You’ve seen the charts. You’ve probably refreshed the page a dozen times after a Sunday afternoon race. But honestly, looking at formula 1 racing standings right now feels a bit like reading a book where the last three chapters haven't been written yet. We are standing on the edge of the most violent technical reset the sport has seen in decades.
It’s January 2026. The garages in Milton Keynes, Maranello, and Woking are currently vibrating with the sound of new engines that, quite frankly, sound nothing like the ones we’ve grown used to.
Lando Norris enters this year as the reigning World Champion. That’s a sentence that still feels weird to type for some, but the 2025 season proved that McLaren wasn't just having a "moment"—they had the car, the strategy, and the nerves. But here is the thing: the points on the board from last year are officially worthless now.
The Clean Slate Problem
In Formula 1, momentum is usually king. If you have a fast car in November, you usually have a fast car in March. Not this time. The formula 1 racing standings are about to be hit by a meteor called the 2026 Technical Regulations.
We are moving to a 50/50 power split. Half internal combustion, half electric. The cars are smaller. They are lighter. They have "active aerodynamics," which is basically a fancy way of saying the wings move on their own to reduce drag on the straights. No more DRS. Instead, we have "Manual Override Mode."
It’s basically Mario Kart with a billion-dollar budget.
If you look at the current "standings" before the first light goes out in Melbourne this March, everyone is tied at zero. But the hierarchy in the paddock is anything but equal. Mercedes is rumored to have a "god-tier" power unit, reminiscent of their 2014 dominance. Red Bull, meanwhile, is entering their first year with their own engine—built with Ford—after years of relying on Honda.
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Why the Constructor Standings Matter More Than Ever
Usually, fans obsess over the drivers. We want to see if Max Verstappen can reclaim his throne or if Lewis Hamilton’s second year at Ferrari will finally result in that elusive eighth title. But the formula 1 racing standings for constructors are where the real blood is drawn this year.
Money is at stake, sure. But it’s also about survival.
- Audi has arrived. They’ve fully taken over the Sauber entry. With Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto behind the wheel, they aren't here to make up the numbers.
- Cadillac is the 11th team. This is huge. For the first time since Haas joined in 2016, the grid has expanded. They’ve picked up Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas—two guys who have nothing left to prove but everything to gain from a fresh start.
- The Honda-Aston Martin marriage. Fernando Alonso is 44 years old. He’s driving a car designed by Adrian Newey and powered by a factory Honda engine. If he isn't near the top of the standings by mid-season, something has gone very wrong.
| Team | Power Unit | Lead Drivers |
|---|---|---|
| McLaren | Mercedes | Norris / Piastri |
| Ferrari | Ferrari | Leclerc / Hamilton |
| Red Bull | Red Bull-Ford | Verstappen / Hadjar |
| Mercedes | Mercedes | Russell / Antonelli |
| Aston Martin | Honda | Alonso / Stroll |
The Max Verstappen Factor
Max is in a weird spot. For years, he was the undisputed king. Then 2025 happened. McLaren caught up. Ferrari caught up. Red Bull’s internal drama became a distraction. Now, he’s leading a team into an engine era that they are building from scratch.
Is he worried? Probably. You can see it in the way he talks about the "simulations." He knows that if the Red Bull-Ford engine is even 5% down on power, he’s going to be fighting for P6 rather than P1.
The formula 1 racing standings rarely tell the whole story of a driver's talent, but they do tell the story of their patience. If Max finds himself sitting in 4th or 5th place after the flyaway races, the rumors of a Mercedes or Aston Martin move for 2027 will become a deafening roar.
The Rookie Risk
We also have a fresh face that could mess with the mid-field math. Arvid Lindblad is the only true rookie this season, stepping into the Racing Bulls seat. At 18, he’s carrying the weight of the Red Bull junior program on his shoulders.
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History shows that rookies in a big regulation change year either sink or swim immediately. There is no "learning the car" when the car is brand new to everyone. In some ways, it levels the playing field for him. He doesn't have to unlearn the habits of the ground-effect era.
What to Watch for in the Standings
If you want to know who is actually winning, don't just look at the total points. Look at the "points per race" average after the first four rounds (Australia, China, Japan, and Bahrain).
Reliability is going to be a nightmare. These new power units are complex. We will see DNFs. We will see engines blowing up in the heat of Sakhir. The teams that sit at the top of the formula 1 racing standings in May won't necessarily be the fastest—they'll be the ones who actually finished the races.
Expert analysts like Craig Scarborough and tech leads across the paddock have already hinted that "weight" is the secret enemy this year. Most cars are expected to be overweight at the start of the season. Every 10kg of extra weight costs about 0.3 seconds per lap. That is the difference between a podium and a point-less finish.
Real Talk on the Title Fight
Honestly, it’s a coin flip.
McLaren has the best driver pairing in Lando and Oscar. Ferrari has the most "romantic" pairing in Charles and Lewis. But Mercedes has the momentum of a rumored engine advantage.
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The formula 1 racing standings are going to fluctuate wildly. Expect a "see-saw" effect where a team wins in the high-speed sectors of Silverstone but falls off a cliff in the tight streets of Monaco.
Actionable Insights for the 2026 Season
If you’re tracking the standings this year, stop looking at them as a static list. Treat it like a living organism.
- Monitor the "Development War": In a new regulation year, the car you see in March is not the car you see in September. The team that gains the most spots in the standings mid-season is the one with the best wind tunnel correlation.
- Watch the Customer Teams: If Williams or Alpine are suddenly outperforming the Mercedes factory team, it tells you the Mercedes engine is a beast, but the chassis is a dud.
- Factor in the Sprint Races: With the sprint format continuing to evolve, a "bad" weekend can be saved by a Saturday points haul. This often masks a car's true race-pace deficiencies in the standings.
The 2026 season isn't just another year of racing. It’s a total reimagining of what a Formula 1 car can be. The standings will be chaotic, the fans will be loud, and the technical protests will probably be filed before the first pit stop is even made.
Keep an eye on the gap between the top three teams. If it stays under 50 points by the summer break, we are in for the greatest championship battle of our lives. If someone pulls a 2014-style Mercedes gap, well, at least we get to watch the fight for P2.
Next Steps for F1 Fans:
- Set a calendar alert for the Australian Grand Prix on March 8th.
- Check the official F1 app during pre-season testing for live timing data.
- Focus on the sector times in testing, not just the "glory laps," to see who has the real long-run pace.