You've probably seen the "zeroes" across the board. It's mid-January 2026, and if you look up the current F1 driver standings, you'll see a flat line of nothing. No points. No lead. No drama—at least not on the scoreboard.
But honestly? That zero is the most exciting number in Formula 1 right now.
We are standing on the precipice of the biggest technical overhaul in the sport's history. Lando Norris is officially the defending World Champion after his massive 2025 campaign, but as of this morning, he has exactly as many points as the rookie Arvid Lindblad.
The slate is clean.
The 2026 season doesn't actually kick off until March 8th in Melbourne at the Albert Park Circuit. Until those lights go out, the current F1 driver standings are less about math and more about the frantic, behind-the-scenes scramble to master the new 2026 regulations. We’re talking about active aerodynamics, a 50/50 power split between the internal combustion engine and electric battery, and cars that are narrower, lighter, and—frankly—scary for the drivers who haven't figured them out yet.
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Why the Leaderboard is a Ghost Town Right Now
It's tempting to think of this as just another "off-season." It isn't. Usually, you can look at the previous year's standings and make a safe bet. Not this time. Red Bull is grappling with their first-ever in-house power unit (with a little help from Ford), and rumor has it they’re finding the 2026 engine "monumentally challenging."
Max Verstappen, who has swapped his iconic number 1 for the number 3 this year (following Norris's title win), is essentially starting from scratch.
If you're checking the standings today, January 18, 2026, here is the reality: Everyone is at 0 points.
But if we look at the "weighted" standings—who has the most momentum heading into the first private test in Barcelona on January 26—the list looks very different. McLaren's duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are the ones everyone is chasing. They dominated the 2025 Constructors' Championship by 364 points. That’s not a gap; that’s a canyon.
The 2026 Grid: Who’s Sitting Where?
Before we get to the first race, you need to know who is actually eligible for points this year. The grid has shifted in ways that still feel like a fever dream.
- McLaren: Lando Norris (the reigning champ) and Oscar Piastri. Stability is their superpower.
- Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and... Lewis Hamilton. It still looks weird in the red suit, doesn't it?
- Red Bull: Max Verstappen and the rookie Isack Hadjar.
- Mercedes: George Russell and the Italian prodigy Kimi Antonelli.
- Cadillac (New Entry!): Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. Yes, Cadillac is here, and they're using Ferrari engines for now.
- Audi: Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.
The "Hidden" Standings: Pre-Season Hype vs. Reality
While the official current F1 driver standings won't change until March, the "power rankings" are shifting daily. Expert analysts like those at Planet F1 have already flagged a potential "Hamilton Decline." In 2025, Leclerc out-qualified Lewis in 19 out of 24 sessions. If that trend continues into 2026, the seven-time champ might find himself buried in the middle of the pack regardless of how good the new Ferrari SF-26 is.
Then you have the Williams resurgence. Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz are widely considered one of the strongest pairings on the grid. If the Mercedes power unit in the back of that Williams is as good as the whispers suggest, we could see Albon at the top of the standings by April.
What Most People Get Wrong About the 2026 Points System
There’s a misconception that because the cars are new, the way points are awarded has changed. It hasn't. We are still looking at the 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 structure.
However, the current F1 driver standings will be heavily influenced by the six Sprint races scheduled for 2026:
- China
- Miami
- Canada
- Great Britain
- Netherlands
- Singapore
These Sprints are where the championship was won and lost last year. Lando Norris's ability to maximize points on Saturdays was exactly what kept him ahead of the chasing pack.
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The Rookie Factor
Watch out for Arvid Lindblad at Racing Bulls and Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes. In 2025, we saw Oliver Bearman finish 13th in the standings as a rookie, outperforming seasoned veterans. The 2026 regulations are a "reset button" for experience. A 19-year-old who has spent 500 hours in a state-of-the-art 2026 simulator might actually have an edge over a veteran who is struggling to unlearn the driving habits of the last five years.
The Road to the First Points
Since you can't see movement in the standings today, you should be looking at the calendar. This is where the season actually begins:
- January 26–30: Private Testing in Barcelona. This is the first time we see the 2026 cars on track. No times will be official, but the body language of the engineers tells you everything.
- February 11–13: Bahrain Test Part 1.
- February 18–20: Bahrain Test Part 2.
- March 8: The Australian Grand Prix. This is when the current F1 driver standings finally stop being a list of zeroes.
Actionable Insights for F1 Fans
If you want to stay ahead of the curve while the standings are empty, do these three things:
- Monitor the "Puri-Test" leaks: During the Barcelona testing (starting Jan 26), watch for "porpoising" or bouncing. In 2022, the teams that bounced in February were the ones at the bottom of the standings in June.
- Follow the engine dyno rumors: 2026 is an "engine formula." Pay attention to reports about the Red Bull-Ford power unit. If they are down on horsepower, Verstappen could spend the whole year fighting for P8.
- Watch the weight: The 2026 cars have a minimum weight of 768kg. Teams that struggle to hit that limit will be giving away tenths of a second for free.
The current F1 driver standings might look boring on paper today, but the tension is higher than it’s been in a decade. We are weeks away from finding out if the McLaren era is here to stay, or if a new giant is about to wake up.
Keep your eyes on the testing times in Barcelona. That's where the real standings are being written.
Next Steps:
- Check the official F1 car launch dates (most are happening in early February).
- Review the 2026 rulebook changes specifically regarding "Manual Override Mode" to understand how overtaking will work this year.