F1 2026 driver line-ups: new-look grid is confirmed for next season

Somehow McLaren managed to keep both title contenders on friendly terms last season, and if it can continue to do so — while providing Norris and Piastri with the means to fight for more championships — its current pairing could endure for many years to come.

Ferrari 2026 F1 driver line-up

Charles Leclerc Multi-year contract beyond 2025	Lewis Hamilton Multi-year contract beyond 2026

• Hamilton contract runs beyond 2026
• Leclerc signed a new multi-year deal announced at the end of January 2024

Lewis Hamilton rocked the sporting world when his 2025 Ferrari switch was announced, but his dream move brought more misery than joy last year, as he struggled to get to grips with a car that was lacking in performance.

The seven-time champion looked bereft at the end of last season and will be hoping that he can gel more effectively with this year’s car — and that it will have the pace that his talent deserves.

Despite last year’s woes, Hamilton doesn’t appear to be looking for the exit, and appeared to confirm that his contract runs beyond the 2026 season.

Perhaps this year will bring the brilliant prospect of a fierce team-mate rivalry between F1’s most successful driver and one of its brightest stars in Leclerc, who is still waiting for a car that can help him make a bid for that elusive F1 crown.

He pledged his next few seasons to Ferrari early with a multi-year deal in January 2024, in spite of repeated setbacks in terms of car performance and team errors.

If Ferrari fails to deliver in 2026, there’s every chance that his patience will finally run out.

Red Bull 2026 F1 driver line-up

Max Verstappen Contract to 2028	Isack Hadjar Contract tbc

• Verstappen on a long-term deal
• Isack Hadjar promoted from Racing Bulls to replace Yuki Tsunoda

If there was any doubt remaining, 2025 has proven Max Verstappen’s calibre, as he took the F1 championship to the wire despite his Red Bull being inferior to the McLarens for most of the season.

He’s back at the team this year, despite rumours of a move fuelled by the underwhelming performance of his car; questions over the performance of Red Bull’s new powertrain for 2026; the departure of Adrian Newey; and a strained relationship between Verstappen’s father Jos and former team principal Christian Horner.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitting that he had spoken to Verstappen about a deal. Red Bull’s faltering performance even led to suggestions that the four-time champion could activate a performance-related break clause in his contract, which runs to 2028.

Those suggestions have been put to bed for now, after Verstappen announced that he’d be staying with the team in 2026 but if the team doesn’t deliver, then the rumours will undoubtedly be revived.

Verstappen has wrestled the car to seven victories last season, while team-mate Yuki Tsunoda has frequently languished in the bottom half of the grid.

He’s far from the first driver to struggle alongside the Dutchman, and far from the first to be demoted as a result. In 2026, his seat has been taken by Isack Hadjar after a stunning debut season in F1 with Racing Bulls, where he outclassed his more experienced team-mate Liam Lawson.

With a brand new car, can he become the team-mate to get on terms with Verstappen?

Mercedes 2026 F1 driver line-up

George Russell Contract to 2026	Kimi Antonelli Contract to 2026

• George Russell has extended his contract to 2026
• Kimi Antonelli will also remain at the team for a second season

After months of insisting that it would agree new deals with its drivers last year, Mercedes finally locked down its team for 2026.

Team boss Toto Wolff had described its 2025 line-up of George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli as the “future”, and this remains true — for 2026 at least.

Mercedes has only confirmed that Singapore GP race-winner Russell and Antonelli will continue racing in 2026, with no detail about further extensions, although Wolff has previously spoken of “complicated” options which could see the contracts run for “much longer”.

At one point last season, Wolff admitted speaking to Max Verstappen and his manager about a potential move, but it always looked more likely that he’d stick with his existing line-up.

Russell has proved his pace and dependability in a car that has shown occasional flashes of speed, while Antonelli’s arrival as a rookie in 2025 was always billed as a two-year project, with one season to get up to speed before being immediately on the pace in 2026.

“Confirming our driver line-up was always just a matter of when, not if,” said Wolff. “We wanted to take our time, handle the negotiations properly and make sure everyone, on all sides, was happy. I’m pleased we have done that.

“George and Kimi have proved a strong pairing and we’re excited to continue our journey together.”

Aston Martin 2026 F1 driver line-up 

Fernando Alonso Multi-year contract beyond 2025	Lance Stroll Rolling contract

• Lance Stroll secured another extension to end of 2026
• Fernando Alonso has signed a multi-year deal that will take him to at least the end of 2026

Aston Martin has made much of its project to rebuild for the future, pointing to its new factory, wind tunnel and recruitment programme as it disappointed on track through 2024 and 2025.

This is the year when the excuses must stop. With Adrian Newey now in position as team principal and Andy Cowell, who spearheaded Mercedes’ dominant hybrid engine, now overseeing the team’s new Honda power unit, Aston Martin is focused on success in 2026.

Alonso is tied down to the team until at least the end of 2026, while Lance Stroll will be continuing alongside him; the Canadian driver’s berth looking secure for as long as his father Lawrence Stroll is in control of the team.

Last year’s F2 runner-up Jak Crawford has been appointed as the team’s reserve driver for 2026.

