The 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship is a planned motor racing championship for Formula One cars which will be the 77th running of the Formula One World Championship. It is recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body of international motorsport, as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. The championship will be contested over twenty-four Grands Prix held around the world. Drivers and teams are scheduled to compete for the titles of World Drivers' Champion and World Constructors' Champion, respectively. Lando Norris is the reigning World Drivers' Champion, while McLaren-Mercedes are the reigning World Constructors' Champions.
The 2026 season will feature a major set of regulation changes with a revised power unit configuration and new active aerodynamics. Audi, who acquired Sauber in 2024, will enter as a works team with its own power unit, while Cadillac is set to make its series debut using Ferrari power units, marking the first time an eleventh team has competed since 2016. Honda, through its Honda Racing Corporation subsidiary, will enter into an exclusive works team agreement with Aston Martin, and will supply them with their own power unit after ending its current relationship with Red Bull Racing. Ford will return to the sport for the first time since 2004, supporting Red Bull Powertrains in supplying power units to Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls. Renault will no longer be an engine supplier as Alpine will switch to Mercedes power units.
Team changes
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Cadillac will become the eleventh team, marking Cadillac's first appearance in the series and the first new team on the grid since Haas in 2016. The team will use Ferrari power units and gearboxes,[19][20][21][22] with plans to develop their own engine for use in a future season. Cadillac had previously tried to enter Formula One in conjunction with Andretti Global.[41][42]
Three new engine manufacturers will enter Formula One, coinciding with the engine regulation changes. Audi will enter the sport for the first time, having purchased the existing Sauber team in 2024. Audi's predecessor company Auto Union did compete in Grand Prix racing prior to World War II and the inception of the World Championship in 1950.[43] The team raced in 2024 and 2025 as Kick Sauber, using Ferrari engines, before it becomes the Audi factory team in 2026. Thus, Ferrari will supply Haas and Cadillac as customer teams.[15][44]
Ford will return to Formula One as an engine supplier for the first time since it provided engines for its former customer team Jordan in 2004.[45] It will form a partnership with Red Bull Powertrains, which will supply Red Bull Racing and their second team Racing Bulls. Honda, which partially withdrew from Formula One in 2021 whilst remaining as partners of Red Bull Powertrains, will split from the two Red Bull-owned teams and relaunch a fully-independent engine program supplying Aston Martin under the Honda Racing Corporation subsidiary. Aston Martin had used Mercedes power units since they re-joined the sport, who had supplied engines to Aston Martin's predecessors since 2009. Honda had previously collaborated with Aston Martin's predecessor Jordan from 1998 to 2002.[9][36][46]
Renault will cease to provide engines for Alpine from 2026 after achieving poor results since the beginning of the hybrid power unit regulations in 2014. It will thus be the first season without any Renault engine since the 2000 championship. Alpine will become a customer team, as opposed to a full works outfit, as had been the case since Renault reacquired Team Enstone ahead of the 2016 season.[5] Alpine will become a customer team of Mercedes, utilising their engines and gearboxes from this season onwards; up until this point, 2015 marked the last time a rendition of Team Enstone used customer Mercedes engines, competing as Lotus.[6]
Driver changes
Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas will return to full time seats with Cadillac. Pérez had previously signed a two-year contract with Red Bull Racing until 2026, but this was terminated by mutual agreement at the end of the 2024 season. Bottas last competed with Sauber in 2024 and was one of Mercedes's reserve drivers for 2025.[47]
Isack Hadjar will move from Racing Bulls to Red Bull Racing, replacing Yuki Tsunoda, who will become Red Bull's test and reserve driver.[48] Hadjar's replacement will be Arvid Lindblad, who will be promoted from Formula 2.[39]
Calendar
The 2026 calendar comprises twenty-four Grands Prix, as with the previous two seasons.[49] The Chinese, Miami, Canadian, British, Dutch and Singapore Grands Prix will feature the sprint format.[50]
Calendar changes
The Spanish Grand Prix will move from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló to a new street circuit in Madrid built around the IFEMA.[52] The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will continue to host a race under the name Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.[53] The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola was discontinued after their contract to host their race until 2025 was not renewed.[49] The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be held on a Saturday following a request from the promoter and relevant government stakeholders to accommodate their Remembrance Day.[51][54]
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