What we're most looking forward to in 2026

Lewis Hamilton strikes back… or not – Stuart Codling

It’s somehow fitting that, as Lewis Hamilton embarks upon what will be a career-defining season for him, among his opponents on the grid will be one driver – Arvid Lindblad – who was yet to be born when Lewis made his grand prix debut in Melbourne in 2007. Whether you count yourself among the ‘Hamfosi’ or not, it would be churlish to deny the burning competitiveness which has underpinned Hamilton’s longevity – his single-minded determination to be the ultimate arbiter of his career and legacy.

That latter word has a fascinating etymology, deriving from the Latin verb legare – ‘to delegate’ – and its associated noun legatus, meaning an ambassador or envoy. These also rank among Hamilton’s body of achievements, for his activism and charitable work are what earned him his Knighthood; unlike proponents of stick-and-ball sports, racing drivers have to be more than just good at their chosen pursuit to earn this honour.

Somewhere in the middle of the last millennium the concept of delegation embraced by those words evolved into the roots of the English word legacy, and the notion of handing something on. There are those who say Hamilton is “tarnishing his legacy” by persisting in Formula 1 against a background of diminishing returns, as if his seven world championships have depreciated in value through four years of struggling with recalcitrant ground-effect machinery.

With that unloved generation of machines now in the rear-view mirror, 2026 is an opportunity for Lewis to remind the world of his quality. Not that he’ll be framing it in those terms: self-belief has always been his fuel.

What happens this season will determine Hamilton’s immediate future. Another year of being beaten by Charles Leclerc won’t wash well come contract-renewal time. Will it affect his legacy, as such? No – Mission 44 continues to do good work, and the passage of time does much to erase memories of sub-optimal career codas. Does anyone linger long over Juan Manuel Fangio’s 1958?

In terms of 2026, what Hamilton does or doesn’t do will, as ever, be pure box office. Or would you rather talk about compression ratios?

WEC's top class has strength in depth even with the departure of Porsche

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

Eight-way fight in the World Endurance Championship – Kevin Turner

Let’s get one thing out the way early. As a purist, I dislike Balance of Performance, particularly when it comes to a category that battles for outright honours at a race as important as the Le Mans 24 Hours. But without it we wouldn’t have eight Hypercar manufacturers gunning for glory in the 2026 World Endurance Championship – and it shouldn’t detract from what is an impressive grid of drivers.

Losing Porsche is a blow, but the arrival of Genesis at least keeps the manufacturer count impressive, plus Aston Martin is likely to be much more competitive in its second season with the fantastic-sounding V12 Valkyrie.

Ferrari scooped all the major honours last year with the 499P, which must now be regarded as one of the Italian firm’s great endurance racers, but Cadillac, Alpine and Toyota (and the departing Porsche) all took victories. Endurance racing stalwart Toyota can never be discounted and the Jota team appears to have given the Cadillac programme a real shot in the arm since becoming a factory squad for 2025. BMW is surely due a win, while Peugeot is still plugging away with the 9X8.

It's pleasingly hard to predict, other than to say there will be some standout driver performances along the way.

Robert Kubica winning Le Mans, along with Yifei Yi and Phil Hanson in the satellite AF Corse Ferrari, was one of the feel-good motorsport stories of 2025. Le Mans always throws up drama, highs and lows, winners and losers, so what will the 94th edition bring? Ferrari matching Audi’s 13 outright wins? Cadillac cracking it after locking out the front row in 2025? Or something wilder – perhaps an Aston Martin win? I can’t wait to find out.

Which just leaves one more thing: we need a British WEC round…

Formula E's Gen4 era will arrive later this year

Photo by: Porsche

Formula E will match Formula 2 soon – or even F1? – Ben Vinel

It may not be for a while yet, but at the end of the year Formula E will switch to a new car – and it’s fast.

Just 10 years ago, Formula E cars plateaued at just 150kW in qualifying and 200kW in race trim – roughly equating to 200hp and 270hp respectively. In the very first season, all pole positions laps’ average speeds were comprised between 109km/h and 135km/h. They looked slow, and they arguably were. One car couldn’t even complete a whole race, each driver needed two.

Now, the all-wheel-drive Gen4’s power will be 600kW in qualifying, which equates to over 800hp. Even in race mode, the car’s peak power will be higher than 600hp – it will be a match for Formula 2 by this metric. That’s not to say Formula E cars will actually be as fast; they don’t have as much downforce, and their tyres aren’t geared towards performance in the same way.

