The 2026 season for Formula One (F1) World Champion has officially begun, with three Grand Prixs having taken place in Australia, China and Japan. From those three races alone, fans witnessed a shift of who might become this year’s World Champion and which racers might be facing a downfall after a successful run last season. Surely no “Freaky Friday” magic happened between Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari, if you know what I mean. 

While the audience awaits for the next race which is to take place in Miami next month, F1 fans are discussing which drivers will be racing to the top throughout the season and which one has the possibility on becoming this year’s World Champion: 

Kimi Antonelli – This 19 year-old Italian has become the talk of the town since last year. Not only was he a rookie for the 2025 F1 season, he also became a driver for the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team. Now, it may not seem like such a big deal to a non-F1 fan, but when news broke out that Antonelli was selected to fill the empty seat left behind by longtime Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, many viewers questioned Antonelli’s abilities. But did he shut some mouths close because this young driver proved he had what it took to bring Mercedes to the top. And now, he is currently leading the 2026 season with 72 points, with his teammate George Russell not far behind. It seems that Antonelli’s growth will become the main headline for this championship as his podiums in Shanghai and Suzuka have garnered him the chance of not only becoming the youngest pole sitter in F1 history but perhaps the youngest World Champion. 

George Russell – Russell’s time to shine in F1 came after the departure of his teammate Hamilton where the former was named the lead driver for Mercedes for the 2025 season. While his first few seasons with Mercedes proved out to be a little tougher than he thought, Russell’s improvement has easily made him a fan favorite amongst the F1 community. Not to mention fans sharing predictions of whether this British driver would reign victorious as a champion after placing fourth in last year’s season. Now it seems that this year, those predictions might become a reality as Russell was originally leading the World Championship thanks to his P1 win in Australia and his P2 placement in China. However, a fight against Charles LeClerc for P3 in Suzuka quickly put him in fourth in the Japanese Grand Prix and second on the leaderboard, now nine points behind teammate Antonelli. While Russell is being predicted as this year’s possible World Champion, many are awaiting for a rivalry to thrive between the two Mercedes drivers and whether Russell will begin seeing Antonelli as an “enemy” rather than the “little brother” he originally saw last season. 

Oscar Piastri – From the eyes of fans, Piastri has been in the shadow of his teammate Lando Norris for long enough and now, people are speculating that 2026 may as well be his year. After a rough start to the season where he crashed during a reconnaissance lap at his home race in Australia and when his car failed to start at the Chinese Grand Prix, the McLaren driver is now seeking redemption after ending up in P2 in Suzuka. Piastri was quick to show viewers how easily he could get back up by stealing pole position from then pole sitter Antonelli. Despite Antonelli making a memorable comeback and claiming the P1 title, the start of the race in Suzuka easily proved that Piastri is just getting started. It may seem that perhaps this season, 2025 World Champion Norris might be the one standing in a shadow — but this time, of his Australian teammate. 

Lewis Hamilton – The world was shocked at the announcement of the Brit’s departure from Mercedes as Hamilton’s been part of the team for 12 seasons, ultimately winning six Drivers’ Championships and securing 84 race wins. When it was revealed that he would be joining Ferrari for 2025, viewers were expecting a comeback for the team yet were once again disappointed as both cars were met with deep-rooted issues. Due to this, Hamilton was unable to achieve a podium during his season with Ferrari while Antonelli, his replacement at Mercedes, landed on the podium three times. As this season began, people were expecting more letdowns but were shocked to see both Hamilton and teammate LeClerc score P3 in the first three races. Fans finally have some hope to cling to and after suffering a disastrous season last year, Hamilton is ready to get back on the track and prove why he’s a seven-time World Champion.

Write to Anahi Zuniga at anahi.zuniga@mnsu.edu

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