known since 2011, and in comes a new overtake mode. And then there’s the further hybridisation of the engine and battery pack, making things, well, interesting, for lack of a better word. Lando Norris will be eager to pursue his second Driver’s Championship, with Oscar Piastri surely thinking otherwise, Max Verstappen aiming to reclaim his throne, and Lewis Hamilton looking for scarlet redemption and a record-breaking 8th title. This, and a lot more to come, on March 8th 2026, when it’s “lights out!” at the Albert Park Circuit!

New Rules & Regulations

The biggest change for the new season comes from the drivetrain. Where in the last couple of years teams were using a 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engine with a hybrid system supplying about 20% of the total power, that now changes to a 50-50 split between the combustion engine and the hybrid system. The MGU-H (or Motor Generator Unit – Heat) is dropped, while power from the MGU-K (Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic) will increase to about 470bhp. The combined power output should still be upwards of 1,000bhp although official numbers are never shared. Without getting too technical, this new powertrain setup essentially means that we go from two energy recovery systems (kinetic energy versus heat) to a purely kinetic one, but upping what it can deliver in support of the combustion engine.

The big concern for all teams and drivers is how this electric power is deployed during racing and at the start. With signs of cars running out of battery power midway down a straight, and some cars seemingly struggling to get off the line in practice starts, there’s already plenty of debate up and down the pitlane and within the FIA to change the rules ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. Rumour has it that the split between power delivery from the combustion engine and the electric system could shift from 50-50 to 70-30, so the 2026 F1 season is already controversial before lights out in Melbourne!

Another big change is the DRS system, which is reworked into an Overtake Mode which the driver can manually operate. The DRS system compensated for a loss of downforce when closely following a car through corners and worked by opening a flap in the rear wing when you were within one second of the car in front at a specific detection point, leading up to a long straight. It reduced drag over a pre-determined stretch of track and increased the top speed of a following car, to make overtaking a bit easier. The Overtake Mode works on the same principle, while also allowing the drivers to recharge an extra dose of electric power, which can then be used on the following lap only. I am very much intrigued by how this will be used in racing and how effective it will be, as pre-season testing resulted in quite a few mixed messages from the grid.

Other changes include a reduction in size for the cars as a whole, a new active aero front wing regulation (along with the Overtake Mode rear wing), a drop in weight of about 30kgs, narrower tyres all around and a floor that reduces the limit of ground effect (where a car is sucked down onto the tarmack to increase cornering speeds and so on). Safety updates include hazard lights on cars in case of a crash or spin that will also indicate the car’s energy recovery system status, and new impact structure regulations on the front and side of the monocoque.

McLaren Mastercard F1 Team – Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri – Richard MIlle

The McLaren team is the one to beat heading into the new season, having clinched both the Driver’s Championship and the Constructor’s Championship. The team has stuck with the duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastria, who both competed for the title in 2025 and will hope to do the same in 2026, although Oscar will probably be hell-bent to turn things in his favour! There’s no doubt that team principal Zak Brown has one of the strongest pairings of the entire F1 line-up, so the whole world is watching how the inter-team dynamics will be played out this time around.

During pre-season testing, the McLaren boys regularly were in the top few spots on the leaderboard, even though it remains unclear just how competitive the cars really are. And this doesn’t just concern McLaren, as all teams have to wait and see how things pan out in terms of speed, relaibility and adaptability of the new systems. The McLaren MCL40’s engine comes from Mercedes, and the colours remain a mix of carbon black and Papaya Orange. Similar to previous years, the duo can be spotted in and around the paddock and pits complex during pre- and post-race segments, wearing watches by Richard Mille.

Scuderia Ferrari HP – Lewis Hamilton & Charles Leclerc – Richard Mille

Ferrari hasn’t been at their best last year, despite Sir Lewis Hamilton winning the sprint race during the Chinese Grand Prix. The Italians are looking to bounce back with the new SF-26, which caused some headlines during pre-season testing! The Ferrari team not only introduces a little winglet mounted just behind the exhaust for extra downforce, but also a radical rear wing with a fully rotating top plane instead of just one that folds up or down. It looks intriguing, but it remains to be seen if it’s truly a benefit for the team.

