After a three-month break, Formula One (F1) is back for the 2026 season. New tracks, engines, teams, and drivers are just a few things to look forward to this season. On March 8th, 2026, all 11 teams will line up in Melbourne, Australia, as the lights go out for the start of the Australian Grand Prix and the 2026 season; a season expected to be riddled with unpredictability.

This season is the start of a new era for Formula One, focused on making the sport more competitive and entertaining, as well as safer. The International Automobile Federation, or the FIA, has introduced new guidelines this season that shape how teams will build their cars. The “Nimble Car Concept” is at the core of many of these guidelines. The Nimble Car Concept is changing the dimensions of the car itself. Cars are expected to be 30 kilograms (66 pounds) lighter, have a narrower design, and include new front and tail wing updates, power unit shifts, and 100% sustainable fuel sources. This will allow the cars to be faster, more agile, and compete at a higher level.

This update to the cars massively shifted how cars were built from 2022 to 2025. One of the biggest updates to the car is the removal of the Active Aerodynamics. In the 2022 car design, drivers utilized a Drag Reduction System (DRS) that opened the rear wing to reduce drag in specific zones and when running within one second of an opposing car. In 2026, the FIA introduced new systems that involve the drivers being able to switch between two modes. In Straight Mode, the front and rear wings open, reducing overall drag. Straight mode can be activated by any driver on the grid in specified zones. The second mode is called Corner Mode. Corner mode is the standard mode in zones other than the specified Straight Mode zones. This mode has the wing flaps down to increase control in the bends and corners of F1 tracks.

So, with all these new regulations and car updates, the podium will likely be shaken up quite a bit. Berkley senior and longtime F1 fan Molly Remeika said she is “looking forward to seeing all the new regulations and how the drivers perform in the new cars at Melbourne.” 2025’s reigning double world champions, McLaren, Ferrari, Oracle Redbull, and Mercedes are teams that have performed at the top of the grid in the previous seasons. However, teams like Haas, who recently partnered with Toyota, and Alpine, who just purchased the Mercedes power unit, seem to be strong contenders to move out of the midfield and into competition with the top of the grid. McLaren, who dominated last season, and Oracle, whose driver Max Verstappen is widely regarded as the greatest modern-day racer, have been outperformed in testing by their competition, Ferrari and Mercedes. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc earned the fastest lap of testing, showing promise for a team that has struggled to keep up with the top in the past few years.

While veteran teams are competing for the top, there are two new teams setting foot on the F1 grid. Audi has taken over the operations of Sauber Kick. Sauber has undergone many rebranding efforts and ownership switches in the 21st century, but Audi appears to be a stabilizing force for a while. Audi’s starting drivers for Melbourne will be Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, driving Audi’s first F1 car, the A26. Cadillac has also joined F1 this season, the second American team on the grid for 2026. Veteran drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will be behind the wheel for Melbourne. Cadillac struggled with mechanical issues during testing, recording the second-fewest total laps of any team. However, Perez noted the car was “well-balanced,” a good sign for the new team. The team will be driving with a Ferrari 1.6 Liter V-6 turbocharged unit this season, but GM says they plan to have a factory-built unit by 2028 or 2029.

On March 6th, the 2026 season officially began. The season lasts from March to Dec., with 24 total races and six sprint weekends. Sprint weekends include a 100-kilometer race on Saturday, covering around a third of a Grand Prix. These races have no mandatory pit stops, encouraging aggressive racing for the top eight positions. Then, the Sunday Grand Prix happens as usual. This season, there is a new track for the Spanish Grand Prix. Taking over from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya track, which now hosts the

Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, the Madring Circuit in Madrid will host the event. The Madring is a narrow, street and permanent track hybrid that is 3.4 miles long and has 22 turns, most notably turn 12, called “La Monumental,” the longest banked curve in F1. With four projected overtaking turns and narrow track areas, the race has the potential to have a competitive strategy and racing under the new FIA regulations.