Still, Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds claimed the Gen4 would be “about 10 seconds a lap faster than the current Gen3 car”, adding: “There’s no question it shuts the gap right down on Formula 1.”

They will need those 10 seconds. Formula E’s lap record around Monaco is Taylor Barnard’s 1m26.315s last year; current F2 cars went as fast as 1m21.142s with Alex Dunne last year, though the series’ benchmark is a 1m19.186s with the Dallara GP2/11 from 2011-2017, courtesy of Sergey Sirotkin. The overall track record is a 1m09.954s by Lando Norris in his McLaren MCL39 in 2025.

It will be fascinating to see how Formula E’s Gen4 compares.

Who will grab the early advantage in F1's rules reset?

Photo by: Liberty Media

F1's new rules should introduce a new order – Jake Boxall-Legge

Times change and, such is the shift in F1's 2026 ruleset, a restless feeling permeates the F1 circus in keen anticipation. The teams have been working overtime but, for some, it'll all be academic once the season begins. Some teams will be immediately competitive and enjoy the ecstasy of challenging for victory in Melbourne, while others' hopes could be ruined in a day - and they'll cross the line in Albert Park with the sense of a blue Monday ahead.

And for those suspicious of that opening paragraph: yes, I've crammed as many New Order track names as possible in that previous paragraph - because that's what we're likely to get next year: a completely new competitive order. Sometimes, you've just got to amuse yourself in this game...

We've not really had much experience in powertrain AND chassis regulations changing simultaneously. Past instances should suggest that, even with just one regulatory change, the order can change: the last batch of aero changes in 2022 gave Red Bull more of a starring role as Mercedes fell away from the front, 2014's powertrain regulations having put the Silver Arrows there in the first place as Williams also found itself with a competitive car after a dismal 2013. And let's not forget 2009, where McLaren and Ferrari's fierce battle over both titles in 2008 detracted from their development for a new aero package - one that Brawn and Red Bull employed to gather an early advantage.

Expectations are that, in the initial stages, that powertrains will dictate the order - but the effect of getting the chassis regulations right should not be understated. And, if I can be granted the chance to be a bit optimistic, it offers the chance of a split between "power" circuits and "chassis" circuits - a delineation in characteristics that we've not really had for some time. Monza, for example, might reward those who can make great strides in efficiency to maintain full power throughout the race, but circuits like Monaco and Hungary shouldn't be anywhere near as power sensitive. Not only will the competitive order be different, but it could fluctuate by race to race.

Naturally, everyone will be aiming to nail both aspects and waltz off into the distance like Mercedes managed to do in 2014. But along the way, there should be plenty of variance - and, as F1 fans, that's what we like to see.

NASCAR is aiming for a fresh start in 2026

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

NASCAR looks to begin a new era in 2026 – Nick DeGroot

2026 is being described by many as a great reset for NASCAR, and hopefully it is. The 2025 season was one filled with contention, and not just between drivers on the track. The entire season took place under the shadow of the antitrust lawsuit filed by 23XI and FRM against NASCAR. While it ended in a settlement partway through its December trial, that conclusion was not reached before things got quite ugly.

NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps is now on his way out the door, and the series braces for a new championship format as fan pushback for the knockout-style system skyrocketed this past year. It didn't help that rising star Connor Zilisch lost the NASCAR Xfinity Series title in the one-race finale after dominating the season, or that sentimental favorite Denny Hamlin had the crown ripped from his grasp due to a late-race caution after dominating the Phoenix Cup race.

There was also growing frustration over the on-track product and how difficult it was to pass at short tracks, but NASCAR has responded with an increase in horsepower and utilising Goodyear to bring in tyre compounds that promote more wear.

This upcoming season is all about change and renewal as NASCAR moves on from the bitter discourse that dominated the previous year. Hopefully a new format, faster cars, executive changes, and an end to the charter dispute helps to ease the minds of a passionate fanbase that was feeling ignored. 2026 also brings with it a street race at Naval Base Coronado, an upgraded body for Chevrolet's ZL1, Ram's highly-anticipated return to the Truck Series, and the arrival of teenaged phenom Zilisch in the Cup Series.

