5 key questions that need answering ahead of the start of the 2026 season

The 2026 F1 season is about to begin, with the Australian Grand Prix this weekend marking the first event of a 24-round calendar. Amid plenty of big talking points emerging over the winter break, F1.com has rounded up all of the key questions that we are keen to get the answers to ahead of the start of the campaign…

What will the pecking order be?

This is arguably a question that crops up before the start of every season – but it is perhaps especially pertinent this year, given that 2026 marks the introduction of a wave of new technical regulations.

At this stage, we only have the Barcelona Shakedown and two Bahrain pre-season tests to evaluate the potential pecking order – and while testing rarely offers a complete picture, the general consensus seems to be that the ‘top four’ consists of (in no particular order) McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.

Each one of these squads has been reluctant to suggest that they are at the front of this pack, having mostly namechecked one another as the favourite: McLaren have singled out Ferrari and Mercedes as the “teams to beat”; Mercedes’ George Russell suggested that Red Bull’s deployment “still definitely looks the best on the grid”; and Red Bull have predicted that they are only the fourth-fastest team.

Amidst all of the talk, it will be fascinating to see how exactly the order unfolds when the campaign gets underway.

Who might be ‘best of the rest’?

Another intriguing question about the pecking order has centred around which team might emerge as the leader of the midfield – and it so far appears that three names in particular are being touted for this spot.

Alpine threw their focus into preparing for 2026 at an early stage of last year’s campaign, a move that they have been hoping will pay off and haul them forwards off the back of their last place finish in 2025.

So far there looks to be optimism at the Enstone-based outfit, with Managing Director Steve Nielsen “confident” that the team have “taken a step from last year”. However, they are not the only squad potentially in the mix for being head of the midfield, with Haas also catching the eye during pre-season testing thanks to a high lap count and seemingly smooth running.

Racing Bulls, meanwhile, also look to be in the mix. The Red Bull sister team enjoyed plenty of mileage in Bahrain, as newcomer Arvid Lindblad set the highest daily lap count of any driver on the final day of running. It could potentially be close between these teams, suggesting that a tight midfield scrap could be on the cards this season.

How will Aston Martin get on?

It is no secret that Aston Martin faced one of the toughest pre-seasons of the 11 teams, having arrived late to the Barcelona Shakedown before enduring reliability struggles across the two Bahrain tests.

Things proved particularly tough during the second test, with the squad logging only 128 laps – quite a contrast to the 432 recorded by Mercedes at the top of the mileage charts – while they were restricted to only six untimed laps on the final day due to a battery-related issue as the team embark on their first season with new engine supplier Honda.

Those at Aston Martin have been honest about the struggles – Team Representative Pedro de la Rosa labelled pre-season testing as “extremely tough”, and admitted that the outfit are “not setting targets” for themselves across the early races as they look to fully understand where they need to improve.

The Spaniard is confident in the longer-term that the team will be improving “race-by-race” and that they will “definitely get there” – but the question remains over how long this may take, and how the squad will fare during the opening stages of the season.

How will the development race pan out?

In his take on Aston’s campaign ahead, De la Rosa also touched on the importance of the development race, adding: “Everyone will be developing their cars quickly, but we obviously have to catch up as well, so we’ll see.”

Indeed, the speed of development has proven to be another key topic during the pre-season, with the new technical regulations leading to much talk over the importance of being able to develop as the year progresses.

“I know that the development will be so huge during the season that the most important is the capacity of the team to develop, the capacity of the team to bring parts quickly, much more than the performance at race one,” Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur said at the end of the second Bahrain test.

With this in mind, the ability to develop could be a particularly crucial element of 2026 – and, as Vasseur suggested, this factor could potentially see the pecking order evolve through the campaign.

How will the new drivers and teams fare?

There are some new faces on the grid this year, both in terms of drivers and teams. Perhaps the most notable change is the arrival of Cadillac, the new 11th squad on the grid who have recruited some experienced names – including their driver line-up of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez – to lead their maiden charge.

The American outfit are not setting lofty ambitions for the opening races, but will enter their first season with a sense of positivity after completing decent mileage during testing.

While they are the only completely new team on the grid, Audi are also embarking on their first season as a works outfit after taking over the former Sauber team, with Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley stating at the second Bahrain test: “It’s an ambitious journey we’re on, and we’re a little way away from where we’d ideally be at the moment.”

In terms of drivers, Arvid Lindblad is the only rookie amongst the pack, having stepped up from Formula 2 for his F1 debut with Racing Bulls. The youngster has so far earned praise from his new bosses – as has the driver he replaced, Isack Hadjar, who is now facing the challenge of racing alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

Will Hadjar manage to surpass those who came before him and take the fight to his new team mate? We’ll soon find out…