The 2026 Formula 1 season is just days away, and what a year it’s going to be. With new power units, active aero, new energy management strategies, a new driver, and a whole new team, this is going to be the most interesting year to be an F1 fan in a decade. Here are our predictions for the 2026 F1 season in our preseason roundtable.

Who wins the 2026 World Drivers’ Championship and why?

Alisha Kurji

Unless Red Bull has a complete implosion, it’s going to be Max Verstappen. He’s proven that he can get the job done even when the car isn’t performing to its standard. I don’t think anyone is on his level right now, and the entire grid should be very afraid of a driver who can go from P17 to the podium two years in a row.

Jashan Parmar

Super Max has proven that so long as his car is somewhat decent, he will drag it to the top of the standings and make it a battle. The gap between each team has become closer, meaning Verstappen is no longer driving a car that is so far off the pace as he did last season. I also think that in his competitive nature, seeing someone else driving around with that number one will light a fire under him.

Simon Szyszkowski

Max Verstappen. In my head, this season is going to be a two-horse race between the most skilled driver on the grid and the best engine on the grid. Even with that engine, I don’t know that George Russell is world championship calibre. I think Verstappen wins in a close fight.

Tashia Saleh

I think it’s high time for a George Russell WDC. He’s been in F1 long enough and performs well even when the car doesn’t. With all the changes this year, you need a driver who is calm under pressure and able to adapt to the new regulations. This, along with the early results from Mercedes, should give George the win this year.

Khalid Keshavjee:

Welcome to the George Russell Season! The British driver is going to walk away with the trophy at the end of the season, after a strong year from both the car and from Russell himself. He’s been trending towards a trophy for the last couple of years, and this is the year he will get over the hump.

Devon Mackie

With Mercedes’s reported advantage from their new power unit and George Russell’s experience, he seems to have the best chance at this year’s championship. He also joined the team right after their dominance came to an end, probably expecting to keep dominating, so I feel like he’ll have some fire and hunger in him.

Rank the Big Four of Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren. Who has the best season?

Alisha Kurji

For me, it’s Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari. Mercedes is the frontrunner to win the Constructors’, and if it’s not Verstappen, George Russell will be winning the Drivers’ title. Red Bull may have a slow start with Hadjar, but I expect him to do better than Tsunoda, which should pull them up the standings. McLaren has gotten used to dominating, and any struggles could hit them harder than the other top teams. I expect more growing pains from Ferrari this season, which will round out the top 4.

Jashan Parmar

Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari are how I order the big four. I think Red Bull will surprise some people this season. After the internal implosion they underwent, they will look to have their ducks in a row. Now, Laurent Mekies will have had time to prepare for the season, no changing on the fly. Red Bull is coming into the season prepped to return to their previous form, especially under the new regulations.

Simon Szyszkowski

Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari. Even if Russell doesn’t win the Drivers’ Championship, I think Mercedes walks away with the Constructors ‘ Championship relatively easily. Red Bull will be carried by Verstappen, with Hadjar doing well enough to secure a 2nd season but nothing spectacular. McLaren will have a down year, struggling to keep up with the pace of Verstappen and the two Mercedes. Ferrari will somehow find a way to bottle another season because they are Ferrari and they aren’t allowed to have anything nice.

Tashia Saleh

For me, it’s Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, then McLaren. Mercedes looks confident in pre-testing and has put in a ton of work to adapt to the new regulations. Toto Wolff is tired of being second-best and will do what he can to finish first. Ferrari is finally making unique changes to the car, and the early tests seem to be positive. Both Hamilton and Leclerc seem positive to start the season. McLaren goes into this season as the hunted, not the hunter. Between that and even more fierce competition between Norris and Piastri, the errors will push them down to fourth.

Khalid Keshavjee:

I’m going to go Mercedes, McLaren, Red Bull, then Ferrari. Despite a hot start, Lewis Hamilton will have a new race engineer, and Ferrari’s track record will force them to fourth. Verstappen will sparkle, but Hadjar will struggle, and they will end up behind McLaren’s two strong drivers. Mercedes will have a strong year from both drivers, with Russell taking it all.

