F1 Is Back! Here Are Some Big Predictions That Can't Possibly Go Wrong...

Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached the start of another Formula 1 season.

Drink it in. Savor it. Because this one could get wild.

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But, before we hunker down to watch the first sessions of the season in Melbourne, I've got some predictions to make.

Ones that could not possi-bly go wrong…

Possibly go wrong.

That's the first time they've ever gone wrong…

Cadillac makes its F1 debut with a solid driver lineup of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, but they will still face some challenges. (Photo by Mark Sutton - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Cadillac: A Midfield Team… But Barely

There’s a lot of buzz around the brand-spankin’ new Cadillac F1 Team, as there should be.

Getting a major American automaker on the grid in GM — in conjunction with TWG — is a big win for the sport.

Plus, they’re bringing some ultra-talented drivers in Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas back to the grid, and will have to make their own power units in a few years.

Having said that… this is still an entirely new team, and it’s very hard to hit the ground running in F1.

Of course, Cadillac is coming in at the right time as all teams are coming to grips with the new regulations, but everything is new for Cadillac, and that’s tough.

Even Cadillac itself is not expecting to light it up this season, but I think there’s a way they could eke into the midfield battle.

Other teams that are likely to be around them, like Aston Martin, are struggling, and Cadillac appears to have a big edge on the engine front, thanks to the Ferrari power unit in the back of their car.

One thing Ferrari’s engine appears to be optimized for is starts. It gets its turbo spinning faster than any of the other PUs, and that’s big. If the Ferrari-powered cars can get off the line better than anyone else, that could lead to some positions gained on the opening lap.

And, if that’s at a track where overtaking is a chore, they may be able to hold onto it.

So, I think there will be some chances for Cadillac to steal some points so long as the drivers keep it clean, the strategy folks are making the right calls, the mechanics are on their game, and the car's reliability is solid.

I think we could see Cadillac creeping into the midfield, but they wouldn’t be much further up than P8, maybe P7.

Alpine's switch from Renault to Mercedes power units should help them climb the constructors' standings after a brutal 2025. (Photo by Simon Galloway/LAT Images)

Alpine: P6

Alpine has been on the struggle bus in recent years for a few reasons, but none of them were bigger than their power unit.

Their Renault PUs were bad. Easily the least powerful on the grid, which made the multi-year engine freeze coming into 2026 all the more painful.

But now, Alpine is going with a Mercedes power unit, which is looking like it will be the strongest on the grid (outside of the starts, where Ferrari still seems to have an edge).

The Mercedes engine is controversial, given some questions about the team having found a way around the regulations' 16:1 compression ratio limits.

Still, they’ll get to use these engines as they are for a good chunk of the year, and that will give them a chance to rack up some points early.

We know Pierre Gasly is capable of this, but the team needs more from Franco Colapinto. Now that they’ll have a better car, he’s got the chance to score some serious points.

My prediction is that Team Endstone will score enough points to plant themselves in the midfield fight, but will just miss out on being the best-of-the-rest among the four top dogs: McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull.

Sauber is officially Audi, and expect sophomore driver Gabriel Bortoletto to have a big year. (Photo by Alastair Staley/LAT Images)

Audi: Bortoletto Wins Head-To-Head Over Hulkenberg

Audi is new to the grid, but is actually just Sauber rebranded.

Last year, Sauber took a step forward and even scored a stunning podium with Niko Hulkenberg at Silverstone.

It’s exciting to see another big automaker on the grid, and even more so to see them hit the ground running with their own power unit.

One that seems to be almost universally agreed upon to be the best-sounding of the bunch.

Which should count for something…

I’m a big Hulkenberg fan, but I think we’re going to see a big year from Gabriel Bortoletto.

Esteban Ocon and Haas are in position for what could be the team's best season ever. (Photo by Simon Galloway/LAT Images)

Haas: Best Of The Rest

With all this Cadillac talk, it's easy to forget that there's already an American team on the grid.

Haas surprised a lot of people last season.

Their P8 last season isn’t too impressive, until you realize they were actually within 13 points of P6, and I think they showed signs of having the makings of a really solid team.

The driver lineup is great. Ollie Bearman has shown he is likely the heir apparent for a seat at Ferrari, and it's great to see Esteban Ocon settling in with a team.

