Formula One 2026: drivers' championship, constructors' championship, and calendar for a new era

Formula One 2026 is the 77th F1 World Championship, which will go down in history as a year of bold experiments and tectonic shifts in the rules.

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Individual standings

Place	Driver	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli	320
2	George Russell	236
3	Lewis Hamilton	214
4	Charles Leclerc	191
5	Lando Norris	188
6	Max Verstappen	188
7	Oscar Piastri	128
8	Isack Hadjar	96
9	Liam Lawson	65
10	Pierre Gasly	41
11	Arvid Lindblad	38
12	Franco Colapinto	27
13	Oliver Bearman	20
14	Gabriel Bortoleto	10
15	Nico Hulkenberg	7
16	Esteban Ocon	7
17	Fernando Alonso	7
18	Carlos Sainz	7
19	Alex Albon	5
20	Lance Stroll	0
21	Valtteri Bottas	0
22	Sergio Perez	0

Constructors’ Cup

Place	Constructor	Points
1	Mercedes	556
2	Ferrari	405
3	McLaren	316
4	Red Bull	298
5	Racing Bulls	90
6	Alpine	68
7	Haas	27
8	Audi	17
9	Williams	12
10	Aston Martin	7
11	Cadillac	0

Race calendar

№	Grand Prix	Race date
1	Australian Grand Prix	8 March
2	Chinese Grand Prix	15 March
3	Japanese Grand Prix	29 March
4	Bahrain Grand Prix	12 April
5	Saudi Arabian Grand Prix	19 April
6	Miami Grand Prix	3 May
7	Canadian Grand Prix	24 May
8	Monaco Grand Prix	7 June
9	Barcelona-Catalonia Grand Prix	14 June
10	Austrian Grand Prix	28 June
11	British Grand Prix	5 July
12	Belgian Grand Prix	19 July
13	Hungarian Grand Prix	26 July
14	Dutch Grand Prix	23 August
15	Italian Grand Prix	6 September
16	Spanish Grand Prix	13 September
17	Azerbaijan Grand Prix	26 September
18	Singapore Grand Prix	11 October
19	United States Grand Prix	19 October
20	Mexico City Grand Prix	25 October
21	São Paulo Grand Prix	8 November
22	Las Vegas Grand Prix	21 November
23	Qatar Grand Prix	29 November
24	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	6 December

Formula One 2026 — The 77th season of Formula One will be marked by the biggest technical revolution in decades, forever changing the face of the championship.

The championship will begin on March 8 with the Australian Grand Prix and end on December 6 in Abu Dhabi. At the same time, the calendar will retain its record length: 24 Grand Prix races are planned, including a new stage in Madrid, and six sprint weekends.

Despite numerous rumors and proposals to expand the points zone (for example, to 12 or even 15 places), the championship management and teams decided to keep the classic system. Thus, the winner of the main race will receive 25 points, followed by points distributed in descending order: 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1, and only the top ten drivers will be included in the scoring zone.

Starting with the 2025 season (and, accordingly, in 2026), the awarding of an extra point for the fastest lap in a race has been canceled. The rule, which had been in effect since 2019, was deemed unjustified, as drivers outside the top 10 made pit stops specifically to “steal” points from the leaders.

The 2026 season will mark the return of iconic car brands to the starting grid. For the first time since 2016, the number of teams will reach 11 thanks to Cadillac’s debut. The American concern General Motors is fielding a factory team with experienced drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, who should bring stability and experience to the young team.

The second big name will be Audi. The German automaker has fully integrated the Swiss Sauber team and will debut as a factory team with its own engine. Nico Hülkenberg and promising Brazilian Gabriel Bortoletto will be behind the wheel of the new cars.

Red Bull is saying goodbye to its customer status and bringing its own engine to the track, developed by Red Bull Powertrains in partnership with Ford. This is a huge challenge for a team that is used to fighting for titles. Max Verstappen has a new teammate, Frenchman Isaac Ajara, who replaced Yuki Tsunoda.

The technological revolution: what changed in 2026

Power plant. The main change is in the ratio between the internal combustion engine and the electric motor. Now they deliver almost equal power: 400 kW (544 hp) from the internal combustion engine and 350 kW (476 hp) from the hybrid system. This means that the role of electricity has tripled. Max Verstappen has already dubbed the new cars “Formula E on steroids,” hinting that energy management is coming to the fore.
Aerodynamics. Instead of the familiar DRS system, which helped with overtaking, active aerodynamics with two wing modes will be introduced in 2026:
1. Z-mode: the wings are closed to create maximum downforce in corners.
2. X mode: the wings “open” to reduce drag on straights, allowing speeds of up to 400 km/h.
Overtaking mode. A new “turbo button” — Overtake Mode. If a driver is within a second of their rival at the detection point, they get the chance to use more energy on the next lap, which should make racing easier.
Eco-friendly fuel: Full switch to 100% sustainable fuel.
Dimensions and weight: The cars are now a bit shorter, narrower, and about 30 kg lighter.

Formula 1 in the 2026 season is a grand experiment. Only time will tell whether the races will become an exciting battle of technology and intelligence or turn into a tactical “charge saving” exercise. But one thing is certain: it won’t be boring.