Max Verstappen: Title Defense Watch
The four-time champion is having his hardest start since 2015. Twelve points in the first two races, an engine retirement in China, and a public admission from Red Bull of significant shortcomings on the RB22. Verstappen has described the car as incredibly tough to drive, citing weight overshoot and balance problems on the new chassis. The team has prepared a major upgrade for Miami; if it lands, the Verstappen narrative pivots overnight. If it doesn't, the 2027 driver-market chatter that already surrounds his name only intensifies.
Lewis Hamilton: The Ferrari Era Begins
Hamilton in Ferrari overalls is generational news, and the seven-time champion took his first Ferrari podium with third in China on March 15. Australia and Japan were quieter weekends as he continued to learn the SF-26's window, but the trajectory is clear. Hamilton is the most-photographed driver on the grid, his switch is the single biggest off-track storyline of the year, and any pole or win for him in red will be a marketing event in itself. The bigger question is whether Ferrari can give him a car that fights for race wins by mid-season. To see how the SF-26 stacks up technically, see the 2026 cars they're racing.
Charles Leclerc: Two Podiums and Counting
Leclerc has quietly been the more in-form Ferrari driver through the opening rounds. Two podiums in three races, third in the championship on 49 points, and a calmness behind the wheel that contrasts with Hamilton's still-adapting weekends. Monaco's own remains Ferrari's bedrock, and his form is the reason the Scuderia is currently in genuine constructors' contention.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri: McLaren's Pair
The reigning constructors' champions have a balanced young duo and a competitive car, but no 2026 win to show for it yet. Piastri has taken the early intra-team honors, including a strong second in Japan, while Norris is still chasing his first podium of the new era. McLaren's Mercedes power gives them parity with the works team on the engine side, so the gap is in chassis fine-tuning and tire management on the narrower 2026 Pirellis. Expect papaya to be in the win conversation from Miami onwards. Their constructor profile sits on their constructors and team liveries.
George Russell and the Mercedes Resurgence
Russell won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix from Antonelli and Leclerc, then took two consecutive seconds in China and Japan. He is now the senior figure at Mercedes after Hamilton's exit, and he has handled the role with maturity. Whether he can convert second in the championship into a sustained title push depends partly on how Mercedes manages the team dynamic with their teenage points leader on the other side of the garage.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli: The Youngest Leader Ever
The Bologna-born teenager arrived in Formula 1 with hype to match a Senna or a Hamilton, and three races in he has already cleared the bar. Second on debut in Melbourne, victory in Shanghai, victory in Suzuka, and the championship lead heading into the five-week April pause. Antonelli's calm in damp Chinese conditions and his pole-to-flag execution at Suzuka have impressed every paddock veteran. The W17 is clearly a strong car, but Antonelli is making it look like the strongest, and his contract leverage for 2027 is already a paddock topic.
The 2026 Rookies
Antonelli is only the headline name in a deep rookie class. Gabriel Bortoleto, the 2024 F2 champion, partners Hülkenberg at Audi Revolut and is the brand's youngest face in titanium silver and Lava Red. Isack Hadjar made the leap from Racing Bulls to partner Verstappen at Red Bull, has out-qualified his teammate at moments, and has politely rejected the second-seat-curse narrative — though the RB22 is not helping his case for a full breakout. Oliver Bearman is in the right car at the right time at MoneyGram Haas, where Ferrari power has the team out-pointing Red Bull. Arvid Lindblad joined Liam Lawson at Visa Cash App Racing Bulls as one of the most-hyped F2 graduates of the cycle. Franco Colapinto, in Mercedes-powered Alpine, brings a vast Argentine following with him every weekend.
Veterans Still Setting the Pace
Fernando Alonso, 45 in 2026, remains a Sunday benchmark in Aston Martin's now-Honda-powered British racing green car designed by Adrian Newey. Nico Hülkenberg leads the new Audi project on the driving side, fresh off his maiden F1 podium at the 2025 British Grand Prix and bringing 250-plus starts of paddock craft. Carlos Sainz is in his first full season in Williams Atlassian blue alongside Alex Albon, adapting to a midfield car after Ferrari and bringing his loyal Spanish and Latin American audience with him. Veterans don't dominate the standings the way they used to, but they shape every Sunday's strategy.
Rivalries to Watch
Antonelli versus Russell within Mercedes is the cleanest of the season's intra-team battles. Hamilton versus Leclerc is the most publicized, with Ferrari needing to balance the marketing star against the in-form lead driver. Norris versus Piastri continues to age well at McLaren. And Verstappen versus the RB22 itself remains the most quietly riveting fight on the grid. For the full 2026 calendar that frames each of these arcs, head back to back to the F1 Colours homepage.