Alpine 2026 F1 driver line-up

Pierre Gasly Contract to 2028	Franco Colapinto Contract to 2026

• Gasly extended his current contract to run until 2028
• Colapinto confirmed for 2026, having replaced Jack Doohan after six races last season

After several turbulent years, Alpine underwent more upheaval in the past two seasons when Esteban Ocon parted ways with the team before the end of the season to give his erstwhile replacement Jack Doohan more seat-time — but Doohan lasted just six races into 2025 before being replaced by Franco Colapinto.

The switch was billed as a trial, but Colapinto has always looked to be favoured by team executive Flavio Briatore and — following a series of strong results — his stint with Alpine will continue into 2026.

It will bring some welcome consistency to the garage, with Pierre Gasly remaining in his seat too. Now Alpine needs the performance to match the potential of its drivers. its new Mercedes power unit could well help.

Haas 2026 F1 driver line-up 

Oliver Bearman Multi-year contract beyond 2025	Esteban Ocon Multi-year contract beyond 2025

• Oliver Bearman replaced Hülkenberg, who joined Sauber for 2025
• Esteban Ocon signed on a “multi-year” deal from 2025

After trusting in experience in Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, Haas opted for more of a blend in 2025 with veteran Esteban Ocon and hotshot junior Oliver Bearman.

Both drivers are contracted for 2026 after a successful season for Haas, which finished above Alpine and Sauber in the constructors’ championship. The only question mark over Bearman is how long the team will be able to keep hold of him after an impressive rookie year.

Racing Bulls 2026 F1 driver line-up

Liam Lawson	Arvid Lindblad

• Lawson’s contract is renewed for 2026
• Lindblad replaces Hadjar, who is promoted to Red Bull

Liam Lawson may have Isack Hadjar’s strong form to thank for his continued place on the F1 grid. The Kiwi blazed a trail when he first arrived in F1 and secured promotion to Red Bull at the start of 2025. But just two races into the season, he was dropped back to sister team Racing Bulls.

Lawson took some time to get back on his feet, at a time when Red Bull was looking to promote its junior driver Arvid Lindblad to F1 and his place looked under threat. But with Hadjar’s promotion to Red Bull, there’s space for the 18-year-old rookie alongside Lawson.

Lindblad already had enough superlicence points to race in F1 in 2024, and raced with Campos in F2 for 2025 where he won three races. After a single season in Formula 3 (where he finished fourth) and another in Formula 2, the highly-rated junior has now been handed a quick promotion to grand prix racing in 2026.

Williams 2026 F1 driver line-up

Carlos Sainz Multi-year contract beyond 2025	Alexander Albon Multi-year contract beyond 2025

• Carlos Sainz joins Williams after four seasons at Ferrari
• Alexnder Albon’s contract runs to end of 2026

Williams endured a difficult 2024 season, but this year has been far more positive, with both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz pushing the car into the final Q3 stage of qualifying and scoring points regularly.

After running a series of rookies in recent years, the two experienced hands look to be giving Williams the stability and pace that it needs ahead of 2026 when the rules reset and its Mercedes power unit offer a serious chance of competitiveness. Both will remain in 2026.

“I think it’s a huge, huge event for Williams to have two of the best drivers in the world fighting at the front,” he said. “And I think it is very much a sign of things to come.

“I rate [Carlos] as one of the top four drivers, if not at times the number two driver on the grid. Why wouldn’t you want that in your stable? Because my view of things is that fundamentally competitors are getting closer and closer. So, the marginal difference that a driver can make, and I don’t just mean in performance terms.

“Look at Carlos, look at every team he has been in. They have improved significantly.”

Audi 2026 F1 driver line-up

Nico Hülkenberg Multi-year contract beyond 2025	Gabriel Bortoleto Multi-year contract beyond 2025

• Hülkenberg confirmed as Sauber looks to Audi partnership in 2026
• Bortoleto has signed a multi-year deal

Audi’s long-term driver line-up was confirmed when Formula 2 championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto signed a multi-year contract alongside Nico Hülkenberg.

It means both should be driving for the team in 2026 also as it makes the full transition from Sauber to Audi that year.

Halfway through the 2025 season and the choice seems to have been vindicated by the lightning qualifying performances of Bortoleto and the experience of Hülkenberg, which brought an elusive podium finish at the British Grand Prix.

But while this year’s pace looks promising, it remains to be seen how competitive the team will be next year when Sauber rebrands as Audi with an all-new power unit and a chassis built by a group of engineers that has only recently been assembled.

“I’ve seen that his career has proved [he is a fantastic and high-potential driver] through what he has achieved, what he is achieving,” said Sauber boss Mattia Binotto of Bortoleto. “He has shown progress this season and that’s what counts the most for me.”

Hülkenberg was signed by the previous Sauber boss Andreas Seidl and has options in his contract to extend even further beyond his current 2026 end-date.

Cadillac 2026 F1 driver line-up

Sergio Perez Multi-year contract	Valtteri Bottas Multi-year contract

• Both Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez will race for Cadillac in 2026
• Colton Herta signed as test driver

Cadillac/Andretti’s F1 entry might be one of the most protracted in history, but the American team will finally make its debut in 2026 – and has now announced its first driver.

Ten-time F1 race winner Valtteri Bottas and former Red Bull man Sergio Perez has now been announced as its first driver, bringing top-level experience to the nascent project.

The question also remains as to whether Cadillac will look to an American driver in the future. Colton Herta has been signed as a test driver for 2026, and the American will race in Formula 2 to prepare for a possible promotion to Cadillac’s race team in the near future.