It will be an unpredictable year, and one that is critical to the future trajectory of NASCAR.

What can Rovanpera do in Super Formula?

Photo by: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

Rovanpera heads a flood of star ‘gaijins’ in Super Formula - Haydn Cobb

Kalle Rovanpera made international headlines when he announced his decision to step away from rallying to pursue his single-seater racing dream. And what a place to start it: Japan’s top series Super Formula. The two-time WRC champion will take centre stage but he’s surrounded by a cast of fellow outsider ‘gaijins’ looking to go big in Japan.

Starting with the formally announced, Igor Fraga and Sacha Fenestraz are both Super Formula race winners, the former at Nakajima Racing alongside Ren Sato while the latter partners 2024 champion Sho Tsuboi once again in a very strong TOM’s team.

Zak O’Sullivan will contest his second season in the championship as a one-car entry for Impul, looking to build on what he learned in his rookie campaign with Kondo, while Charlie Wurz (son of ex-F1 driver Alex) takes the plunge with Team Goh.

While not officially announced, all signs point to further foreign arrivals in the shape of Luke Browning and Jack Doohan, having both taken part in the post-season test at Suzuka – albeit it with contrasting fortunes.

That mix combined with the traditionally high-quality homegrown drivers; which for 2026 includes defending champion Ayumu Iwasa, two-time champion Tomoki Nojiri, two-time WEC champion Kamui Kobayashi and the previously mentioned 2024 champion Tsuboi, makes for the strongest grid for a non-international series anywhere in the world.

So, even if Rovanpera doesn’t instantly pull up trees in Super Formula – it is his first full-time single-seater campaign after all – there’s so many talking points that make the championship a must-watch in 2026.

The McLaren dynamic in 2026 between Norris and Piastri will be one to watch

Photo by: Andrea Diodato / NurPhoto via Getty Images

Has Lando Norris peaked and can Oscar Piastri find another gear? – Filip Cleeren

It's impossible to predict at this stage what to expect from F1 2026's cars and teams, despite people's best efforts to convince you of the contrary. Quite how Lando Norris and his McLaren team will kick off their title defence remains unknown as the rulebook gets torn up.

But what I'm looking forward to right now is what will happen to the intra-team dynamic in Woking between Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri. Norris is a brilliantly flawed world champion, overcoming his own self-doubts and technical difficulties with the 2025 McLaren to snatch his maiden title. That crown initially looked like going to Piastri until the Australian suffered a difficult spell that saw him relegated to third behind Norris and Max Verstappen.

I suppose there are two theories about what could happen next. Having finally proven to himself that he can be a world champion, Norris will be liberated. He won't get any quicker – no one does at this stage of their careers – but the confidence he has taken from 2025's coming-of-age year will make him more relaxed, especially in the face of external pressure, in turn making it easier to replicate some of his outstanding performances. Been there, done that. That could help him gain the upper hand on Piastri.

The other theory is that Norris has peaked in 2025, and that this is as good as it gets. Meanwhile, the younger and less experienced Piastri has already been able to edge him through spells of the Australian's third grand prix season. And the 24-year-old will have learned valuable lessons from his woes in Baku, Austin and Mexico to take into his fourth campaign, just like he made huge strides between 2024 and 2025.

If Piastri can address those weaknesses and perform at his peak for the entire 24-race calendar, he will be asking Norris even tougher questions in 2026 and beyond. Can Piastri find another gear and take over from Norris as McLaren's main man, or will the latter's 2025 success galvanise him? Now that will be fascinating to watch.

Penske made a Power cut, with the Australian heading to Andretti for 2026

Photo by: Penske Entertainment

A Power-ful statement in 2026? – Joey Barnes

There is a curiosity about what this next chapter looks like for Will Power.

The 44-year-old Aussie turned the page and is set to embark on a new journey with Andretti Global for the 2026 IndyCar Series season.

The move came in wake of a tumultuous contract year with Team Penske, where he was undoubtedly the most consistent performer among his team-mates Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin and ended up highest in the overall standings (ninth) in what was a year to forget for the organisation. A win at Portland near the end of the year pushed team owner Roger Penske to a last-gasp effort after putting off the notion for most of the year, which made it all the more easier for Power, and it was timely as he replaces Formula 2-bound Colton Herta in the #26 Honda-powered entry.

