What is a new Formula 1 season but an opportunity to make some equally thoughtful and outrageous predictions.
Driver World Champion
If you were to play it safe, you’d likely go for the reigning world champion, Lando Norris. After all, reigning world champions have retained their titles quite a lot over the last decade. But, where’s your sense of adventure?! Though McLaren does have a decent car and has, over the last few years, shown their considerably impressive ability to develop.
Still. There’s a genuine sense of exhilaration that comes from potentially being right. Or very, very wrong. And because of this, I am tipping George Russell. The Merc doesn’t look like a half-bad car, and Russell is ready. In addition,
Constructor’s Champion
Ferrari. Before you rage quit this column, hear me out. The car seems reliable, and both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have looked pleased when talking to the press. While we can’t speak to the organisational and strategic side of things at Ferrari, it seems that they have engineered something they can potentially work with. Add to this the clearly flourishing personal lives of both drivers, one of which now includes a Kardashian, and Ferrari may not be as far-fetched a bet as you think.
Kidding aside, the 2026 Ferrari performed well in Bahrain pre-season testing, and the team is heading in the right direction. From all his interactions with the media, Lewis Hamilton seems rejuvenated and raring to go. And surely, at some point, all that Ferrari has learned from its years and years of hardship must come to fruition at some point. Just maybe that point is 2026.
Most improved team
Alpine. We will concede that the team formerly owned by the French couldn’t really be any worse off than they were in 2025. That isn’t a challenge, of course; it is merely an observation. The good news for Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto is that the car has shown itself as predictable with a solid working base as its starting point – all good news. You can add to this that the car is now propelled by a Mercedes power unit. And what we know, so far, is that Merc has read and applied the new regs slightly better than others when it comes to manufacturing of the power unit.
The only conceivable stain on Alpine’s possible rise to the top of the midfield is Flavio Briatore. The foul-mouthed and ill-tempered Frenchman has slithered his way back into the sport despite his disgraceful exit several years ago. Newer fans might not be aware that Briatore was summarily banned from F1 for masterminding a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore grand prix. Inexplicably, the ban was overturned in 2010. But the memory of ordering then-Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr to intentionally crash will live in rotten infamy.
Worst team
Aston Martin. The team has invested buckets of money in infrastructure and Adrian Newey. But it seems that Fernando Alonso will once again be felled by Honda (See Alonso’s last McLaren stint for context). The rumours making the rounds about Aston are dreadful. Some even suggest that the team won’t even run the whole race in Australia and that the Honda-built engine is unable to get higher than 11,000 revs.
As it stands, it is difficult to see a light at the end of this tunnel. What Honda has produced seems to edge slightly past miscalculation to rest somewhere along the line of catastrophically bad. It remains to be seen if the Japanese manufacturer can find some type of fix, but it’s not looking good. In fact, I’d be tempted to put some money on Lance Stroll just not showing up at some point this season.
Bonus prediction
There are so many ways this could go. Dare we suggest some mid-season, or earlier, driver swaps? Is Colapinto as safe as houses at Alpine? Will Fernando Alonso see out the season? Will Max Verstappen announce a shock move to Mercedes or, even more dramatically, retire? All this and a lot more are certainly not outside the realm of possibility.
But let’s make the bonus prediction something mildly reasonable. Here’s two. 1. A surprise podium for Haas. 2. Alex Albon announces a move to Mercedes. Okay, the second one is a bit out there. But hey, why not dare?
