Here are our F1 team rankings ahead of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.
The rankings are based on the currently expected levels of the cars. Performance could vary from track to track – and in different conditions – but these are our overall rankings.
1. McLaren
The MCL39 has been the fastest car over the entire year. Their advantage is now diminishing with Red Bull and Mercedes both catching up. With the constructor’s title secured, they can now let Norris and Piastri race freely, which should be very fun to watch. Sadly, it all went wrong in the Austin sprint race and in Las Vegas, costing them a lot of points. But Norris remains the title favourite.
2. Mercedes
Their car looks better and better. Early on in the season, they just accumulated points, but as of late, they’ve had some standout performances. On some tracks, they can compete for wins, as Russell showed in Singapore. Antonelli’s recent performances are also a sign that the car is very competitive at the moment.
3. Red Bull
In the hands of Verstappen, the Red Bull looks incredible and is certainly capable of competing for wins. But how much of that is due to the driver’s skill? Every other driver seems to struggle in the second Red Bull. Verstappen is challenging for wins, while Tsunoda is still way off on pace. The truth is that it’s a fast, but difficult car to drive; tailor-made for Verstappen’s handling style and much improved since September.
4. Ferrari
Disappointing as usual. Ferrari are fourth best at this point, as evidenced by Leclerc, a top level driver, being unable to win any Grand Prix. Hamilton’s results are even more disappointing as he struggles driving this car and always complains. But occasionally, Ferrari can compete for podiums. Even at their best track in Mexico, Leclerc was a half minute off Norris, so the car lacks upside.
5. Racing Bulls
By far the strongest midfield car, and a very easy one to handle if you watch the onboard footage. They have an average rookie (Hadjar) and a fairly slow driver (Lawson) who are both qualifying high and frequently getting good results. Perhaps the car is even faster than the Ferrari. Imagine if they actually had a good driver?
6. Haas
It’s really close between the #6-#9 ranked teams, and whoever comes out ahead is usually dependent on the track features!
However, Haas deserve to be ranked sixth. Bearman is performing very well in the car recently. It would seem like Ocon is underperforming, or just not comfortable with the characteristics of the Haas. But the car clearly has the performance. And even Ocon is scoring points somewhat regularly.
7. Aston Martin
Aston Martin appeared relatively slow in winter testing. With Adrian Newey’s input, things are improving, however. They say he is only working on next year’s car, but who are they kidding? Fernando Alonso is now back to fighting hard and has scored a lot of points over the last fourteen races. The car is better in qualifying than in race trim, though. Hopefully they will have a strong car in 2026, as everything is pointing towards.
8. Sauber
We thought it would be the slowest car this year, but that’s not the case. The Sauber is competitive at times. Hülkenberg had some impressive highs, while Bortoleto is now starting to look like a fairly impressive driver when he isn’t crashing. They have a really good staff going forward, so Audi should be in a position to succeed.
9. Williams
There’s no doubt that Williams are more competitive than last year. Albon had a great start to the year, and recently Sainz has achieved some strong results as well. But they have clearly lost some pace to the other midfielders recently. When two drivers as competent as Albon and Sainz struggle to break into the top 10, it’s a sign that the car performance is lacking.
10. Alpine
Alpine looked solid in testing and had strong qualifying pace early in the year. But they always struggle in the races. Pierre Gasly seriously lacks motivation at this point, although he had a great performance in Brazil. It seems like the team has already decided to focus everything on next season, so Alpine will remain the backmarker for the rest of 2025.