Formula 1’s 2026 revolution has changed almost everything except the identity of the teams fighting for victories. Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull have secured 29 of the first 30 podium positions this season, underlining how the sport’s sweeping technical overhaul has so far failed to disrupt the established competitive order.
The only exception was Pierre Gasly’s third place at the Monaco Grand Prix, achieved in unusual and controversial circumstances. Beyond that result, the four leading teams from 2025 still occupy the top four positions in 2026—and their advantage over the rest of the grid has grown considerably.
F1’s 2026 revolution has not changed the leading teams
The Formula 1 regulations introduced for 2026 have so far proved disappointing on several levels. The first concerns their underlying concept, with corrective measures already set to be introduced in 2027. Those changes will alter the balance between the internal combustion engine and electrical power from the current 53–47 split to a more rational 60–40 distribution.
Questions have also been raised about transparency, particularly regarding the FIA’s management of the first ADUO token. That process established the Red Bull-Ford internal combustion engine as the benchmark, despite the evident strength of the Mercedes power unit.
The FIA did not publish a ranking of the engine manufacturers, nor did it issue a statement or provide clarification to the media. The decision has therefore continued to generate uncertainty, with Mercedes’ performance raising further questions about the FIA’s ADUO classification.
Most importantly from a sporting perspective, the technical revolution has not produced a comparable transformation in the grid hierarchy. It can reasonably be said that everything in Formula 1 has changed except the teams competing for race victories.
Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull take 29 of 30 podiums
The four strongest teams from 2025 still make up Formula 1’s top four in 2026. In fact, the gap between them and the remaining competitors has widened significantly.
Across the opening ten Grands Prix, Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren have collected 29 of the 30 available podium positions. Pierre Gasly’s Monaco result remains the sole exception, although it was an extremely fortunate podium made possible by a Formula One Management calculation error that effectively distorted the outcome of the race.
The statistic demonstrates how successfully the biggest and best-resourced teams have adapted to the new regulations. Mercedes currently possesses the leading package, while Ferrari has remained one of its most consistent challengers despite the energy-management limitations of the SF-26 power unit.
Those difficulties were particularly visible at Spa-Francorchamps, where the complexity of the 2026 power units became one of the defining factors of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. Ferrari nevertheless secured second place with Charles Leclerc and fourth with Lewis Hamilton, reinforcing its position among the championship’s four dominant teams.
Only Oliver Bearman has broken into the top five
Expanding the analysis from podium finishes to top-five results does little to change the overall picture. In addition to Pierre Gasly’s Monaco podium, the only notable result from outside the leading four teams was Oliver Bearman’s fifth place at the Chinese Grand Prix.
That result also came in highly unusual circumstances. Neither McLaren car started the race in Shanghai, while Max Verstappen retired. Oliver Bearman therefore benefited from the absence of three cars that would ordinarily have been expected to compete near the front.
Outside those two exceptional events, Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull have maintained an almost complete hold over Formula 1’s leading positions.
The biggest teams were best prepared for the new regulations
The most structured and well-resourced organisations have clearly managed the regulatory revolution more effectively. That outcome was predictable to a degree, but the scale of the gap remains striking.
A similar pattern emerged when Formula 1 introduced its previous major technical overhaul in 2022. However, by the tenth race of that season, four teams outside the leading group had managed to place at least one car in the top five.
Valtteri Bottas achieved the result for Alfa Romeo, Kevin Magnussen did so for Haas, Pierre Gasly represented AlphaTauri and Fernando Alonso broke into the top five for Alpine. The 2022 regulations therefore produced more opportunities for midfield teams during the opening phase of the season than the current rules have managed in 2026.
This season, the leading teams have not only remained at the front but have also become increasingly difficult for the rest of the grid to challenge. Even when problems arise, their underlying performance advantage is generally large enough to keep them inside the points-paying positions near the front.
Aston Martin’s failure has cleared the way for the established leaders
Aston Martin was expected to be the team capable of disrupting the established order, but Lawrence Stroll’s operation has instead suffered a remarkable failure to meet expectations. Its lack of competitiveness has cleared the way for Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull to dominate almost without interruption.
The scale of Aston Martin’s problems means that even substantial upgrades for the Hungarian Grand Prix may not be enough to move Fernando Alonso immediately into contention with the leading teams.
Budapest should provide a more traditional technical test than Spa, with aerodynamic downforce, mechanical grip and driver confidence expected to play a greater role. Ferrari itself has warned against assuming the circuit will automatically suit its car, with Charles Leclerc explaining why Ferrari cannot take the SF-26’s competitiveness for granted.
However, even if Aston Martin were to make an extraordinary improvement of three seconds per lap, that gain would still only allow Fernando Alonso to fight for a position around the sixth or seventh row of the grid. It would not immediately place him close to the leading contenders.
That assessment illustrates the size of the gap Aston Martin must overcome and the extent to which Formula 1’s 2026 regulations have strengthened rather than overturned the established hierarchy.
The 2026 cars are new, but Formula 1’s hierarchy remains familiar
Formula 1 entered 2026 promising one of the most significant technical transformations in its history. The power units changed, active aerodynamics arrived and teams had to rethink almost every aspect of car design and energy management.
Yet after ten Grands Prix, the sporting outcome remains remarkably familiar. Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull continue to control almost every podium position, while the midfield has found it even more difficult to challenge the leading group than under the previous regulations.
The forthcoming Hungarian Grand Prix will provide another opportunity to assess whether any team can begin closing that gap. The complete 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix timetable and coverage information outlines the schedule for the final race weekend before the summer break.
For now, however, the central conclusion is difficult to avoid: Formula 1’s 2026 revolution has changed the machinery, but it has not changed the identity of the teams capable of fighting for victories.
Leave a Reply