Bahrain testing is now complete, and the preparation for the Australian Grand Prix begins. Albert Park is less than two weeks away, giving teams little time to complete preparation before the first race of the 2026 Formula 1 Season. Here’s our pre-season ranking before the season begins:

11. Aston Martin

What a horrible start it has been for Adrian Newey and co. The team couldn’t get anything to work at Bahrain, with the Honda engine facing multiple issues since Barcelona. It looked slow, with Lance Stroll not even getting laps in on the last day of testing.

You have to feel that Newey will figure it out in time, but it’s extra hard when you don’t own the power unit. Not having everything in-house means you are adapting the car to the power unit and aren’t able to make them work in tandem as easily.

Albert Park doesn’t feel like it will be a good start for the team, barring a miracle. And it’s a miracle they will need to find themselves in the midfield again.

10. Cadillac

Cadillac will fight each race to not end up in last, with the car being brand new on the grid. That being said, they performed reasonably well at Bahrain testing, putting up decent numbers all things considered.

Without the same dataset to work off of on each race, it’s going to be a challenge to perform on race weekends, but they should have good data to start with from this testing period.

The big question for Cadillac will be how quickly they can fight their way up the standings from the bottom over the next few years.

9. Racing Bulls

The second Red Bull team did decently well at testing, with rookie Arvid Lindblad putting up the most laps of any driver. He also finished with a fastest lap time of 1:34.149, which is exceptionally fast compared to others on the grid.

Racing Bulls should have really good data going into Albert Park, but both Lindblad and Liam Lawson are newer drivers. Without an experienced driver on the grid, how they do is really anyone’s guess.

8. Williams

It’s hard not to read into Williams missing the Barcelona Shakedown this season. With just the Bahrain testing to prepare for the start of the season, the team automatically starts behind everyone else on the grid. Add in reports that the car is still overweight, and it’s hard to see them repeating the miracle run they had last season.

The team is going to need to rely on exceptional driving from Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, as well as an upgrade from their mechanical team, if they want to finish any higher than this.

7. Audi

If there’s one word to describe Audi going into the season, it’s “fine”. The team performed a fine number of laps at Barcelona, with Gabriel Bortoleto putting up a fine time in his fastest lap.

Nico Hulkenberg felt the team took strides from Barcelona to Bahrain, but there is much work to be done. Audi feels like a midfield team this season, with both drivers putting up decent numbers last season but not as many points. There’s work to be done, but with Audi’s capital injection, it should be a step in the right direction.

6. Alpine

Alpine’s gamble to effectively give up on last season in favour of early work on their 2026 car is returning early positive results. The team recorded over 1000 laps between Barcelona and Bahrain, and Pierre Gasly recorded a sub-1:34 fastest lap. This was good for fifth on the grid.

While they are running a Mercedes engine instead of one created in-house, it performed reliably for the team at testing and should give them a good starting point for the season. Early signs are positive for the team, but whether they hold through the season is the real question.

5. Haas

Ollie Bearman recorded the sixth fastest lap of any driver at Bahrain, an impressive result for the sophomore driver. For Haas to have recorded a near-flawless testing period is a rarity, and it points to a positive start to the season.

Between Bearman and Ocon, the early signs are incredibly positive for the American team. The team is actually looking like a midfield team going into the first race of the season, but can they finish there is the real question.

4. Red Bull

Red Bull enters the season with the most question marks of the big four. While you can almost certainly bank on Max Verstappen being near the top of the grid every race, how Isack Hadjar performs is going to be the real question.

The sophomore driver faced several issues during testing and recorded among the fewest laps of any driver. While he feels optimistic going into the season, being the second driver at Red Bull has proven challenging for drivers older and wiser than he. Can he break the curse, or is he destined to be another driver who has struggled in the role?

3. McLaren

Both McLaren drivers performed well at testing and should be odds-on favourites to repeat as champions in both the Constructors’ and WDC. However, they fall into third after Bahrain simply because they didn’t perform as well as the top two.

The Mercedes engine that they are running did really well in testing, and the team recorded 395 laps over the three days. That being said, Lando Norris spent a long time on the final day trying to figure out his car. It will likely not be an issue when the season begins, knowing McLaren’s drive to win.

2. Ferrari

Charles Leclerc recorded the fastest time in testing, and the Ferrari rear wing looks exceptional in testing. The team flies down the straights and still holds their own around the corners. Will it be enough for them to win it all this season?

The challenge with Ferrari is always putting it all together. Lewis Hamilton’s vibes seem better this season, but he still doesn’t have a dedicated race engineer. Will this matter this year? Time will tell.

1. Mercedes

While they didn’t record the fastest lap time in Bahrain, the Mercedes looks to be the best car on the grid this year. Everyone is pointing to both the car and the engine as the one to beat this season.

George Russell should be in the running for the WDC, with Kimi Antonelli taking a stride forward and scoring points reliably this year. Early data looks really good for the team, and if sources are to be believed, this could be their year to take it all home.

What to watch for at Albert Park?

The season is under two weeks away, and all teams are going to be furiously finishing their vehicles before Albert Park. How these rankings look at the end of the season is going to be very different, but the early signs for a few teams look very positive. There was a good amount of movement from our pre-season rankings, but it will continue to change as the season wears on, undoubtedly.

Who do you think finishes at the top of the table at Albert Park? Let us know below in the comments or on social media.