Drivers & Teams

Three races into 2026, George Russell finally has a Mercedes that can win - and a teammate who refuses to let him have it easy. He won Australia by nearly a second, watched Antonelli take China and Japan, and woke up to Verstappen-to-Mercedes rumors filling the paddock. The season everyone called his coronation just got a lot more complicated.

The 2026 Aston Martin and Honda partnership had the entire paddock watching, but the team has been fighting severe engine issues instead of wins. While the new Adrian Newey-influenced chassis looks promising, early power unit vibrations and reliability problems have turned front-running ambitions into a battle just to finish races.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli claimed his first Formula 1 victory at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, leading home a Mercedes one-two as George Russell finished second. Ferrari took a step forward with Hamilton third, while McLaren lost both cars to electrical failures and Red Bull continued to struggle with the new regulations.

George Russell led every lap and Kimi Antonelli crossed the line second. Mercedes won the 2026 Australian Grand Prix in a dominant 1-2 before Ferrari or anyone else could respond. The opening race of F1's new era had its benchmark team - and several others with immediate questions to answer.

Cadillac joins F1 in 2026 as the 11th constructor, expanding the grid to 22 cars for the first time since 2016. The American factory team runs a Ferrari customer engine in its first season while developing its own power unit long-term.

Audi enters F1 in 2026 as the full factory successor to Sauber, building its own hybrid power unit in Neuburg, Germany. The team targets steady progress through the 2026 regulatory reset before competing for championships by 2030.

Audi officially enters Formula 1 in 2026 as a full factory team, racing as the Revolut Audi F1 Team. Using the acquired Sauber Group as its race base in Hinwil, the squad will be powered by a new engine built in Neuburg, Germany - the first fully German-built F1 powertrain in more than a decade.

Renault's Formula 1 entry didn't disappear - it rebranded as Alpine F1 Team ahead of 2021. The Enstone factory kept building the cars and Renault's Viry-Chatillon unit kept building the engines; only the badge changed. Group CEO Luca De Meo drove the decision, using F1 to put the Alpine road-car brand in front of a global audience.

McLaren uses Mercedes-AMG power units in Formula 1. The Woking team has run Mercedes engines since 2021, with that partnership extended through 2030 to cover both the current and incoming 2026 power unit regulations.

Becoming an F1 driver means reaching the absolute peak of motorsport. With only 20 seats on the grid, it demands exceptional talent, years working through junior series, serious financial backing, and no small amount of fortune.

F1 drivers sit at the top of the professional sports pay scale. Verstappen earns £52 million base from Red Bull; Hamilton collects £48 million at Ferrari; and total packages for the top earners - including bonuses and personal endorsements - routinely clear £80 million a year. The gap between grid leaders and the 2025 rookies runs to 60:1 or more.

Max Verstappen debuted in Formula 1 on 15 March 2015, aged 17 years and 166 days - the youngest driver ever to start an F1 race. Promoted from European Formula 3 without a full GP2 season, he won his first race at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix and went on to win four consecutive world championships.

What makes one F1 driver the greatest ever? The debate spans championship tallies, performances in inferior cars, and moments of brilliance that defined eras. This guide covers the sport's standout talents and examines what puts each in contention.

Fernando Alonso made his Formula 1 debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix, driving for Minardi at just 19 years old. That race launched a career spanning over two decades — two world titles with Renault, intense battles at Ferrari and McLaren, and an enduring reputation as one of the sport's most complete drivers.

Formula 1 runs with ten constructor teams, each fielding two cars and two drivers. From McLaren and Ferrari to the midfield and backmarkers, here is who competes on the 2026 grid and what defines each constructor.