Devon Mackie

My prediction is Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari, then Red Bull. The two Mercedes-powered teams (Mercedes and McLaren) should have an edge at the start, before the FIA crack down on their “loophole” over the summer. That should be enough time for them to (a) rack up some championship points and (b) figure out how to keep their power unit competitive before the new rule is introduced. Red Bull will surely continue to have their one-sided affair, with Max Verstappen somehow figuring out whatever machinery the team can throw at him, and Isack Hadjar being under the microscope in his first year with the top team.

This season is not just about the car; it’s also about managing energy. Which driver figures it out first?

Alisha Kurji

Now that he has his rookie season under his belt, I don’t think anything is stopping Kimi Antonelli from becoming the next powerhouse. He’s proven his talent already, and he drives like he’s had years of F1 experience. I think he’s capable of challenging George Russell for the title.

Jashan Parmar

Oscar Piastri has proven himself to be one of the most talented drivers on the grid, and after being in last season’s title fight, he will be looking to improve. Piastri adapts to his surroundings and will be one of the best at adapting to the new regulations.

Simon Szyszkowski

Verstappen. He’s shown in other racing series that he is capable of driving just about anything with four wheels at a higher skill level than anybody else. I don’t think a change in strategy changes that in F1.

Tashia Saleh

Out of the box answer, but I’m going to go with Arvid Lindblad. All of the other drivers are used to the F1 car from last season, while Lindblad doesn’t have anything to unlearn. This should give him a slight advantage going into the season. The cars this year feel more like F2 cars, and between that and his age, he should have an advantage to start the season.

Khalid Keshavjee:

The older drivers are going to struggle the most to adapt to the changes, but I feel like one of the younger drivers will have better luck. I’m going to go off the board and say Ollie Bearman figures out the regulations fastest, but struggles with the Haas car.

Devon Mackie

The new driving style required by these new regulations makes it seem like driving the cars will be quite a busy task. I think drivers will need a balance of experience and adaptability to really figure out the electrical side of the engine. The experience will allow them to be comfortable with the pure driving aspect, while leaving enough mental capacity to properly deploy and harvest energy. The adaptability will prevent them from relying too much on just turning the steering wheel, and will start developing new habits with the battery deployment. I’m going to go with the reigning World Champion, Lando Norris, to nail down this new detail first.

Best of the midfield- aside from the top four, who finishes the season at the top of the midfield?

Alisha Kurji

I’d say Williams. They seem very committed to their strategy of slow and steady growth, and in the midfield, they’re showing the earliest results after a great 2025 season. I think their drivers are more evenly matched than Aston Martin and Hass, with both Sainz and Albon capable of scoring points every weekend.

Jashan Parmar

While I would say Racing Bulls, the inexperience and youth and Arvid Lindblad deters me from picking them and instead going with Williams. The pairing of Albon and Sainz, along with Team Principal James Vowles are ready to take a step forward after finishing with 137 points last season. They will look to continue with consistency and make their way into joining the top half of the grid.

Simon Szyszkowski

I’m really pulling for Haas this season. I’m a big fan of Oliver Bearman and could really see a world where he really breaks out and puts up a seriously impressive season under the new regulations.

Tashia Saleh

Despite missing the Barcelona Testing, it’s going to be Williams. The team ended on a massive high, finishing fifth, and will have everything to play for this season. Williams has two phenomenal drivers in Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, and should be able to outmuscle the rest of the midfield. Sainz also met Sparkles this offseason, and that’s the good luck charm they need to finish fifth again.

Khalid Keshavjee:

My bet is it’s one of Williams or Haas, with Aston Martin right there if they can ever figure out their car. With Williams missing Barcelona testing, they may have a tougher time right off the hop. This would put Haas in the driver’s seat for fifth this year, but I would bet Haas falls off midseason and drops to seventh, with Williams in fifth and Aston Martin in sixth.

