F1 2026: Why George Russell, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could be champion

With no clearly dominant car emerging during Formula 1’s extended 2026 pre-season testing schedule, seven drivers will arrive at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix with genuine hopes of winning this year’s world championship.

While F1’s ‘big four’ – McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari – still appear to be at the top of a pecking order effectively reset by the introduction of both new power unit and chassis regulations for the 2026 season, their order remains uncertain and subject to change.

It seems a safe bet that the world champion will come from one of those teams, but the bookmakers are having a tough time separating the contenders, with the top seven closely grouped in the current odds.

With little more than a week to go before the cars hit the track for first practice in Melbourne, Sky Sports F1 assess the prospects and challenging facing each title hopeful.

In the order their title prospects were ranked by UK bookmakers at the time of writing:

George Russell, Mercedes

When Russell was recalled by Mercedes for the 2022 season after three years on loan at Williams, the Brit thought he was jumping into the best car on the grid and an opportunity to fight for wins and titles.

Instead, Mercedes struggled for all four years of the ground-effect era, and despite enhancing his reputation, Russell has claimed just five race wins in that time.

Lewis Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari for the 2025 season made Russell the main man at Mercedes, and he is now finally set to get the opportunity he thought was coming his way four years ago.

Russell proved himself a match for Hamilton and then dominated his rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli last season, while he has also separated himself from some of his contemporaries by taking on Max Verstappen, both on and off the track.

Having turned 28 earlier in February, Russell has developed into a driver who appears to have all the tools to win a championship, and one who is desperate to prove that he’s capable of fulfilling his lifelong dream.

The question that needs answering – as is the case with any driver seeking a first title – is whether Russell can maintain the superb level he has delivered over the last couple of years under the pressure of a championship battle.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull

Verstappen’s positioning by the bookmakers throughout the pre-season has been a reflection of just how respected the four-time world champion is, given few are expecting his Red Bull to be the fastest car on the grid this season.

Despite the challenge his team are facing as they produce their own power unit for the first time, Verstappen showed last year that he remains a threat even with inferior machinery.

McLaren beat Red Bull by 382 points in last year’s Constructors’ Championship, but Verstappen was still somehow just a couple of points away from snatching away a fifth successive drivers’ title.

While his rivals will rightly profess a lack of fear of the Dutchman, the consensus in the paddock is that Verstappen was in a league of his own during the ground-effect era.

Despite the fact he has made some disparaging comments about F1’s new cars, Verstappen still immediately exhibited an ability to extract more from them than others.

The energy deployment strategy he used by downshifting into corners in Bahrain was swiftly copied by others, and suggested the Dutchman will continue to find a way to impose his brilliance.

In the event Red Bull are unable to provide him with a platform to compete for the title, there will no doubt be speculation over his future, with the other top teams sure to be interested.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

A hugely underwhelming 2025 for Ferrari meant few were talking about their drivers as title contenders this year, but a surprisingly strong showing at testing has turned that narrative on its head.

Leclerc was fast-tracked into a Ferrari seat at the age of 21 for the 2019 F1 season, but similarly to Russell, has not yet been given a car capable of mounting a sustained title challenge.

The Monegasque’s speed has never been in doubt, but the fact he has converted only five of his 27 pole positions to victory – with three more grand prix wins coming from elsewhere on the grid – raises questions over whether he possesses the full package.

It could be argued that he has simply outperformed his car by claiming several unlikely poles, but a reputation for a few too many shunts means he still has his doubters.

Despite Ferrari being off the pace, 2025 was arguably Leclerc’s most impressive campaign as he comfortably outperformed his team-mate (more on him in a moment), but similarly to Russell, he has yet to prove he can deliver consistently when the pressure is on.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

It makes sense that Ferrari’s significantly stronger performing driver last year would be more favoured by bookmakers, but Hamilton would likely point to extenuating circumstances.

The 2025 Ferrari had characteristics Leclerc had become used to over previous seasons, and Hamilton is insistent that he will be aided by the fact his ‘DNA’ has gone into the design of this year’s SF-26.

For Hamilton to be in title contention, he is going to need to prove that two years of largely poor qualifying performances were caused by something technical rather than some of the 41-year-old’s talent having evaded him.

There was potential concern around Hamilton missing significant chunks of time at the final test in Bahrain due to technical issues during the sessions he was meant to be on track, while he also expressed frustration at the fact he is waiting for a new full-time race engineer to join his team during the early stages of the season.

However, a social media post after testing concluded suggested that Hamilton is focused and confident. “For a moment, I forgot who I was,” he wrote in an apparent reference to the self-doubt he experienced in the latter stages of the 2025 season.

If Hamilton sniffs a shot at the record eighth title that cruelly evaded him in 2021, his return to the battle at the very front of the grid would no doubt add a thrilling extra dimension to this season’s action.

Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Antonelli may only be in his second F1 campaign but if Mercedes have the best car for much of the season, he must be seen as a title contender.

Antonelli overcame a difficult spell during the European series of races last summer, where he endured six non-points finishes from seven races, by matching, and even beating, team-mate Russell during the back end of the season.

The 19-year-old was particularly impressive on his first outing in Brazil where he was second in the Sprint and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix itself, fending off Verstappen.

If Antonelli can consistently find that level of speed, he could give Russell some issues, and that would mean a potential championship challenge.

One advantage the Italian may find is driving so many different types of cars since stepping up from karting to single-seaters in 2021.

Given the reset in regulations and the need to adapt your driving, the new rules may play into Antonelli’s hands while more experienced drivers unlearn some of their usual techniques.

Lando Norris, McLaren

Throughout his career, Norris has faced questions over whether he possessed the mentality to become a world champion.

He finally answered them by coming up clutch in the final stages of 2025 to become the latest Briton to join the list of F1 royalty.

Just how much his title-winning campaign has enhanced his reputation is unclear, given Norris was far from flawless and very nearly blew having what was clearly the best car on the grid over the course of the season.

Norris has been open about just how stressful he has found chasing his dream of becoming world champion, so the question in his case is whether having the monkey off his back could unlock a new level of calm and performance in the cockpit.

While he’s entering his eighth season in F1 with McLaren, Norris doesn’t turn 27 until November and could theoretically still have his best years ahead of him.

He insists his motivation is stronger than ever after last year, and will surely enjoy having the opportunity to turn the table on rivals who appeared to enjoy preying on the pressure he was under in 2025.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

If Piastri can make the same jump in performance he made from 2024 to 2025 this season, he should be a title contender once again if McLaren have a strong car.

Piastri will surely have learned from his difficult run of form following a nightmare in Baku, where he crashed twice, which marked the start of his ultimate championship collapse.

Most F1 drivers usually find their peak after five seasons, so we probably have not seen the finished product of Piastri and that bodes well for the Australian who enters his fourth campaign.

The 24-year-old must start 2026 strongly so the momentum Norris has from becoming world champion does not spill over into the first part of this season.

A similar early charge as 2025 where Piastri had eight podiums in a row, including nine victories, with the knowledge of what went wrong during the run-in could make Piastri a threat again, and McLaren may find their drivers fighting for the same piece of tarmac on several occasions.

Watch every race of the 2026 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports, starting with the Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime

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