There are only two weeks until the 2026 Formula One season begins. This season brings many changes to the grid, which will possibly bring the most exciting season in Formula One since 2021.
In 2021, F1 fans were on the edge of their seats watching the races. The battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen for the championship was tight, and another team was finally challenging Mercedes in the turbo-era cars. Since then, seasons have been somewhat lackluster, with Verstappen clearly as the winner halfway through the season. Take last season, where McLaren had a clear dominant performance; however, this year, it’s set to be different.
This year brings a whole new set of regulations to the grid. First off, the cars are overall lighter in weight, making it easier to battle on track. Every team redesigned the power unit to hold more battery power, plus an even split between the combustion engine and electric power, along with more sustainable fuel. There are only a few new improvements supposed to make racing more exciting.
In addition to new regulations, there is also a new team on the grid. The last time there were 11 teams on the grid was in 2016 when Haas joined. This season, Cadillac is on the grid with more drivers and competition for all teams.
While the team is new, it comes with two very familiar drivers to F1 fans. Cadillac signed former Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez and Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas. These two experienced drivers on the new team will hopefully bring more competition between teams and drivers.
Currently, teams are in preseason testing, giving fans the first look at what this season could entail. However, the testing season can’t signify success during the regular season. During testing, teams tend to “sandbag.”
This is when both teams and drivers underplay the ability of the car, so competitors don’t know it's full ability.
With that in mind, it’s hard to fully sandbag during testing. Teams cannot fully act that slow without other teams seeing the data that the drivers are just driving slowly. Right now, some teams that are seeing success are Ferrari and Mercedes. The teams are happy with the cars, but drivers aren’t. There have been complaints about the car from multiple drivers. Verstappen said the cars were “anti-racing.”
“As a driver, the feeling is not very Formula One-like,“ Verstappen said. "It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids."
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc expressed his worry about the ability to overtake other cars, despite Ferrari being one of the front-runners right now.
Between the new regulations, the new team and drivers, worry this season is bound to be competitive. Last season, the championship was between the two McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. It wasn’t until the end of the season that the battle heated up with Verstappen catching up in points. It’s a make-or-break year for a lot of the drivers and teams on the grid as well.
Verstappen, who recently had a child with long-term girlfriend Kelly Piquet, has hinted at leaving F1 if he doesn’t like how this year's cars perform. George Russell is also at risk with his Mercedes contract being a one-plus-one deal. This means that he could be on the team for 2027, but it depends on how he performs in 2026.
Isack Hadjar was promoted to Red Bull after competing for Racing Bulls in 2025, joining the ever-revolving door of second driver to Verstappen. If Hadjar doesn’t perform, fans know Red Bull won’t hesitate to drop or replace him. There are many more drivers with contracts expiring at the end of this season, leading to contract talks.
This F1 season is filled with changes to the grid that are bound to shake up standings. New regulations will allow for closer racing, and maybe we will see a bottom team like Williams rise to the top. No one knows, but no matter what, this season is bound to be the most exciting season since 2021.
Cassie is a senior studying communications at Ohio University. Please note the views expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Cassie? Email her at cb086021@ohio.edu
