Happy New Year to all motorsport fans! (And even if you’re not a racing fan but are somehow reading this, Happy New Year to you too.)
As has become customary at this time of year/lazy attempt on my part to not come up with a new feature, I’d like to look ahead to the upcoming season and make a few requests. If this is the first time you’ve endured my musings, then you should know that this is not a series of predictions, and that a few of them also go a little further than a realistic hope and are closer to a request for a miracle.
If you’re considering putting money into any of these ideas, I’d probably recommend you think again – although you can also check this out last year’s wish list to see that sometimes I Doing I get my way, so maybe I should support a few myself…
REGULAR COMPETITION FOR MULTIPLE TEAMS WINNING
This is pretty much a lock on every wish list I do, but this year you could say it’s an even bigger ask than usual. New regulations often ensure a greater spread in the field, and a greater chance that one team will get its new car just right and gain a big lead over the chasing players.
2014 was certainly one of those years, and in many ways so was 2017 – with Mercedes dominant on both occasions – but Ferrari has been in the mix twice, in both 2017 and 2022 against Red Bull, before disappearing from a title challenge.
McLaren’s performance early last year was a surprise given the expected convergence, but we’ve still been treated to a number of weekends where you don’t know 100% what the competitive order will be. Going into 2026, the potential for dominance could be there, but the cost cap might have helped prevent a powerplant-team combination from going too far.
The Mercedes powerplant has been constantly cited as the benchmark over the past eighteen months, but even if that turns out to be the case, with both McLaren and Mercedes using the same engine, I really hope they are at least closely matched.
Perfect world, make sure there are at least two teams with different power sources at the front of the field because that sets the tone not just for one year, but for the entire era.
NORRIS GOES UP A LEVEL
Last season’s finish was impressive from Lando Norris (which is obvious as he wins his first world championship), but there was certainly a section that didn’t fully support his performance, and it felt like that was because he didn’t always perform at the level we know he is capable of.
In the first half of the season, Norris struggled to reach the heights every weekend. He did this often enough to show everyone what was in the locker, but not often enough to avoid any frustration if he stumbled a little.
But confidence plays a big role in performance, and perhaps the title win will provide a boost that will allow him to give his best on a more regular basis.
And I have the impression that Norris will have to do the same, based on Oscar Piastri’s pace of development so far in his short Formula 1 career. If McLaren gives the pair another title-worthy car, they could be even more formidable contenders than this year, and I want to see those in contention performing at their best as often as possible.
New ruleset, new opportunity for Hamilton to return to the front with Ferrari. Andy Hone/Getty Images
HAMILTON AND FERRARI (FINALLY) CLICK
This was a topic a year ago and the hope still exists. I never wish for a negative storyline anywhere in F1 – even though some forms of drama and controversy can generate energy and interest – but I would still argue that Lewis Hamilton’s struggles at his new team have been particularly deflating. Maybe you support another driver and want to see them beat Hamilton, but just like the McLaren drivers against Max Verstappen, beating quality means even more when they perform well.
Hamilton was very close to Charles Leclerc at times in terms of qualifying pace (a real strength of Leclerc’s) and he had some strong races, so there were signs of life at times, but it feels like a race-winning car is getting the best out of the seven-time world champion.
It would be fascinating to see the dynamic between Hamilton and Leclerc if Ferrari manages to re-enter the new regulations as a candidate, but furthermore, it would likely increase general interest in the championship if the Hamilton-Ferrari partnership starts to yield big results.
After all that talk, it will soon be time for Cadillac to show what it has to offer. Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images
CADILLAC IS NOT TOO FAR FROM THE BACK
Don’t take this sub-title too negatively, because we have to look at what is really realistic for a new team coming onto the grid this year.
Cadillac isn’t just building a car for the new regulations, it’s also building a team with the goal of building that car in the first place. It may seem like a long time, but it has been less than 10 months since final approval was given for the team to receive its entry, and since then a huge amount of work has been required to simply run a car in pre-season.
This isn’t a Haas-style entry either (the Ferrari customer tie-in was exactly how it should have been done in 2016, but the sport looks very different today), and there’s so much that Cadillac makes itself that it would be foolish to expect a Haas-style competitive opening that delivers big results right away.
And you could say this wouldn’t be great for F1 in general. If the level of the existing ten teams is so high that the newest team finishes at the bottom of the manufacturers’ championship, then that is a sign of the quality of the championship, but it also enhances Cadillac’s performance if it starts to beat its rivals on a regular basis.
However, if Cadillac is still far away, it would be a very tough year (or longer) for TWG Motorsports and GM, and I don’t think it will help fan interest particularly.
In recent years – as Cadillac tried to land a name under the Andretti moniker – some rivals said they were eager to see the endorsement so Michael Andretti could find out how difficult it is to even compete in F1. If it wants to call itself the pinnacle of motorsport, F1 should be extremely difficult for any newcomer, but I still want to see a Cadillac team that is starting to find its feet and shake up the establishment.
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