by F1 correspondent Michael Butterworth
BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Formula 1 begins a new chapter in 2026 with one of the biggest regulatory resets in a generation. Drag Reduction System (DRS) has been consigned to history and replaced by active aerodynamics, while revised power unit regulations place a far greater premium on energy recovery and deployment.
The grid itself has grown. Audi finally arrives as a full works entry after years of preparation, Cadillac joins as the championship's first brand-new team since 2016, and for the first time in nearly a decade, 22 drivers will line up on the grid.
Ahead of what could be one of the most unpredictable seasons in years, Xinhua looks at the prospects of all 11 teams.
MCLAREN
Lando Norris spent much of 2025 in Oscar Piastri's shadow before seizing his chance when his teammate faltered late in the season, producing a nerveless run of results to keep Max Verstappen at bay and snatch a maiden world championship. It was a fairytale ending and, from a neutral perspective, probably the outcome the sport needed.
The fascinating question now is whether McLaren can repeat it. Norris returns as champion, Piastri remains every bit as quick, and the team arguably fields the strongest driver pairing on the grid. More importantly, the pair proved last year that a title fight between teammates does not automatically descend into chaos. McLaren should be a contender again, but defending a title is often harder than winning the first.
RED BULL
Red Bull enters 2026 with a new name on the engine cover. The team's in-house power units are now built in conjunction with Ford, rather than the Honda engines that powered its recent era of dominance.
Early signs are encouraging. The RB22 completed a healthy mileage in testing and looked competitive on the timing sheets. If the engine delivers, Max Verstappen could quickly reassert himself as the sport's central figure. The Dutchman may have lost the title last year, but few would doubt he was 2025's outstanding driver.
Alongside him sits Isack Hadjar, promoted after an impressive rookie campaign. The second Red Bull seat has developed a reputation as F1's most uncomfortable chair, swallowing up Sergio Perez, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson in recent years. Hadjar will need both speed and resilience if he is to avoid being tossed onto that scrapheap.
MERCEDES
After four seasons of chasing the pack during the ground-effect era, Mercedes may have the opportunity to return to the front. Early indications suggest the W17 is both quick and reliable, a combination that has eluded the team since its dominant years ended.
In the cockpit, George Russell has quietly grown into the role of team leader. Last season, he was the only driver outside Verstappen and the McLarens to win a race, and with a stronger car beneath him, the Briton could emerge as a genuine title contender.
Kimi Antonelli enters his sophomore campaign eager to prove that he, too, belongs in F1's upper echelons. The teenager showed flashes of speed in his debut year, though they were sometimes buried beneath rookie mistakes. If he smooths out those rough edges, Mercedes may once again field a pairing capable of troubling the championship fight.
FERRARI
Ferrari's 2025 season passed without a single victory, which at Maranello counts as a minor crisis. Yet the early signs for 2026 suggest the Scuderia may have rediscovered some bite. The SF-26 topped the overall testing timesheets in Bahrain, with Charles Leclerc delivering the quickest lap of the week.
The car has also attracted attention for its unusual reverse-opening rear wing, a detail that set tongues wagging up and down the pit lane. After a dismal 2025, Lewis Hamilton appears far more comfortable with the new generation of cars than he ever was with their predecessors.
Then there is Leclerc, still waiting for Ferrari to deliver a machine worthy of his talent. One small but telling detail from testing was the SF-26's explosive getaway from the grid. If those starts translate into races, rivals may find the red cars frequently occupying prime real estate by the first corner.
WILLIAMS
Williams enjoyed its best season in years in 2025, scoring its highest points tally since 2017 and making the podium twice. The winter, however, has been less reassuring.
The warning signs appeared early when Williams became the only team to miss the initial shakedown in Barcelona. When the car eventually surfaced in Bahrain, it looked heavy and underwhelming on outright pace. The team insists the package contains untapped potential, but the stopwatch rarely lies for long.
