Power Ranking
Formula 1 starts the new season. With completely revised cars and partly controversial rules. We rank the teams based on the test drives – and make a prediction.
Formula 1 starts the new season on Sunday morning in Melbourne (08.03.26, from 5 a.m. in the live ticker at sportschau.de). In view of the extensive rule changes and completely revised cars, one is almost inclined to say: everything is different.
But the test drives in Barcelona and Bahrain over the past few weeks show that the fundamental balance of power has not shifted. In contrast to the major rule changes of the recent past, no team from the second or third row will suddenly be competing for the World Championship; the financial possibilities of the teams are too different – and therefore, above all, the possibilities of drawing important insights from the large amount of newly generated data. A ranking after the test drives and before the start:
11th place: Aston Martin
Aston Martin’s preparation was an absolute disaster. No driver was able to complete a race distance at all; the problems with the new Honda engine were too great. It is just as unreliable as the self-developed transmission. Some design innovations from star engineer Adrian Newey don’t help either. Currently it would even be surprising if the cars saw the finish line at the first race in Melbourne.
10th place: Cadillac
The Newcomers from the United States brings with him concentrated experience in the cockpit: Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez will have to do one thing above all – collect and evaluate data so that the team can constantly improve. The test drives were not free from breakdowns and the lap times were far behind. Admittedly: completely normal for a newcomer.
9th place: Williams
Preparation for the season started with a big bang at Williams: the car was not ready for the first tests in Barcelona and the team canceled without further ado. Bad omens that were only partially eliminated in Bahrain. The British are behind in development, but they have two experienced and good drivers in Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz Jr.. And there is a big stroke of luck: Mercedes supplies Williams with engines.
8th place: Audi
In a sense, the second newcomer, even if only superficially. Audi has long announced its entry into Formula 1 and has put together a good overall package with drivers Nico Hülkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto as well as director Mattia Binotto and team boss Jonathan Wheatley. The Sauber past ensures that you have developed structures – plus there were solid test days with a few misfires. Audi can attack in midfield.
7th place: Racing Bulls
The big question mark behind the small subsidiary team of the big Red Bull racing team was the engine: This was developed together with Ford and is more promising than many experts assumed. The only one RookieArvad Lindblad, covered a lot of kilometers in Bahrain – with solid performances and few problems.
6th place: Alpine
This is where the fight for the title begins “Best of the rest“That’s right. Alpine, which was still partially running last year, delivered promising performances in the tests. In addition, Pierre Gasly is an experienced driver. Here too, the big stroke of luck: Mercedes is the new engine supplier. Alpine is a force to be reckoned with.
5th place: Haas
The Haas team performed surprisingly well on the test days. Powered by a Ferrari engine and with the strong driver pairing of Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, Haas was one of the teams that drove the most laps – often in contact with the top lap times.
4th place: Red Bull
The evaluation of the top 4 teams cannot happen without the addition “daily form and route are decisive”. Because Red Bull has put together a strong package with its first own engine, developed together with Ford, that definitely makes you dream of a world title. Especially since Max Verstappen is still in one of the cars and already proved last season that he can make up for certain differences. Red Bull is initially the fourth strongest force, but that doesn’t mean anything for title ambitions.
3rd place: McLaren
Curiously, it was over McLaren During the test drives it was one of the quietest of all. This may be due to the fact that expectations have grown from the dominant team from last year, but it also has to do with the fact that they had no problems with the new car. The engine (from Mercedes) is reliable, the aerodynamic package is right, the drivers (world champions Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri) are outstanding. But: McLaren was rarely at the front, but there is contact with the top.
2nd place: Ferrari
What hardly anyone thought possible could actually come true: Ferrari is fighting for the world championship. The Scuderia didn’t just impress with the technical trick on the rear wing and outstanding start sequences. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton also diligently collected laps and set the absolute best times, especially in the last week of testing. At the start, Ferrari is absolutely top Long run there is likely to be a team ahead of them.
1st place: Mercedes
Even before the test drives, Mercedes was considered an “insider tip,” so to speak. Without going into too much detail: the team managed to use a trick in engine development. This is about the compression ratio. This caused such unrest that the FIA adjusted the rules before the season – but only with effect from August 1st. That’s how long the advantage lasts. Since the former world champion team also has a well-coordinated aerodynamic package, only one conclusion can be drawn: Mercedes is considered the favorite before the first race. And also for the World Cup title.
But: The season is just starting and includes 24 races. The final is on December 6th in Abu Dhabi.