For the driver’s line-up, nothing has changed as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have stayed with the team. Following multiple podiums for the Monegasque in 2025, and surprisingly none for 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, it would be brilliant to see the Scuderia up front again! As far as timing partners go, the team has stuck with Richard Mille, which is no surprise.

Oracle Red Bull Racing – Max Verstappen & Isack Hadjar – TAG Heuer

Missing out on his fifth championship in a row by just a single point, Max Verstappen’s comeback in 2025 was a mighty impressive one, albeit helped by the brewing rivalry within the McLaren team. For this year, the Oracle Red Bull Racing crew are bringing their own Red Bull Powertrains engine, as it has severed ties with Honda. Backed by Ford Racing, it remains to be seen what it will mean in terms of reliability and performance. And not that the managerial dust has settled within the team, it’s full speed ahead for the Austrian team.

After last year’s driver’s issues for the second seat, Isack Hadjar has stayed on following a strong performance in the last couple of races of 2025. During testing, both regularly set fast laptimes, although it wasn’t always free of issues. For a good number of years now, the team has partnered with TAG Heuer for its timing services, and it continues for the 2026 season.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team – George Russel & Kimi Antonelli – IWC

After finishing as runner-up in the constructors’ championship, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team was a real challenger for race wins throughout the 2025 season. Along with Max Verstappen, the duo of George Russel and Kimi Antonelle regularly put the McLaren drivers under serious amounts of pressure. This year, the team led by Toto Wolff is undoubtedly looking to start the season strong and come out on top after 24 races. The car to do it with for the Germans is the F1 W17, one of only four cars on the grid with the same chassis and engine constructor (the others being Red Bull, sort of, Audi and Ferrari).

George Russel and Kimi Antonelli, who had a remarkably strong rookie season last year, have remained as the team’s ‘weapons of choice’ behind the wheel. During pre-season testing, the new car proved quite reliable and fast, with George Russell racking up no less than 688 laps across all tests, the most of any of the drivers. On the wrist, it’s IWC Schaffhausen that performs timekeeping duties again.

Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team – Fernando Alonso & Lance Stroll – Breitling

The Aston Martin team has stuck with two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso and (son of the boss) Lance Stroll, for its driver pairing. This is also the first year we will see the effect of Adrian Newey as team principal and lead engineer for their 2026 entry, the AMR26. The team has also switched from Mercedes power to Honda, so it’s a challenge on all fronts for the British team. The car looks amazing in its metallic green paint with bright yellow details, but looks aren’t everything.

From testing, it seems the team is in a bit of a pickle as the pace simply isn’t there, and both drivers are complaining a bit. It’s even rumoured that they might skip the first two races to sort things out! For timing partners, Aston Martin has parted with Girard-Perregaux and replaced it with Breitling, so we will keep our eyes peeled for some special edition watches during the season, very likely to be finished in green!

Atlassian Williams F1 team – Alexander Albon & Carlos Sainz Jr – Girard-Perregaux

While many F1 fans hope that the Williams team will be a title contender this year, coming off a solid fifth-place finish in the constructors’ championship last year, the start of the 2026 campaign hasn’t been the smoothest. The team had to skip the Barcelona test as the car was not ready, so it seems they’re on the backfoot again. To make up for lost time, they put in the most laps during the Bahrain test, equalling McLaren. Performance, however, doesn’t seem to be too earth-shattering, as the FW48 is rumoured to be too heavy compared to its main rivals.

Enlisting the services of Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz Jr once again, the team has a very strong and experienced line-up. So with modest expectations paired with eager drivers, it seems the Williams team is fighting a slight uphill battle once more. On the watch-partnership front, Girard-Perregaux makes the jump from Aston Martin to Williams, so the Laureato will probably turn from green to blue during the year!

TGR Haas F1 Team – Esteban Ocon & Oliver Bearman – No Partnership

Audi and Cadillac are not the only big-name manufacturers making an appearance in F1 this year, as Toyota sort of returns as well. Partnering with the Haas F1 team in the form of title sponsor and technical partner, Toyota Gazoo Racing ties its name to the American team that’s been running in Formula 1 for a decade now. The Haas team can be a bit of an outsider for podiums and points finishes every now and then, although last year wasn’t the team’s best. The top finishing position was 4th during the Mexican Grand Prix, so let’s hope the solid pre-season testing performance bodes well heading into the new year.