The pairing seems to work, but it’s important to note that Bearman is entering the season at 10 penalty points. If he hits 12, he gets a one-race ban, which is certainly not ideal for Haas.

Haas has a longstanding relationship with Ferrari, and like its fellow US team on the grid, they use Ferrari PUs.

As was the case with Cadillac, I think we’ll see some races where the Haas boys will pick up some positions early, and depending on the circuit, they’ll be able to hold station and rack up points if the strategy team can make the right calls, which they tend to do.

It’s an ambitious prediction for sure, but that’s what we do ‘round these parts.

*Spits into spitoon*

Aston Martin's partnership with Honda has been nothing short of a disaster so far, and the season hasn't even started. (Photo by Simon Galloway/LAT Images)

Aston Martin: Back Of The Back And Fernando Alonso Publicly Flames Honda By Monaco

Oh boy…

It has been a roller coaster for Aston Martin over the last few years.

In 2023, Fernando Alonso had eight podiums, which made it look like Aston Martin was on the cusp of joining the front-runners.

That success fell off, but they brought in the big guns, including now-team principal Adrian Newey, and announced an engine partnership with Honda.

But through testing, it has been bad.

There are some serious problems with the power unit.

I mean, it's producing vibrations so bad they plan to bow out of the season opener because Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll don't think they can get a full grand prix in without sustaining permanent nerve damage.

Big Problem.

This is going to cost the team a boatload of points, and poor Fernando Alonso has seen this before. He was at McLaren in 2015 when Honda returned to F1 another time, and brought with them the infamous "Size-Zero" engine, which was a total failure.

So, while Fernando has mellowed as the years have gone on, I wonder if he can sit through something like this again without telling the press how it is sooner, rather than later.

Liam Lawson and 2026's lone rookie, Arvid Lindblad, have what it takes to put a team with a habit of overperforming back on the top step of the podium. (Photo by Sam Bloxham/LAT Images)

Racing Bulls: A Win At — Where Else? — Monza

Racing Bulls is always such a weird team.

They are, of course, Red Bull’s sister team and benefit from being the only other team that will use the Red Bull-Ford power unit, which, by all accounts, seems to be looking pretty good.

On top of that, the team had a car that was at times better than the one Red Bull had.

Isack Hadjar scored a podium for the team last season, and they’ve got a history of shock wins, specifically at Monza.

Sebastian Vettel did it in 2008 when the team was known as Toro Rosso, and Pierre Gasly did it in 2020 when the team was called AlphaTauri.

So, in 2026, let’s add to that.

The team has a driver with only one full-season under his belt in Liam Lawson, and he’s partnered with the only rookie on the grid in Arvid Lindblad. So, I think they’ll need a little help to get a win done, and these new regulations and the reliability issues that will come with them as teams and manufacturers try to get a handle on the situation, might help them.

A couple of sudden retirements, a bold strategy call that goes their way, and a solid aero setup (which at Monza means as little downforce as possible while still being driveable), and — BOOM! — Racing Bulls have another W on Ferrari’s turf.

After a pair of podiums for his teammate Carlos Sainz, it's Alex Albon's turn to get Williams back on the podium. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

Williams: An Alex Albon Podium

Williams had a hiccup to start the year when they missed the first test session in Spain, but things seemed to be going alright in Bahrain.

They weren’t lighting up the timesheets, but they did run the fifth-most laps behind Mercedes, Racing Bulls, Haas, and McLaren.

That’s a good sign that the reliability is there, and I think with the benefit of that Mercedes engine — especially to start the season — they’ll put together some points-scoring performances.

Williams was one of the biggest shockers last season, earning a best-of-the-rest P5 in the constructors’ standings and a couple of podiums from Carlos Sainz.

Now, I think it’s time Alex Albon gets back up there.

While the pace is still a bit of a mystery, good reliability and a solid driver lineup should put Williams in some positions to overperform a little if there’s bad weather or a lot of attrition on any weekend.

That’s especially true as we’re likely going to see way more engine retirements this season.

So, look for Albon to make his way back into a Top 3 finish.

After a rough 2025, new cars that are better suited to his driving style should put Lewis Hamilton in position for a win in his second season with Ferrari. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton Win By At Or Before British Grand Prix

On paper, Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari should’ve lit up the world of Formula 1… but in Year One, it didn’t.

