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Medland’s 2026 Formula 1 wishlist

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Happy New Year to all the motor racing fans out there! (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 effort on my part to not come up with a new feature, I like to look ahead to the upcoming season and make a few requests. If this is your first time putting up with my musings, then you should know that these are not a set of predictions, and a few of them are also a little bit beyond a realistic hope and closer to a request for a miracle.

If you’re thinking of putting any money behind any of these ideas, I’d probably suggest you think again – although you can check out

last year’s wishlist to see that sometimes I do get my way, so maybe I should back a few of them myself…

REGULAR COMPETITION FOR WINS FROM MULTIPLE TEAMS

This is pretty much a lock in every single wishlist that I do, but this year you could argue it is an even bigger ask than usual. New regulations tend to bring a larger field spread, and a greater chance of one team getting its new car very right and pulling a big advantage over the chasing pack.

2014 was definitely one such year, and 2017 in many ways as well – with Mercedes dominant on both occasions – but Ferrari has twice been in the mix, both in 2017 and in 2022 against Red Bull, before fading from a title challenge.

McLaren’s performance at the start of last year was a surprise given the expected convergence, but we’ve still been treated to a number of weekends when you’re not 100% what the competitive order will be. Going into 2026, the potential might be there for dominance, but the cost cap might just have helped prevent any one power unit manufacturer and team combination from pulling too far clear.

The Mercedes power unit has been constantly referenced as the benchmark over the past 18 months, but even if that turns out to be the case, with McLaren and Mercedes both using the same engine, I really hope that the two of them are closely matched at the very least.

Perfect world, make it at least two teams with different power units that are at the front of the field, because that sets the tone not just for one year, but the entire era.

NORRIS GOES UP A LEVEL

The finish to last season was impressive from Lando Norris (stating the obvious as he wins his first world championship) but there was definitely a section that did not fully get behind his achievement, 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 hit the heights every weekend. He did so often enough to show everyone what was in the locker, but not often enough to prevent some frustration when he stumbled slightly.

But confidence places a big role in performance, and perhaps the title win will provide a boost that helps him access the best of his ability on a more regular basis.

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And I get the impression Norris will have to, based on the development rate of Oscar Piastri so far in his short Formula 1 career. If McLaren give the pair another title-worthy car, they could well be even more formidable contenders than they were this year, and I want to see those in the fight performing at their best as often as possible.

New ruleset, fresh chance 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 holds. I never wish for a negative storyline anywhere in F1 – even if some types of drama and controversy can create energy and interest – but even so I would argue that Lewis Hamilton struggling at his new team was particularly deflating. You might support another driver and want to see them beating Hamilton, but just like the McLaren drivers against Max Verstappen, it means all the more when you’re beating quality like that when they’re performing well.

At times Hamilton was very close to Charles Leclerc 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 does feel like a race-winning car brings 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 start the new regulations as a contender once again, but on top of that it would likely raise overall interest in the championship if the Hamilton-Ferrari partnership starts to deliver big results.

After all the talk, it’ll soon be time for Cadillac to show what’s it’s got. Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images

CADILLAC ISN’T TOO FAR OFF THE BACK

Don’t take that subheading too negatively, because we need to look at what is truly realistic for a new team joining the grid this year.

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Cadillac isn’t just building a car for the new regulations, it’s also building a team for the purpose of building that car in the first place. It might feel like a long time coming, but it is less than 10 months since final approval was given for the team to receive its entry, and a huge amount of work has been required since then to simply run a car in pre-season.

This isn’t a Haas-style entry either (the Ferrari customer tie-up was exactly how it should have been done back in 2016, but the sport looks very different today), and there is so much that Cadillac is making itself that it would be foolish to expect a Haas-esque competitive opening that delivers big results straight away.

And you could argue that wouldn’t be great for F1 overall. If the standard of the existing 10 teams is so high that the newest team finishes at the bottom of the constructors’ championship, then that’s a sign of the quality of the championship, but also heightens Cadillac’s achievement when it does start beating rivals on a regular basis.

If Cadillac is a long way off, though, then it would make for a really tough year (or more) for TWG Motorsports and GM, and I also don’t think particularly helps fan interest.

Over the past few years – while Cadillac was trying to gain an entry under the Andretti name – some rivals said they were really keen to see it approved just so Michael Andretti could find out how hard it is to even compete in F1. If it wants to call itself the pinnacle of motorsport, then F1 should be extremely hard for any new entrant, but I still want to see a Cadillac team that starts to find its feet and shake up the establishment.