With the announcement of the Crimson Bull and Racing Bulls line-ups, the 2026 grid is lastly full. So, which groups have modified and which groups are sticking with their present drivers forward of a season the place there’s a very massive shake up within the rules? Learn on to seek out out…
McLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
McLaren are fielding an unchanged driver pairing, as they stick to Norris and Piastri for the fourth straight yr. These two took McLaren to their second straight Groups’ crown in 2025, with each remaining within the reckoning for the Drivers’ title heading to the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Norris will likely be getting into his seventh season, having solely pushed for McLaren since becoming a member of the F1 grid. In 2025 he grew to become probably the most skilled McLaren driver, surpassing David Coulthard’s tally of 150 races with the group.
As for Piastri, he challenged Norris throughout the course of 2025, and is predicted to take action once more in 2026 with the group opting to let their drivers race and never have a transparent No. 1 and No. 2 driver. The Australian will likely be taking loads of expertise into the brand new season, after a marketing campaign that examined him each bodily and mentally in 2025.
Staff Principal: Andrea Stella
Stella has led McLaren because the finish of 2022, having first joined the group again in 2015. He has overseen their rise from the again of the midfield – they completed ninth in 2017 – to champions, with McLaren heading into the brand new period because the reigning title holders.
Stella has been part of the F1 paddock for over twenty years, having beforehand labored with Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso at Ferrari.
Mercedes: George Russell and Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes waited fairly far into the season to verify their drivers for 2026, after reportedly conversing with Max Verstappen. However they’ve opted to stay with long-term Mercedes stalwart Russell and younger gun Antonelli.
The previous has gained two races in 2025, ending fourth within the Drivers’ Championship. The latter has loved loads of success in his debut F1 season, scoring a pole for the Dash in Miami, together with podium finishes in Canada, Brazil and Las Vegas.
The Silver Arrows will likely be hoping the brand new rules see them return to dominant, profitable methods, having not secured the Groups’ title now since 2021.
Staff Principal: Toto Wolff
Wolff has guided Mercedes since 2013, overseeing their interval of dominance that noticed the group ship eight straight Constructors’ titles from 2014 to 2021. However he will likely be hoping for extra from the 2026 automotive, after a barren run because the change in rules in 2022.
Since then, Mercedes have gained simply seven races throughout 4 seasons.
Crimson Bull: Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar
Crimson Bull have opted to vary their line-up for 2026. Verstappen stays, however he will likely be partnered by Hadjar, who has been promoted from Racing Bulls. Hadjar impressed in his debut season, with the spotlight being a podium end in Zandvoort.
Verstappen will likely be getting into his eleventh season with the group, having himself been promoted from what was then Toro Rosso all the way in which again in 2016. Hadjar is his seventh Red Bull group mate, with earlier incumbent Yuki Tsunoda changing into the group’s reserve driver.
Whether or not Verstappen and Hadjar can work collectively to ship additional success to the group stays a thriller, however Crimson Bull will likely be hoping Hadjar fares higher than both Tsunoda or Liam Lawson managed in 2025.
Staff Principal: Laurent Mekies
Mekies was promoted from Racing Bulls to Crimson Bull halfway by way of the 2025 season to interchange Christian Horner. The previous Ferrari Sporting Director has overseen Verstappen’s championship cost in 2025, with the Dutchman recording a string of victories within the second half of the season.
Mekies is aware of Hadjar properly from their time collectively at Racing Bulls too, however he does have a tricky job on his arms subsequent season to handle a brand new driver line-up and the transition from Honda energy items to Crimson Bull Ford Powertrains.
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari’s all-star driver pairing continues into 2026, with Leclerc and Hamilton as soon as once more lining up within the well-known pink overalls of the Scuderia. They are going to be hoping the brand new rules see an upturn in fortune for the group, who on the time of writing haven’t recorded a single victory in 2025.
Hamilton’s first season with the group has been a tough one, and he’s wanting ahead to turning the web page on a marketing campaign that has but to yield a single Grand Prix podium. As for Leclerc, after victories final yr in Monaco and Monza, the Monegasque driver has additionally seemed annoyed at occasions in his seventh season with Ferrari.
The group will likely be hoping their 2026 automotive delivers for his or her drivers, with Leclerc and Hamilton boasting no scarcity of abilities between them, with each confirmed performers each over one lap and on race day.
Staff Principal: Fred Vasseur
Vasseur moved from Sauber/Alfa Romeo to Ferrari in 2023 and was instrumental in bringing Hamilton to Ferrari for the 2025 season and past.
The Frenchman has loads of F1 expertise, however he faces a tricky activity to show issues round after a disappointing 2025 marketing campaign for the group yielded not a single win on the time of writing.
Williams: Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz
Williams are one other group sticking with their present line-up for 2026, with Albon and Sainz having delivered fifth for the group within the Groups’ Championship in 2025. Sainz bagged two podiums in his debut season with the Grove-based group, whereas Albon excelled within the first half of the season.
Each introduced high group expertise to Williams – Albon from Crimson Bull and Sainz from Ferrari – which has made all of the distinction to the group, who’ve recorded their highest end within the Groups’ standings since 2017.
Staff Principal: James Vowles
Vowles joined Williams in 2023, after a 12-year spell at Mercedes. He’ll enter his fourth season with the group in 2026, however it will likely be the primary time with a automotive that has been designed fully underneath his watch after becoming a member of the group halfway by way of the present period of rules.
Racing Bulls: Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad
Racing Bulls have an enforced change of their driver line-up in 2026, with Lawson remaining with the group however being joined by rookie Lindblad after Hadjar departed for Crimson Bull.
