F1 release official 2026 driver photo and fans call out Photoshop flaws

Hamilton, Verstappen, Piastri, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 release official 2026 driver photo and fans call out Photoshop flaws

The drivers are all set for 2026

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 18 February 2026 21:57

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F1 has released the official class of 2026 photo ahead of the new season, but fans on social media have been left far from impressed by their Photoshop skills.

The drivers and teams are all in Bahrain this week for the final three days of pre-season testing, ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix getting underway next month.

And the now 22 drivers - following the addition of the Cadillac outfit to the grid for 2026 in the first time that F1 has had more than 10 teams since 2016 - have all lined up for a photo before the season begins.

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This is often the time of the year that the drivers are at their most relaxed, and F1 takes advantage of that to get a picture of them all together, as usually detailed on the hit Netflix series Drive to Survive.

In this year's photo - posted on X earlier this week - Lewis Hamilton is sat right at the front alongside Lando Norris and the drivers' championship trophy, while rookie Arvid Lindblad is positioned between three highly experienced racers in Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg and Charles Leclerc.

But fans have taken to social media to suggest the image has had some editing applied to it, and alleging that the drivers weren't all actually there.

"They sure photoshopped the foreground," one user said, while another said: "Why do they ALL look photoshopped in."

Another fan on social media said: "Did you fire your photography director? Eyesore much," while another said: "Now I know why Oscar's head was chopped in the previous one we saw."

However, one fan actually believed they should have used Photoshop to edit the background, with the location for this year's shoot not the most glamorous, with ceiling fans and grey pipes prevalent in the shot, commenting below the reveal: "They didn't even try to Photoshop the background!"

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After a 2025 season in which there were four official rookies starting the season - as well as Liam Lawson and Ollie Bearman who had not completed a full season in the sport - 2026 is pretty bare on the rookie front.

British-Swedish racer Arvid Lindblad is the only driver listed as an official rookie, while Franco Colapinto is the only other driver who is yet to complete a full season in the sport having had spells in 2024 and 2025 with Williams and Alpine respectively.

Perez and Valtteri Bottas are returning to the sport after a year out, but with 16 grand prix victories between them, they can hardly be called 'new drivers'.

There are plenty of young drivers looking to impress in their second seasons in the sport, however, with Isack Hadjar desperate to prove he has what it takes to drive for a race-winning outfit alongside four-time champion Max Verstappen.

What's more, Kimi Antonelli could find himself thrust into a championship battle in his sophomore year, with Mercedes seemingly the team to beat amid the new regulations changes.

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