F1 2026 driver line-up as Verstappen gets new team-mate

F1's 2026 driver lineup has been confirmed and there have been a host of changes. Whether it's Red Bull, Ferrari or Mercedes - here is how all the team's driver pairings look this year.

Max Verstappen has a new team-mate, with Frenchman Isack Hadjar making the step up having impressed in his rookie year at Racing Bulls in 2025.

That has left Yuki Tsunoda without a seat for 2026, with 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad taking Hadjar's place at Racing Bulls.

Meanwhile, there are set to be 22 drivers on the F1 grid, with the introduction of the Cadillac F1 team giving both Valtteri Bottas and former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez a lifeline in the sport.

Here are the 22 drivers hoping to claim championship success in the 2026 season.

McLaren

2025's constructors' champions have had their driver lineup for the new regulations sorted since early 2024, when both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were handed contract extensions.

Piastri was then once again handed another extension to his contract - a contract that was due to run until the end of 2026 anyway - early on in the 2025 season.

Therefore, it's safe to say that Piastri and Norris will be McLaren's drivers for several seasons yet, although McLaren know all too well about releasing big-name drivers early from their contracts, having done so with Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo in the past.

Mercedes

Sticking with their 2025 lineup, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will be Mercedes' drivers for 2026.

Despite how long it took them to get the deals officially announced, there was never really any doubt once Verstappen had confirmed he would be staying at Red Bull, with Antonelli putting together a solid rookie season, and Russell performing brilliantly to secure two race wins and seven further podiums throughout 2025.

Red Bull

As mentioned above, Red Bull have a new driver lineup for 2026.

Verstappen is being joined by Hadjar, who finished above both Tsunoda and Liam Lawson last season, despite being the only one of the three not have driven a Red Bull throughout the season.

Ferrari

When Lewis Hamilton signed his lucrative Ferrari deal in 2024, it was announced to be a multi-year contract, and the seven-time world champion will take Ferrari into F1's new era.

And he will be joined by Charles Leclerc once more for the 2026 season, with the Monegasque driver having signed a new contract back in 2024 too, which is understood to be until the 2029 season.

Williams

After he left Ferrari to make way for Hamilton, Carlos Sainz signed a multi-year contract with Williams, and he is set to take the Grove-based squad into a new era in which they hope to be challenging for more regular podiums.

Sainz and Alex Albon guided Williams to their best season since 2016 last year, and they will pair up again for the 2026 season.

Racing Bulls

Hadjar's promotion means that Racing Bulls also had to find another driver for 2026.

And they decided that teenage rookie Lindblad would be the man for the job. He's a highly rated youngster, and claimed three race wins in F2 last year.

Lindblad will race alongside Lawson, who is continuing on at Racing Bulls after a failed Red Bull stint early last year.

Aston Martin

Remarkably, at 44 years of age, Alonso will be guiding Aston Martin into F1's new era.

Alonso, who holds the all-time record for the most amount of race starts, will begin his 23rd season in the sport in 2026, and it may just be the one in which he can claim his first race victory since 2013, with Aston Martin hoping to make huge strides.

Alongside him will be Lance Stroll, who is on a rolling contract with the Silverstone-based outfit.

Haas

Haas will keep British driver Oliver Bearman for the 2026 season, after the rookie had already signed a multi-year deal before the 2025 season started.

Their other driver Esteban Ocon also signed a multi-year deal before the 2025 season, and the pair will team up once more in 2026.

Audi

One of two new names on the F1 grid in 2026, but they have retained the driver lineup from when the team was known as Sauber last year.

That means that German veteran Nico Hulkenberg will drive for the German car manufacturer fresh off the back of securing his first podium in F1 at the age of 37 at the 2025 British GP.

Alongside him will be Gabriel Bortoleto, who impressed in his rookie year in 2025, and had already signed a deal before the season had started that would keep him at the team as they transitioned into Audi.

Alpine

They may have finished bottom of the constructors' championship in 2025, but Alpine have kept their faith in their drivers from last year for 2026.

Frenchman Pierre Gasly was already set to be with the team in 2026, but he recently signed another contract extension that sees him through until the end of the 2028 season, meaning he is the man to lead the team in the new era.

And he'll be joined by Franco Colapinto, despite the fact the Argentine driver did not score a single point in 18 grand prix weekends last year.

Cadillac

2026 will be the first time since 2016 that there will be more than 10 teams on the F1 grid, and F1's newest team will have two of the sport's most experienced veterans.

Bottas and Perez have 16 career grands prix victories between them, as well as a combined 26 seasons-worth of F1 experience.

They will both be hoping to help Cadillac progress in their first season in the sport, before hopefully being more competitive in 2027.

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