Official F1 2026 Predictions Time Capsule
It's that time of year again! Time to make outlandish predictions for 2026 - brave, foolish or extraordinarily ambitious - it's just a bit of fun. They can be grounded in reality or a bit out there. It's up to you. Do, however, try to make them easy to verify at season's end, though. :rotate:
To put it in perspective, I got 2 or 3 right out of my 15 predictions last year!
The thread will get locked just before the race weekend starts and re-opened after the final round.
Here are mine.
1. Cadillac will not finish last in the Constructors' Championship.
2. Leclerc will outscore Hamilton, but Hamilton will win more races (if indeed they win any).
3. Oscar Piastri and his cool head will win the drivers' world championship.
4. Verstappen will finish no higher than third in the drivers' championship. (I'm going to attempt this one again - I tried it in 2025).
5. Lindblad will beat Lawson in the drivers' championship.
6. Every other teammate pairing that was the same last year will finish in the same championship order as last year (with the exception of the McLaren pair - see Prediction 3) and in the event of Verstappen VS Hadjar, the former will outscore the latter.
7. I was reminded recently that Verstappen has not been beaten in a Grand Prix by a teammate since Azerbaijan 2023, so I will predict that Verstappen will beat Hadjar in every race - including Sprints.
8. Bottas VS Pérez - this pair will finish closer on points than any other teammate pairing in 2026.
9. Alonso will win a Grand Prix or Sprint (trying this one again after last year!).
10. Last year, I went for 'There will be at least nine different Grand Prix winners'. That was a bit OTT, even by this thread's standards, so this year I will say the same but at least six different Grand Prix winners.
11. There will be no Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Abu Dhabi Grands Prix.
Not so easily verifiable, but fun!
12. Alonso will say something quite wild or angry about the Honda engine on the radio.
13. Someone will crash while fiddling with their wing adjustments.
14. Verstappen will complain about someone else's driving at least five times on the radio.
15. Someone will talk about a DRS train or an 'overtake train'.
16. Christian Horner will return to the paddock and wangle more interviews than anyone except him could possibly desire.
To put it in perspective, I got 2 or 3 right out of my 15 predictions last year!
The thread will get locked just before the race weekend starts and re-opened after the final round.
Here are mine.
1. Cadillac will not finish last in the Constructors' Championship.
2. Leclerc will outscore Hamilton, but Hamilton will win more races (if indeed they win any).
3. Oscar Piastri and his cool head will win the drivers' world championship.
4. Verstappen will finish no higher than third in the drivers' championship. (I'm going to attempt this one again - I tried it in 2025).
5. Lindblad will beat Lawson in the drivers' championship.
6. Every other teammate pairing that was the same last year will finish in the same championship order as last year (with the exception of the McLaren pair - see Prediction 3) and in the event of Verstappen VS Hadjar, the former will outscore the latter.
7. I was reminded recently that Verstappen has not been beaten in a Grand Prix by a teammate since Azerbaijan 2023, so I will predict that Verstappen will beat Hadjar in every race - including Sprints.
8. Bottas VS Pérez - this pair will finish closer on points than any other teammate pairing in 2026.
9. Alonso will win a Grand Prix or Sprint (trying this one again after last year!).
10. Last year, I went for 'There will be at least nine different Grand Prix winners'. That was a bit OTT, even by this thread's standards, so this year I will say the same but at least six different Grand Prix winners.
11. There will be no Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Abu Dhabi Grands Prix.
Not so easily verifiable, but fun!
12. Alonso will say something quite wild or angry about the Honda engine on the radio.
13. Someone will crash while fiddling with their wing adjustments.
14. Verstappen will complain about someone else's driving at least five times on the radio.
15. Someone will talk about a DRS train or an 'overtake train'.
16. Christian Horner will return to the paddock and wangle more interviews than anyone except him could possibly desire.