After 17 years with Penske that spanned 272 races and where he earned 42 of his 45 career wins, including the 2018 Indianapolis 500, two championships and the all-time pole position record with 71 poles, can he still deliver? All eyes are on that as he appears reinvigorated with the switch to Andretti.

Even while waiting out a contract that didn’t set him free until 1 January, Power was already out running as the clock struck midnight in his new team’s gear. The next day, he was in the shop. And a week later, he was already on track in a tyre test at Phoenix Raceway and getting acclimated with new race engineer Andy Listes, who led Dennis Hauger to the Indy NXT title last season.

It’s all to play for, and Power has an opportunity to show Penske that letting him walk was a massive mistake.

Rodin joins the British GT ranks running a Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo

Photo by: British GT

The maiden sportscar venture for a junior single-seater powerhouse - Ed Hardy

Much of the Formula 1 grid can be grateful to Carlin Motorsport, which in its heyday was one of the absolute powerhouses of junior single-seater racing. Newly-crowned world champion Lando Norris was in its stable at one point, as was George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, Sebastian Vettel - the list goes on…

So it was quite sad to see the Carlin name disappear when Rodin completed its full takeover in 2024, but those worries quickly vanished when the New Zealand organisation continued the legacy.

In its two years, Rodin has dominated the GB3 Championship twice, won four Formula 2 races with Zane Maloney and Alex Dunne, plus taken the F1 Academy title with Abbi Pulling. The squad has also had success in other forms of junior racing like F3, British F4 and the Formula Winter Series.

But now it is expanding its portfolio into sportscar racing by entering a Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo into the 2026 British GT Championship - one of the most competitive series in national racing. It’ll be a tough ask for Rodin to repeat its successes from elsewhere straight away considering there were five factory drivers - Maximilian Gotz (Mercedes), Jonny Adam (Aston Martin), Sandy Mitchell (Lamborghini), Marvin Kirchhofer (McLarne) and Sven Muller (Porsche) - on the 2025 grid, yet it’ll still be fascinating to see.

Especially because it is entering a Ferrari and the Italian marque has a strange relationship with the championship; Ferrari is one of British GT’s most successful manufacturers but its appearances are sporadic at best. In 2025, for example, AF Corse entered a 296 under its Spirit of Race guise but it was the championship’s first Ferrari for five years, so every appearance always feels special. Spirit of Race didn’t exactly have a tremendous campaign either, as Matt Griffin and Ducan Cameron finished 13th in the standings having skipped rounds at Donington Park and Brands Hatch due to their European Le Mans Series commitments.

Here I am therefore hoping that Rodin, whose drivers are TBC, will be more successful - perhaps stand on the podium, or at the very least, complete the full season.

As F1 cars have got bigger, an exciting street race has become a rarity

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Is 2026 the year F1 street circuits make sense again? – Owen Bellwood

Ask any Formula 1 fan what their favourite track on the calendar is, and I’m not sure many would respond with a street circuit.

Sure, Monaco has the history, Singapore has the bright lights, and Las Vegas has the glamour, but it’s been a while since a street track delivered a genuinely exciting grand prix. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not a street race hater. Watching the best drivers in the world wrestle their cars around the tight, tricky castle section in Baku is exciting and Singapore remains a bucket list race for me.

When the car, driver and circuit are all in tune, street tracks can serve up some stunning races, like the 2012 European Grand Prix in Valencia, the 2008 Monaco race and even the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix could feasibly be called a classic.

But, on the whole, street tracks haven’t served up all that much action in recent years. That’s because F1 cars have gotten bigger and bigger, meaning that it’s rarely possible for racers to go wheel-to-wheel on the street tracks that dot F1’s calendar these days. And with nine out of 24 tracks on the 2026 calendar being street circuits, something had to change.

Thankfully, that’s about to happen as F1’s sweeping new rules will see narrower, smaller, lighter cars roll out in 2026 – the aim of which is about improving the spectacle of racing. Of course, the new cars will still be wide and the streets of Monaco will still be narrow when F1 sets up shop in May, but if the rules reset can at least liven up the new generation of city venues then I’ll call it a success.

And with Madrid set to show off its all-new street track later this season, F1 will also be hoping the new regulations can bring the heat to the city streets this year.

Could F1's newest street race in Madrid also provide a new opportunity for the 2026 cars to impress?

Photo by: IFEMA