New Teams, New Regulations Promise New Thrills: A preview of the 2026 Formula 1 season

The 2026 Formula 1 season promises new action and excitement. There are two new teams, one new driver and a boatload of new regulations.

McLaren had a major moment last year winning the Constructors' Championship and Lando Norris winning the Drivers' Championship. But Red Bull and Max Verstappen kept the competition close. 

Ferrari, who welcomed Lewis Hamilton to their outfit last season, had glimpses of greatness like his Chinese Grand Prix sprint win and seven podium appearances from Charles Leclerc. But that was far below Ferrari’s standards of excellence.

Williams, on the other hand, shocked the world. They captured 137 points for their best season since 2016. Carlos Sainz even got two podiums with the help of his trusty unicorn, Sparkles.

What unexpected twists and turns await us in the 2026 season? We can’t wait to see who adapts quickly to the new rules, and who doesn’t.

Here’s Kick The Concrete’s 2026 Formula 1 season preview:

Cadillac to represent the United States as the new team on the grid…

There will be a massive 11 teams on the F1 grid for the 2026 season. Cadillac is owning its place as a truly American team. Haas is also technically American-owned, but because of their technical partnership with Ferrari and the way they blend in with European traditions of the sport, their identity has been a bit muddied.

Cadillac, on the other hand, is bleeding red, white and blue. They use month-date-year format for all their announcements, something that is strictly American. They are sponsoring American driver and IndyCar star Colton Herta in Formula 2. Their official spirits partner is Kentucky whiskey brand Jim Beam and they snatched up Tommy Hilfiger as their official outfitter after the American sportswear staple left Mercedes.

Plus, they revealed their striking two-toned livery as a Super Bowl commercial, showing that they know how the nation’s biggest sporting event really works. This is much smarter than the Visa Cash App RB reveal in 2024, when they did their livery reveal at a party during Super Bowl week in Las Vegas but nobody really knew about it or what was going on.

The Cadillac team is going bold with a black and white color scheme. This makes it a universally-lovable outfit. The choice is similar to how Jay Z rebranded the NBA’s Nets when he moved the team to Brooklyn and changed their colors to black and white.

And Cadillac has an All-Star pairing for their drivers lineup. After shocking the world at Racing Point and earning the title of Minister of Defense at Red Bull, Sergio Pérez is back. And he’s joining Valtteri Bottas, who helped Mercedes win five Constructors' Championships and remains the only driver to reach Q3 in every outing with the Silver Arrows. Both drivers also bring authenticity and confidence to a grid that had four true rookies last season and might still be learning how to thrive in the cockpit and in the spotlight.

… Audi hopes to make a splash too

Audi is entering the Formula 1 grid by taking over for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber. We are sad the fun neon green cars are gone, but excited for the sleek silver livery to take over. It will be quite a feat to be the more notable metallic team over the Silver Arrows at Mercedes, but Audi seems up for the task.

Audi retains Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto as their drivers. Hülkenberg thrilled fans with the first podium of his career at the British Grand Prix last year. Bortoleto is still finding his way as a driver and media personality. But a makeover never hurts anyone.

The Lone Rookie

Unlike last year where there were four true rookies on the grid, there is one sole newcomer to the 2026 F1 season: 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad. The young British racer is taking over Isack Hadjar’s spot at Racing Bulls. He started karting at the tender age of 5 and was the youngest driver to capture a win in both Formula 2 and 3. He is now stepping into fame effortlessly. Fans decried that the dynamic duo of Liam Lawson and Hadjar was breaking up, but Lindblad has already proven himself to be a social media darling.

Last year’s rookies, minus Jack Doohan, are still on the grid. It will be entertaining to see how they perform in their second seasons and hope to avoid a sophomore slump. Perhaps Hadjar has the most expectations on him since he is moving up to Red Bull Racing to support, and compete against, four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

But Kimi Antonelli has a lot of pressure, too. He had a historic season last year as an 18-year-old, becoming the youngest driver to capture pole position and lead a race. He also scored the most points of the rookies with 150.

New Regulations mean no more DRS and a potentially even playing field

The playing field might very well be reset for the 2026 F1 season because of new car regulations. The last time this happened was in 2022. Red Bull Racing figured out the formula like lightning and ran with it. Max Verstappen had a historic 2023 season where he earned 10 consecutive race wins and a record 12 wins from pole position en route to the Drivers' Championship. Red Bull Racing won the Constructors' Championship capturing the race win at all but one of the year’s competitions.

This year’s regulations mean there will be smoother floors, which means less downforce, and no more DRS. Fans might be disappointed that the racing technique powered by a rear flap is gone, but now both the front and rear flaps can be manipulated throughout the race in a new technology called Active Aero. There’s fewer rules with Active Aero than with DRS, so that should make for thrills at any moment of any race.

And that’s not all. There’s Overtake Mode, which can be activated for a shot of electricity when a driver is within a one second margin of a competitor. AND there is a Boost button that each driver can use for maximum power from their battery. There are no rules confining the use of the Boost button, so it will be a free-for-all.

The series is pushing even further into the idea of hybrid vehicles and each car is now powered by 50 percent electricity and 50 percent petrol. Also new to Formula 1 this season is Advanced Sustainable Fuels, which have been used in Formula 2 and Formula 3. The sport continues to make strides in its mission to be more planet-friendly.

F1 x Disney Partnership to Launch

Pop culture fans rejoiced when Formula 1 announced its partnership with Disney in May of 2025. The series has embraced the worlds of Peanuts, Hello Kitty and Marvel. It only makes sense that Disney would be up next.

The partnership was teased last season with special appearances from Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Minnie showcased how F1 can embrace fashion with her on-trend checkerboard skirt at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Several people on the grid and in the garage already embrace the magical world of Disney, especially “Cars.” Liam Lawson’s favorite Disney character is Lightning McQueen and Ferrari mechanic Alessandro Fusaro has a tattoo of Guido on his arm.

It is exciting to think about the different activations, merchandise and fan engagement opportunities F1 and Disney have been cooking up.

Growth of the KitKat Partnership

Formula 1's connection with KitKat started when Checo Pérez became an official ambassador for the candy in 2023. The connection expanded with an official partnership with F1 in 2025 and that deal will be even more visible in the 2026 F1 season. 

The F1 x KitKat partnership began with the Ready… Set… Break campaign. A social media campaign, fun and relaxing (or “take a break”) installations at the races in Mexico and Brazil, and, of course, merch created excitement for the pairing. All this will expand globally in the 2026 season with the addition of miniature chocolate Formula 1 cars available in select countries now. Please bring them to the US!

It’s a big year in the sports world with the Super Bowl, Olympics and men’s World Cup. But Formula 1 will always be special and the 2026 season promises to keep us entertained.