Nevertheless, the team retains one of the grid's most dependable driver pairings in Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. Reliability at least looked solid during testing, and if the engineers can trim excess weight from the chassis, Williams might yet recover enough speed to fight once more at the front of the midfield.
RACING BULLS
Liam Lawson begins 2026 with a point to prove. Dropped by Red Bull after just two races last season, the New Zealander will be determined to remind his parent team what it discarded.
His teammate is the only rookie on this year's grid - the highly rated Arvid Lindblad. Red Bull's junior program rewards success quickly but punishes failure even faster. Hadjar's rapid promotion to the senior team proves that a breakthrough season can open doors, while the swift demotions of Lawson and Tsunoda underline the consequences of falling short.
Lawson's experience should make him a useful reference point as the team measures Lindblad's development. For the young Briton, the mission is simple: survive the Red Bull system long enough to prove he deserves a future within it.
AUDI
After years of anticipation, Audi finally takes its place on the F1 grid. The four rings' new power unit has a distinctive tone that raised eyebrows during testing, but the car itself looked respectable enough. Audi's objective for its debut campaign is straightforward, establish credibility as a competitive midfield operation while laying the foundations for future growth.
Continuity in the driver lineup should help. Nico Hulkenberg provides experience and technical insight, while Gabriel Bortoleto continues his development after a promising rookie year. If the pair can replicate the 70 points they combined for last season, Audi's first chapter in F1 will begin on solid ground.
ASTON MARTIN
If optimism alone won championships, Aston Martin would already be halfway to the title. Reality, however, has been less accommodating.
The team has switched from Mercedes engines to become Honda's works partner, but the new project has stumbled through testing. Aston Martin completed fewer laps than any rival, plagued by reliability issues and an alarming shortage of spare parts. When the car did run, it appeared sluggish.
Drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll sounded unusually pessimistic about the year ahead, and reports emerged before the opening race that the team may even consider retiring both cars early in Melbourne if reliability proves marginal.
For Adrian Newey, now overseeing the entire operation, this is hardly the debut he would have envisioned. The question is whether the legendary designer can once again conjure performance from a troubled project.
HAAS
Haas begins the season with a rare sense of stability. Increased backing from strategic partner Toyota has strengthened the team's resources, while both Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman remain in place after a solid campaign together.
Testing suggested the American outfit may have quietly assembled a competitive package. If that impression proves accurate, Haas could emerge as the leading force in the midfield behind F1's traditional heavyweights.
Much attention will fall on Bearman. The young Briton impressed during his debut season and is already being whispered about as a potential future Ferrari driver. Ocon, meanwhile, will be eager to remind observers that he remains more than capable of matching the sport's rising stars.
ALPINE
Few teams endured a more painful 2025 than Alpine, which finished last in the Constructors' Championship. The response has been drastic. The chronically underpowered Renault engine has been discarded in favor of a Mercedes customer unit - a move that may transform the team's competitiveness overnight.
Early testing hinted that Alpine could once again become a respectable midfield presence. Pierre Gasly remains the cornerstone of the project after committing to the team until 2028, and last year, he repeatedly dragged the car to results it scarcely deserved.
Franco Colapinto remains in the second seat, but with team boss Flavio Briatore unafraid to wield the axe, the Argentine may find patience in short supply if results fail to appear.
CADILLAC
The final curiosity of the 2026 grid is Cadillac, F1's first brand-new team since Haas in 2016. Starting from scratch is rarely easy in this sport, so the American outfit has opted for experience behind the wheel, with Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez both returning after losing their previous seats in 2024.
Cadillac has kept expectations deliberately modest. The car looked reliable in testing but lacked outright speed and appeared short on downforce compared with established rivals. Still, given that the project itself only received final approval some 12 months ago, merely reaching the grid is an achievement.
If Cadillac can avoid occupying the final two places every weekend, its debut season will already count as a respectable beginning. In F1, the first step is simply surviving long enough to improve. ■
