Unpredictable check knowledge, vital gaps after the highest 4, and a number of other key drivers below the highlight: the 2026 Components 1 season begins with extra questions than solutions.
“Has Mercedes been hiding? I don’t know.” That’s how journalist Giorgio Terruzzi summed up the largest doubt rising from pre-season testing on the podcast Terruzzi Racconta. Many within the paddock had labeled Mercedes as overwhelming favorites, and the brand new energy unit seems to substantiate a possible technical benefit. However how actual is that edge?
Stefano Nicoli stays cautious about utilizing the phrase “overwhelming.” “For my part they’re favorites based mostly on what we’ve seen and on what Mattia Binotto informed us. They may have half a second in hand and solely present a tenth of it.” The suspicion is obvious: Mercedes could have stored one thing in reserve in the course of the Bahrain check classes.
Behind them, based mostly on the info from Bahrain, seem like the 2 Ferrari drivers. Charles Leclerc is due to this fact positioned among the many very first challengers, doubtlessly slightly below a tenth away from the true benchmark tempo. It’s a place that retains him totally within the title battle for F1 2026, however with none absolute certainty about the true aggressive order.
McLaren impressed with each race tempo and reliability, though Nicoli famous that the automotive appeared barely chubby throughout testing. “Andrea Stella mentioned that in Melbourne they are going to be compliant,” he defined, suggesting there’s nonetheless untapped efficiency to return. Pink Bull, in the meantime, has been a constructive shock. “I anticipated extra difficulties,” Nicoli admitted. After which there’s Max Verstappen — an element able to shifting any aggressive stability no matter pure automotive efficiency.
Among the many drivers below explicit scrutiny are Lewis Hamilton, who is anticipated to reaffirm his standing on the entrance, and Oscar Piastri, who in response to Terruzzi “has to answer Norris and to himself.” Then got here the daring prediction: “I’m betting on Kimi Antonelli as 2026 world champion.” Of venture, actually, but when Mercedes actually has a title-winning automotive, the logic just isn’t completely far-fetched.
Consideration can be targeted on Isack Hadjar, on Arvid Lindblad, and on the Williams pairing, with Carlos Sainz who — in response to Nicoli — “might begin knocking on some doorways” if the season fails to take off as anticipated.
One reality appears clear: after the highest 4 groups, the hole exceeds one second. The precise order on the entrance stays troublesome to decode, however the main group seems to be outlined. The actual query heading into the opening spherical of the 2026 Components 1 season stays only one: who has actually proven their full potential?
Feb 25, 2026
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