With F1 2026 just around the corner, the crystal balls are being dusted off as predictions emerge over the biggest winners and losers in the regulatory shake-up.<\/p>\n
Johnny Herbert, the three-time grand prix winner and former FIA steward, highlighted newcomers Cadillac, and Alpine, as the teams which he believes could find it \u201ctough\u201d going in the season ahead.<\/p>\n
Cadillac and Alpine tipped for \u2018tough\u2019 F1 2026<\/p>\n
It is all change in the regulations for F1 2026. Smaller, lighter cars, using active aerodynamics on both wings, will hit the grid. They will be powered by new 50\/50 electric and biofuel engines, making F1 2026 a journey into the unknown.<\/p>\n
There are also two new teams joining the fray. Audi has taken over from Sauber, while Cadillac enters as the sport\u2019s 11th team.<\/p>\n
Audi had a strong base put down by Sauber to build from, but Cadillac is a team which has been brought together completely from scratch.<\/p>\n
As such, when 1996 World Champion Damon Hill, and Johnny Herbert, appeared on the Stay on Track podcast, Hill suggested to Herbert that Cadillac will, in his opinion, be \u201cplaying catch-up for a long time\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBig time, yes,\u201d Herbert responded in agreement.<\/p>\n
Cadillac does have the valuable experience of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as its driver line-up. The pair boast a combined 16 grand prix wins, 10 for Bottas and six for Perez.<\/p>\n
However, as a completely new start-up team, with so much to learn, taking on the calibre of competition which exists in modern Formula 1, Herbert believes that Cadillac may need to prepare for life towards the back of the grid at the start of their journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a whole new learning experience,\u201d he said. \u201cYes, there\u2019s going to be experienced people there, but it\u2019s a whole different scenario when you\u2019re bringing a whole new team, and there are expectations, I\u2019m sure, from Cadillac themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you\u2019re up against the greats of the sport, from the Ferraris of the world, Mercedes and Red Bulls and McLarens, for example.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, it\u2019s going to take time. Have they got enough time for that to all come together down the line? I suppose we\u2019re all going to be talking, what, four or five years, probably.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think it\u2019s going to be tough for them. I think it\u2019s going to be very tough.<\/p>\n
\u201cGot two great drivers, who are going to be very, very useful for their input of the experiences they\u2019ve had at various teams, Mercedes, and Red Bull with Sergio.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think they are going to be the one that\u2019s going to be fighting, probably, for those last few rows, I would think, which is going to be a bit a bit tough for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team which Herbert predicts Cadillac to be battling back there, is Alpine.<\/p>\n
The Enstone squad finished a distant last in the 2025 Constructors\u2019 Championship, having opted to focus on the new regulations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the one that\u2019s really going to be finding things tough is Alpine,\u201d Herbert stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Alpine are in a real big rut at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to the opportunities offered in the new chassis rules, Alpine has also seen major change on the engine side.<\/p>\n
Renault pulled the plug on its F1 2026 power unit project, leaving Alpine to become a Mercedes engine customer.<\/p>\n
While no firm evidence exists, the Mercedes engine has been widely tipped to pack a punch. When Formula 1 first moved to hybrid engines in 2014, Mercedes embarked on a run of eight consecutive Constructors\u2019 Championship wins.<\/p>\n
But, when Hill pointed out that Alpine will run the Mercedes engine in F1 2026, Herbert stressed that \u201cit\u2019s the whole package\u201d.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cIt\u2019s the aerodynamics. It\u2019s the whole package of it. You\u2019ve got to be able to have the right ingredients for the electrification to work with the combustion, but then you need the right aerodynamics. We\u2019ve got all the technology with the active wings as well. They\u2019re going to come into play.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo there\u2019s a hell of a lot of new things that are coming in, and they\u2019re not coming off of, particularly, what I would say, a strong last couple of years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been chaos. How do you twist chaos into positivity?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hill quipped that to do that, one \u201cgets a Mercedes power unit\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, but it doesn\u2019t fix everything,\u201d Herbert came back with. \u201cIt may be very, very useful, but I think there\u2019s more fundamental issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all those little ingredients that are going to make it, I think, very, very tough for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
More on F1 2026 from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n
The ultimate F1 2026 guide: Everything you need to know about the 2026 season<\/a><\/p>\n First Audi F1 design details spotted as early F1 2026 tech trend emerges<\/a><\/p>\n Alpine driver Pierre Gasly used what the team is working on for F1 2026 as his fuel to push through a harrowing 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat has helped me a lot is, it was a very long tunnel the whole [2025] season, but knowing what we\u2019re doing for 2026, I\u2019ve always had that sort of light,\u201d said Gasly.<\/p>\n \u201cI could always see the light at the end of the tunnel, which sort of helped me to get through that year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the season I\u2019ve scored the least number of points in F1.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel, personally, I\u2019ve put a strong performance out there, so it doesn\u2019t really bring any satisfaction from it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going be very happy to move away from that year.\u201d<\/p>\n Teammate Franco Colapinto, meanwhile, is very encouraged by Alpine\u2019s 2026 prospects.<\/p>\n \u201cNext year\u2019s car is going to be better than this year\u2019s,\u201d he said in late 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very, I think, they are all very positive in terms of the base and the performance of next year, starting the simulations, but until you see it on track, it\u2019s difficult to say.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019s going to be better than this year\u2019s!\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n