Getting behind the wheel of the VF-26 will be Frenchman Esteban Ocon and Britton Oliver Bearman, who both have stayed with the team. Testing went relatively smoothly for both men and the car, clocking in a good number of laps without issues during the Barcelona and Bahrain sessions. There’s no partnership with a watch brand as of yet.

Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula ONE Team – Liam Lawson & Arvid Lindblad – Tudor

As Red Bull Racing’s sister team, the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team is now entering its third season under this name (previously it was Alpha Tauri and Toro Rosso). There’s been a lot of back-and-forth between drivers, primarily due to the challenging second seat at the Red Bull Racing team. Now that all seems to be settled down, let’s hope for a calm and fruitful season on both sides of the aisle, so we can see the full potential of the new Red Bull Ford DM01 engine that also found its way into the VCARB 03.

Liam Lawson has remained with the team and is joined by Arvid Lindblad, the only rookie on this year’s calendar. Lindblad is the youngest driver on the grid, at 18 years of age (he wasn’t even born when Fernando Alonso won both his F1 titles!), and previously raced in the Formula 2 championship. During testing, the engine proved reliable, and there were no real issues with the car. Once again, the Tudor shield appears on the car, and Tudor watches on the wrists of Lawson and Lindblad.

BWT Alpine Formula ONE Team – Pierre Gasly & Franco Colapinto – H. MOser & Cie

The biggest upset from the BWT Alpine Formula One Team comes from the fact that it’s no longer using its own Renault engines, but has switched to the Mercedes powertrain instead. While that was already announced last year, it will be interesting to see how well-integrated the new engine will be in the Alpine chassis. The 2025 season wasn’t exactly the easiest for the team, so let’s hope they find an upward rhythm again heading into this year’s championship.

The Alpine team has stuck to its driver duo of Pierre Gasly, now entering his 9th season, and Franco Colapinto, the promising young Argentinian. During testing, the Alpine team ran a surprisingly innovative rear wing setup. Teams interpreted the rules quite differently from one another, with the Enstone-based outfit opting for a rear movable wing that pivots at the front and lowers, rather than flips up on a rear-pivot mount. Combine that with a pull-rod suspension system that no other team apart from Cadillac uses, and we could be in for a bit of a surprise, perhaps! As a timing partner, we’re happy to see H. Moser & Cie is still going strong!

Audi Revolut F1 Team –  Nico Hulkenberg & Gabriel Bortoleto – No Partnership

The first of two brand new teams on the grid, although with the former Sauber team as a backbone, the Audi Revolut F1 Team is set for its maiden race in Australia. With drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, both formerly racing for Sauber, the Audi crew has a brilliant mix of experience and aspiration. As Audi not only builds the R26’s chassis but also its engine, the crew is one of only four ‘works’ teams on the grid. While first shown with conventional sidepods, the R26 made quite an impression in the Bahrain test with vertical sidepods, slightly reminiscent of the failed Zero-Pod concept of Mercedes from a couple of years ago. There’s no partnership with a watch brand as of yet.

Cadillac Formula 1 team – Sergio Perez & Valtteri Bottas – No Partnership

Entirely new to F1, the Cadillac Formula 1 team is making its debut in 2026 and brings the Ferrari-powered CA01 to the grid. The debut of the Americans also marks the return of veteran drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. It will be interesting to see how capable the Cadillac team will be during the opening race, as well as how strong Sergio and Valtteri be after their break from full-season racing in Formula 1. Presented in a striking black and white split livery, the CA01 relies on power from Ferrari, although the team is developing its own engine, which is scheduled for the 2029 season. There’s no partnership with a watch brand as of yet.

For more information on the upcoming Formula 1 season, please visit Formula1.com or any of the team websites:

• RedBullRacing.com
• Ferrari.com
• MercedesAMGF1.com
• McLaren.com
• Alpine-Cars.co.uk
• VisaCashAppRB.com
• Stake.com
• AstonMartinF1.com
• WilliamsF1.com
• HaasF1Team.com

Editorial Note: The images portrayed are sourced from Formula1.com, a selection of the teams (see above for links) and F1-Fansite.com.