The Kiwi racer will likely be getting into his third season in F1, however solely his second full yr and first beginning out with Racing Bulls. He would be the senior companion to Lindblad, who makes the step up from F2. The Brit has accomplished a handful of FP1 classes for Crimson Bull, in addition to some personal exams.
He’ll nonetheless be 18 when the season will get underway in Australia in March.
Staff Principal: Alan Permane
Permane was promoted to Staff Principal at Racing Bulls halfway by way of the 2025 season when Mekies in flip was promoted to the identical function Crimson Bull. He joined the group as Racing Director in 2024, having beforehand labored at Alpine.
Permane has overseen a robust marketing campaign in 2025, with each drivers frequently within the factors and the group aiming to safe sixth within the championship. His activity subsequent yr will likely be trickier although, as he will likely be managing a really younger rookie in Lindblad.
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll
Alonso and Stroll are retained as Aston Martin’s drivers for 2026. This will likely be Alonso’s twenty third season on the grid, the Spaniard set to increase lots of his personal information as he seeks a primary World Championship with Aston Martin, in a automotive partially designed by Adrian Newey.
Aston Martin had a tough 2025 season, with no podiums to indicate for themselves. They did choose to cease growth on the automotive very early although, resulting in excessive hopes that Alonso and Stroll can have higher equipment to work with in 2026.
As for Stroll, he will likely be getting into his tenth F1 season, and eighth with Aston Martin (who had been formally Racing Level).
Staff Principal: Adrian Newey
Adrian Newey will take over from Andy Cowell as Staff Principal at Aston Martin in 2026, the primary time the legendary designer has held the reins of an F1 group in earnest. Cowell stays with the group within the function of Chief Technique Officer.
Newey will take cost of the group for the beginning of the brand new period of rules, with the strain very a lot on his shoulders to start out delivering outcomes for the group that has invested a lot on this venture – together with placing their new wind tunnel to good use.
Haas: Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman
The American group have caught with their line-up for a second straight season, with Ocon partnering Bearman at Haas. Bearman had a powerful debut season for the group, frequently ending within the factors – particularly within the latter a part of the season, as soon as the group bolted on their final massive improve.
Ocon is aware of he has his work minimize out towards his group mate, who will likely be bringing much more expertise to the desk in 2026 – though it stays to be seen whether or not the brand new vehicles will go well with yet another than the opposite.
The Frenchman will likely be getting into his tenth season in F1 in 2026, having beforehand pushed for Manor, Drive India and Renault/Alpine.
Staff Principal: Ayao Komatsu
Komatsu took over from Guenther Steiner at Haas at first of 2024, and has steered the group up the order after they completed backside of the standings within the 2023 season. With Gene Haas nonetheless overseeing issues from behind the scenes, Komatsu is a gradual pair of arms for Haas as they transfer into the brand new period of rules.
Audi: Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto
One other group sticking with their driver line-up is Kick Sauber, who will change into Audi subsequent yr. The expertise of Hulkenberg mixed properly with the rookie enthusiasm of Bortoleto in 2025, as Kick Sauber recorded some well-known outcomes.
Essentially the most memorable was Hulkenberg lastly scoring his maiden podium in F1, the German grabbing third place at Silverstone to face on the podium for the primary time in 238 makes an attempt.
As for his group mate, Bortoleto managed a handful of top-10 finishes however will likely be hoping for higher on house soil subsequent season, after crashing out in entrance of his adoring followers in Sao Paulo.
Staff Principal: Jonathan Wheatley
Wheatley took over as Staff Principal at Kick Sauber halfway by way of the 2025 season, having joined the group after a few years of working as Crimson Bull’s Sporting Director.
He has been working intently with Mattia Binotto, who serves as Chief Working Officer because the Sauber model fades out of F1 to get replaced by Audi.
Alpine: Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto
Alpine swapped their driver line-up after a handful of races in 2025, with Jack Doohan making approach for Colapinto. The Argentine racer partnered Gasly for the rest of the season, and the group have opted to stay with that line-up for subsequent yr.
Gasly was signed early – Colapinto needed to wait till the final handful of races to seek out out his future. He’s the one present driver to not rating in 2025, in what has been a tough season for the group with an uncompetitive automotive.
Nonetheless, Gasly has managed to attain a handful of factors, with the Frenchman set to guide the group into the brand new period of rules in what will likely be his fourth season with Alpine. Colapinto will likely be heading into his third season – however the first the place he has really gotten to check the automotive.
Staff Principal: TBC
Alpine wouldn’t have a confirmed Staff Principal for subsequent season. After the departure of Oliver Oakes, Flavio Briatore has assumed the function, together with Managing Director Steve Nielsen.
Cadillac: Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez
Not one however two veterans of the game will return to the grid in 2026, as Valtteri Bottas will get set to pair up with Sergio Perez at Cadillac.
Each have been handed second possibilities after shedding their seats at Kick Sauber and Crimson Bull respectively on the finish of 2024. In entrance of them would be the job of making an attempt to show newcomers Cadillac – who change into F1’s eleventh group – into severe opponents.
They’ll even be trying to put a little bit of pep again of their steps after tough remaining seasons in F1 for each. Powering Cadillac, in the meantime, will likely be Ferrari engines, as Common Motors work on their very own energy unit, set to be launched for 2029.
Staff Principal: Graeme Lowdon
Former Marussia Sporting Director Graeme Lowdon will likely be on the controls for Cadillac’s first season, as they change into F1’s first brand-new entity since Haas in 2016.
“We all know it is an enormous problem,” Lowdon told F1.com earlier in 2025. “It is very tough to quantify what success can seem like aside from we simply need to execute in addition to we probably can and achieve respect from the opposite opponents.”