Devon Mackie

Continuing with my obsession (and probably overreliance) on the Mercedes power unit, I’m going to go with Williams. They were the best of the midfield last year and have only been improving since they were finishing in last place a few years ago. I think Haas will also be up there. They looked really good in testing, and they have two young, talented drivers.

Which driver is going to end up being the most disappointing in 2026?

Alisha Kurji

This might be unpopular, but I’d say Lando Norris. With the gap closing between McLaren and the rest of the teams, I’d anticipate Norris having to fight his way up the grid more than he’s used to. I wouldn’t say he’s incapable of making great moves on track, but if he’s gotten used to McLaren dominance, this could hurt him.

Jashan Parmar

To me, Lando Norris will see some disappointing results this season. After winning the title, McLaren seems to have fallen back into the other teams’ grasp. When Red Bull closed the gap on McLaren last year, it was evident that Norris was no longer the dominant force that he was at the beginning of the year. Now that McLaren is much closer to everyone else, I think that Norris won’t see the success he did last year.

Simon Szyszkowski

George Russell. The expectations have never been higher for the Brit, and I seriously doubt he’ll have what it takes to live up to them. There’s a big difference between consistently good and consistently great.

Tashia Saleh

Lando Norris is coming in as driver number one, and he knows that he got lucky last year. Papaya rules were played to his advantage, Oscar dropped the ball, and the Red Bull wasn’t competitive. Lightning doesn’t strike twice, and not only will he not go back-to-back, but he will drop down the grid this year.

Khalid Keshavjee:

I hate to say it because I really want good things for him, but it’s going to be Isack Hadjar. The French driver jumps into the cursed second seat at Red Bull as a sophomore driver and will struggle in that seat. If he really struggles, there’s a good chance he drops right back to Racing Bulls.

Devon Mackie

After his demotion to a Red Bull seat for performing well in the Racing Bulls car, I think Isack Hadjar will fall victim to the second driver curse that Red Bull has been dealing with for years. Red Bull has gone off and tried doing their own power unit, partnering with Ford, and it doesn’t look like the car will be consistently fighting for podiums. Unless Hadjar is the next Max Verstappen, who could win races in a tractor, I’m not confident he’ll be able to break the curse.

Drop your boldest take for the 2026 season

Alisha Kurji

Charles Leclerc will finally reach his breaking point and sign with a new team midway through the season. It would take a miracle for Ferrari to win a title this year, and I think Leclerc is out of patience. He’s a talented driver and wants to contend for a championship. After what will be eight years with the team, it’s probably time to move on in 2027.

Jashan Parmar

Kimi Antonelli will finish second in the Drivers’ Championship. Mercedes looks much better this season, and Antonelli showed flashes of talent in his rookie year. As a promising talent, he can shock a lot of people this season, and I think that, that will be the case.

Simon Szyszkowski

Kimi Antonelli will finish with more race wins than George Russell. I still think Russell will have more points, podiums and top-five finishes, but Antonelli will win more races.

Tashia Saleh

This is a disastrous season for Aston Martin. Not only do they finish at the bottom of the grid, but they do so by some distance. Finishing behind even Cadillac is too much for Lawrence Stroll, who decides to sell his stake in the team, and that spells the end of Lance Stroll’s F1 career.

Khalid Keshavjee:

This is a terrible season for McLaren, but the team continues their history of playing Papaya Rules in Norris’ favour. As a result, Oscar Piastri signs with a new team. Which team, you ask? He joins Red Bull with Max Verstappen, starting a new dynasty and spelling the end of an era for McLaren.

Devon Mackie

I think it’s time Williams starts fighting for wins again. With that hope, I’m going to guess they secure a win at some point this year. The cars are still unpredictable in a race setting, which should leave some space for the midfield teams to take advantage of any mistakes or reliability issues from the top teams.

The 2026 Formula season begins at Albert Park with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 8th. Follow Into the Chicane for full coverage all season long.

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