Hamilton really struggled all season, outside of a solid performance in the Shanghai sprint, and Ferrari finished a wildly disappointing P4, behind a Red Bull team that really only ever scored with one car.

It was rough, but if there’s a bright side, it’s that 2025 marked the last year of the ground-effect cars that debuted in 2022, and were known to not fit Sir Lewis’ driving style.

Now, ground effect — which uses high-speed air under the car to create an area of low pressure that sucks it to the track surface — is gone, meaning cars with a bit more of oversteery rear end are back.

And that’s good for Lewis and, of course, Ferrari.

Plus, Ferrari seems to have worked out the start better than anyone else, and we’ve talked about why that is a big deal.

So, put all of this together, and I think we’re going to see Hamilton nab a win for the Scuderia, and it will happen before or at his home race, the British Grand Prix.

Isack Hadjar has earned the toughest seat in F1, but there's reason to believe he can handle it and earn a first career win. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Red Bull: An Isack Hadjar Win

Red Bull has undergone a major transformation in the last year.

Christian Horner and Dr. Helmut Marko are gone; they’re teaming up with Ford on the engine front, and they even (finally) changed up their livery.

Oh, and Isack Hadjar has replaced Yuki Tsunoda in the most difficult seat in F1.

Hadjar’s rookie season was phenomenal. I mentioned his podium at Zandvoort, but he was consistently performing well all season long.

Wilder yet, it came after he crashed out of his debut Grand Prix in Australia on the formation lap.

Bouncing back from that shows some incredible mental fortitude, and boy, do you need that to be Max Verstappen’s teammate. We’ve seen immensely talented and experienced drivers crumble in that situation.

Hadjar is also fortunate that the team environment appears to have changed. The sword of Dr. Marko won’t be hanging over him at all times as it was for those before him, including Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, and the aforementioned Tsunoda.

It’s also looking like the team’s engine is running well, and Red Bull’s strategy tends to be pretty solid too. That’s a recipe for a win, especially when, as we’ve said, this season could feature some very unpredictable races.

The early returns after testing have all signs pointing to Mercedes' George Russell as the championship favorite going into the season. (Photo by Sam Bloxham/LAT Images)

Mercedes: George Russell’s Championship Moment

From the moment George Russell entered F1 with Williams, he was always considered a potential future champion, and it’s looking like this is his year.

The Brit is entering the season as the betting favorite, and there’s every reason to think that — at least before the first race of the year — he’s the man to beat.

We’ve talked about the power unit edge that the Silver Arrows are expected to have, but the new regulations should help them in other ways.

They struggled in the 2022-25 ground effect era, but dominated the previous set of rules. With ground effect sidelined, the new cars are expected to drive a bit more like the pre-2022 cars, and that’s Mercedes’ bread and butter.

So, with what looks to be a fast car — that, better yet, seems reliable — Russell will be a factor in the championship battle, without a doubt.

He’s also the de facto team leader, and while I think we should expect some improvement from Kimi Antonelli’s side of the garage, Russell should still have a considerable head-to-head edge thanks to his experience.

After his teammate Lando Norris (right) took the top prize in 2025, expect to see a motivated Oscar Piastri in 2026. (Photo by Paul Crock / AFP via Getty Images) 

McLaren: Piastri Goes On A Revenge Tour

McLaren dominated in 2025, with both drivers entering the season finale with a shot at the title.

Lando Norris came out on top, but I think coming up short will be a kick in the pants for his teammate, Oscar Piastri.

I think we’re going to see a driven Oscar Piastri who will beat Norris in the standings this time around.

Will he win the championship? I don’t think so, but he will be the better driver at McLaren.

In fact, I think he was the better driver for the first part of the season. After the summer break, he started having some struggles.

Had he not, he could be throwing the No. 1 on his car like Norris is.

Piastri always struck me as the guy who is going to let this fuel him, and that should make the rest of the grid nervous.

Of course, this will also hinge on McLaren bringing a good car to the track, but they’re yet another team that looks like it will benefit from the Mercedes power units, especially in the first part of the year.

…

Enjoy what should be a great F1 season!

We'll reconvene after the checkered flag in Abu Dhabi to see how these predictions did.

Even though we all know they're perfect.