Peter Stevens
The celebrated car designer and Picasso of liveries casts his sartorial eye over the looks of the 2026 field

Peter’s Verdict
The strong papaya (orange) upper surfaces contrast with the 2025 rearward sloping black, and will be easily read on the TV. But the very weak numbers ‘1’ and ‘4’ are a missed opportunity for a bit of graphic cohesion.

McLaren
MCL40
After ending the ground-effect era on top, needs to stay ahead with new rules

Lando Norris Car No 1 Wins 11 Poles 16 Starts 152 2025 position 1st Aim in 2026 Has to be a second title, with less stress than 2025

Oscar Piastri Car No 81 Wins 9 Poles 6 Starts 70 2025 position 3rd Aim in 2026 Recover last year’s early-season form for push at the crown

PETER’S VERDICT
The black, silver and Petronas turquoise take a lovely line from the nose to the front of the halo, but then the turquoise droops over the front of the sidepod and climbs lazily towards the rear. Either the graphic lines should complement the form or attack it.

Mercedes-AMG
F1 W17
If this car’s as good as people say, we may be winding the clock back to 2014

George Russell
Car No 63
Wins 5
Poles 7
Starts 152
2025 position 4th
Aim in 2026 Could be his greatest chance at a title shot, car permitting

Andrea kimi antonelli
Car No 12
Best finish 2nd
Best grid 2nd
Starts 24
2025 position 7th
Aim in 2026 Consolidate on his rookie season and be a Russell back-up

PETER’S VERDICT
The red, yellow and blue always works so well. The minor sponsors get lost within the very strong overall graphic, but it was always the case.

Red Bull
RB22
So many unknowns – engine included – as team regroups from bruising ’25

Max Verstappen
Car No 3
Wins 71
Poles 48
Starts 233
2025 position 2nd
Aim in 2026 Nothing to prove. If car’s halfway there, he’ll be 100% there

Isack Hadjar
Car No 6
Best finish 3rd
Best grid 4th
Starts 23
2025 position 12th
Aim in 2026 It’s a toughie, but do better than Lawson and Tsunoda managed

PETER’S VERDICT
Ferrari claims that its 2026 car is a tribute to earlier liveries, but those were always crisp, clean and added a sense of speed. The new car has a very lazy red-white division line that wanders across the surfaces. Many Ferrari fans have criticised the blue ‘hp’ on the engine cover fin. Bernie Ecclestone would have had the strength of character to say, “You can have red, black or white.”

Ferrari
SF-26
New rules offer chance of a reset, but can they get it right at Maranello this time?

Charles Leclerc
Car No 16
Wins 8
Poles 27
Starts 171
2025 position 5th
Aim in 2026 Lead a title challenge, or look for a new team to lead in future

Lewis Hamilton
Car No 44
Wins 105
Poles 104
Starts 380
2025 position 6th
Aim in 2026 If this is his last year, to go out with a bang, not a whimper

PETER’S VERDICT
A nice contrast of light and darker blue, but a crude colour break across the sidepods interrupts the flow of the scheme.

Williams
FW48
Recent progress and strong driver line-up offers real hope for year ahead

Alex Albon
Car No 23
Best finish 3rd
Best grid 4th
Starts 128
2025 position 8th
Aim in 2026 Has to be to take his first GP win, if car and engine are on song

Carlos Sainz
Car No 55
Wins 4
Poles 6
Starts 229
2025 position 9th
Aim in 2026 Had strong end to 2025, so must finish ahead of Albon

PETER’S VERDICT
What I tend to call the ‘White Bulls’, but there is enough white from above to differentiate Racing Bulls from the senior team.

Racing Bulls

VCARB 03
Given all the uncertainties, staying in the midfield will be a good outcome

Liam Lawson

Car No 30
Best finish 5th
Best grid 3rd
Starts 35
2025 position 14th
Aim in 2026 To make Hadjar regret his promotion to Red Bull’s ‘A’-team

Arvid Lindblad
Car No 41
Best finish n/a
Best grid n/a
Starts 0
2025 position 6th in F2
Aim in 2026 Still so young at 18. Needs to keep his nose clean, then crack on

PETER’S VERDICT
As usual a lovely metallic green, which looks great on TV, but with an insipid yellow line wandering off the nose, then reappearing on top of the sidepods. Soon Adrian Newey’s complex surface changes may spoil the elegance of the car.

Aston Martin

AMR26
First Newey-led Aston design could be the magic bullet, if Honda’s got it right

Fernando Alonso
Car No 14
Wins 32
Poles 22
Starts 425
2025 position 10th
Aim in 2026 To win a GP for the first time since 2013, if the car is up to it

Lance Stroll
Car No 18
Best finish 3rd
Poles 1
Starts 189
2025 position 16th
Aim in 2026 The usual, see 2025: prove he deserves a place in F1

PETER’S VERDICT
There is a strong black-lined, red element to the livery. The whole car looks much more cohesive than in previous years. But, of course, a lack of multiple sponsors can make for a much tidier looking car. I do rate it quite highly.

Haas
VF-26
Aiming to continue good progress made in post-Steiner breakout of 2025

Oliver Bearman
Car No 87
Best finish 4th
Best grid 8th
Starts 27
2025 position 13th
Aim in 2026 Build upon doing a fantastic job to outscore Ocon last year

Esteban Ocon
Car No 31
Wins 1
Best grid 3rd
Starts 180
2025 position 15th
Aim in 2026 Fight back to reimpose himself as a long-term F1 resident

PETER’S VERDICT
If you are not going to complement the lines of the form then don’t chop it in half with a vertical line. The colours are clear and strong and the silver will shine in the sun, but…

Audi
R26
F1 will be somewhat tougher than Le Mans, the BTCC or the DTM

Nico HÜlkenberg
Car No 27
Best finish 3rd
Poles 1
Starts 250
2025 position 11th
Aim in 2026 To provide leadership in new Audi era, and try for second podium!

Gabriel Bortoleto
Car No 5
Best finish 6th
Best grid 7th
Starts 24
2025 position 19th
Aim in 2026 Staying close to Hülkenberg will validate his rookie promise

PETER’S VERDICT
Painting the halo a livid pink breaks up the colour scheme in an unattractive way, but the Alpine blue always looks sophisticated, and the pink will show well on TV. The white-on-pink letter ‘A’ looks to be sliding off the back of the engine cover.

Alpine
A526
More changes of gaffer than Nottingham Forest; at least Merc engines have arrived

Pierre Gasly
Car No 10
Wins 1
Best grid position 2nd
Starts 177
2025 position 18th
Aim in 2026 Same as 2025: maximise what he has in tough circumstances

Franco Colapinto
Car No 43
Best finish 8th
Best grid 8th
Starts 26
2025 position 20th
Aim in 2026 Show his undoubted speed but calm things down a bit

PETER’S VERDICT
Such great expectations for the livery of the new 11th team. The test car had a list of names on the nose, a charming tribute to all the members of the team. This has been replaced by a dark and gloomy, mostly black, livery with sidepods that differ from side to side. Hmm…

Cadillac
CA01
F1’s first new team in 10 years is realistic: get established and make progress

Sergio PÉrez
Car No 11
Wins 6
Poles 3
Starts 281
2025 position n/a
Aim in 2026 Enjoy being an F1 driver after his traumatic Red Bull experience

Valtteri Bottas
Car No 77
Wins 10/span>
Poles 20
Starts 246
2025 position n/a
Aim in 2026 Beat Pérez. This may be a very interesting team-mate match-up