The 2025 season ended with one of the closest title fights in modern F1 history with the Drivers’ Champion, Lando Norris (McLaren-Mercedes) winning his first world title by just two points.

Runner-up Max Verstappen (Red Bull) had won the final race in Abu Dhabi and closed the points gap dramatically but just could not nail it as Norris, even with finishing third in this race, had enough points to walk away as the overall champion.

In Third place were Oscar Piastri (McLaren), who had led the championship for 15 rounds earlier in the season. Constructors’ Champion, McLaren-Mercedes, has earned their second consecutive constructors’ title.

A major regulation reset in 2026 has shaken expectations. Pre‑season analysis and expert commentary indicated that George Russell (Mercedes) is widely seen as the early title favourite due to strong testing pace and Mercedes’ promising new package.

He can, however, be assured that Max Verstappen will not let him win easily. The same can be said for Oscar Piastri, with experts predicting that he might adapt better to the changes than Norris. But Norris will remain a contender to be reckoned with. The only Ferrari in the ‘favourites stall’, is that of Charles Leclerc.

When it comes to the teams' prospects, Mercedes and Ferrari are looking strong whilst McLaren might need some adjusting to the new regulations. Red Bull seems to be the wild card with their new in-house Red Bull-Ford power unit.

The 2026 season brings the biggest regulation overhaul in over a decade.

Major technical changes:

• New power unit regulations with a 50/50 hybrid–combustion split and removal of the MGU‑H.
• Active aerodynamics replacing the old DRS system
• Smaller, lighter cars with narrower tyres.

There are interesting newcomers on the grid this year as well, which includes Audi (after acquiring Sauber) and Cadillac joins as the 11^th team, powered by Ferrari engines. Cadillac’s debut drivers are Sergio Pérez & Valtteri Bottas. Significant driver lineup changes are Isack Hadjar, that replaces Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull and Arvid Lindblad (rookie) that joins Racing Bulls. Mercedes. McLaren and Ferrari remain unchanged.

Block out your calendar for the weekend of 6-8 March 2026 because that is when the 2026 Formula 1 season begins in Australia, Melbourne. And though we might not have any South African representation in the F1 whatsoever, it is still a hotly debated topic around the braaivleis fires.