The Formula One field is facing major rule changes ahead of 2026. These changes could shake up the rankings, especially as some teams are changing engine providers.
Let’s try to predict the best and worst F1 teams in 2026.
Here are our performance ranking predictions:
Championship contenders
1. McLaren
2. Mercedes
According to the rumours, Mercedes are way ahead in engine development for 2026. This obviously benefits all the teams running Mercedes engines. But only two of them have proven the ability to design a race-winning car.
McLaren should continue to be a top team. They have excellent designers and engineers.
The Mercedes works team will probably catch up with McLaren in 2026.
We should see an interesting three-way-battle between Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and George Russell for the title.
Potential race winners
3. Ferrari
4. Red Bull
5. Aston Martin
Ferrari usually produce a car capable of winning some races but not quite leading the pack. That will probably happen again.
Red Bull might drop a bit in performance due to the new engine regulations, but Verstappen will keep them competitive and might even compete for the title, despite having a car that isn’t the best.
Aston Martin is the real joker for 2026 with a car designed by Adrian Newey and an engine deal with Honda.
We don’t expect them to lead the field immediately, however. They could start the year fifth-fastest with the potential of becoming the third-best team by the end of the year. Fernando Alonso might just get his 33rd win; but a third championship remains too unrealistic.
Solid midfielders
6. Alpine
7. Williams
8. Racing Bulls
9. Haas
Over at Alpine, they are putting all the eggs in their 2026 basket. They have not developed their 2025 car much, so they could have a surprise ready for the upcoming season. Having Mercedes engines help too, but their potential is capped – mainly due to having mediocre drivers.
Williams already look like a team on the up, but they may face a ceiling soon as they lack top designers and engineers. The competition will be very strong in 2026 with improved cars by Aston Martin and Alpine. We rank Williams 7th, but who knows, they could surprise. Even with a worse car than Alpine, they may score more points throughout the year thanks to their drivers who are a level better.
Racing Bulls produced a very strong (and underrated) 2025 car. How else could Hadjar and Lawson score so many points?
They will probably have a solid chassis for 2026, and once again a car that is easy to drive, but engine performance could cap their potential.
Haas might do as usual: Start the year fairly well, compete for points at the very front of the midfield, only to drop back as the year progresses.
Backmarkers
10. Audi
11. Cadillac
Now, Audi could surprise, they certainly have potential.
But after all, it’s a debut for their power unit and while Sauber surprised positively in 2025, it’s not exactly a top-efficient team that Audi are taking over.
Most likely they will start out as the tenth best car, but later finish better than tenth in the standings. Audi could develop better than Haas throughout the year, and their driver lineup could secure them more points than Racing Bulls.
But there’s also the possibility that the first year could be rough. Eventually, Audi should find success though, as they usually do in the motorsports they compete in.
Cadillac is an easier fade as the entire team is a new entry. With a Ferrari engine, they get no advantage over the teams using Mercedes engines – which is more than a third of the field. And their driver lineup leaves things to be desired. Two old second drivers who’ve been away for a year – and they weren’t even that fast to begin with.
Driver rankings and lineups
We have other content pieces covering these. Our current driver rankings should also be somewhat close to how we expect them to perform next year. And for lineups, check our 2026 Silly Season and 2027 Silly Season articles!