2026 Formula One Predictions (RyanS99 and Friends)

So me and my friends today decided to do our 2026 Formula One World Championship Predictions. 6 different Scenarios will happen. As of right now we will all consider Lewis Hamilton a 8-time World Champion Notes -


 * Me and #4 both agree that Mercedes will switch back to be the "Silver Arrows" and have the old silver livery.
 * Everyone says that there will be no changes for McLaren, Ferrari, AlphaTauri, Aston Martin and Alpine.
 * Everyone agrees that Latifi will step up to the 1st driver at Williams.
 * Two of us think that the money man Zhou will be in the 2nd Alfa Romeo seat. The rest of us, including myself, and 3 others think that probably F2 Oscar Piastri will get the ride.
 * We have a split driver order at Haas between Mazepin and Schumacher
 * 4/6 of us thinks that Max Verstappen will wins his first World Driver's Championship. 2/6 for Lewis Hamilton to win his 9th.
 * Majority vote for either Russell or Norris in Third. Then Mercedes will win the constructors.

Notes -


 * (Myself) So I had George Russell move above Lewis Hamilton in team orders. Perez is gone from Red Bull and Formula One in general. Due to a fantastic season at AlphaTauri Pierre Gasly gets back in the second Red Bull seat. McLaren and Ferrari remain the same. Yuki Tsounda become the Red Bull Reserve driver, allowing two F2 driver in Liam Lawson and Juri Vips to both join AlphaTauri. Aston Martin remains unchanged. Fernando Alonso retires from F1 and Alpine promotes Oscar Piastri from Alfa Romeo. Alfa Romeo replaces Piastri with Theo Pourchaire. Nicholas Latifi moves into the Williams Reserve driver role. While, Albon moves into the 1st driver slot and Guanyu Zhou finally getting into F1.
 * (2) Hamilton will stay above Russell in team orders. Gasly will also replace Perez at Red Bull. Ferrari staying the same. Surprisingly, that Daniel Riccardo will not return to McLaren and going to Aston Martin to replace the retired Sebastian Vettel. Indycar driver Pato O' Ward replace Riccardo. Yuki Tsounda will go to being the Red Bull Reserve driver. Liam Lawson will go to the 1st AlphaTauri seat and Dennis Hauger into the 2nd seat. Fernando Alonso retires from F1 and Alpine promotes Oscar Piastri from Alfa Romeo. The Williams pair stay the same. Then the prediction is that Andretti buys most of Alfa Romeo. Andretti will have Valtteri Bottas and American Colton Herta as their two drivers. Then Haas stays the same.
 * (3) The Grid remains exactly the same except that Fernando Alonso retires, Oscar Piastri goes to Alpine and Guanyu Zhou joins Alfa Romeo.
 * (4) Lewis Hamilton retires in this prediction and former AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly will replace him. Then his teammate of Yuki Tsounda will replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull. Then Dennis Hauger will replace Pierre Gasly, and Liam Lawson will replace Yuki Tsounda at AlphaTauri. Fernando Alonso does not retire. Andretti also buys Alfa Romeo and will have Bottas and Pourchaire as drivers. Piastri is shipped to Williams as Albon will become the primary driver and Latifi as the reserve. Haas will stay the same.
 * (5) Powerhouse teams of Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari stay the same. As does Aston Martin. Gasly is not retained by AlphaTauri and replaces the Alpine driver of Fernando Alonso who has retired. Gasly is replaced by F2 driver Juri Vips. Rest of the grid remains the same.
 * (6) Mercedes stays the same as Russell overtakes Hamilton as the leading driver. Gasly replaces Perez at Red Bull. McLaren and Ferrari remain the same. Dennis Hauger replaces Gasly at AlphaTauri and Tsounda moves up to be the leading AlphaTauri driver. Alonso retires, Piastri replaces him. Perez replaces Latifi at Williams. Pourchaire replaces Piastri at Alfa Romeo.