IT’S race week for Formula One for the first time in 2026.
The season gets underway with the Australian Grand Prix this weekend, with lights out in Melbourne on Sunday from 4am UK time.
But this year is bringing some of the biggest changes the sport has ever seen, including new rules, new cars and a new 11th team.
SunSport takes you through seven things fans should keep an eye out for.
Complex rules
Starting out with the most significant change from last season, F1 is stepping into some unknown territory which is set to significantly shake up the playing field.
In summary, those changes have seen new power unit, chassis, tyres and fuel regulations come into play.
Cars have become smaller and now have engines with a 50/50 split between electric and internal combustion power and the use of fully sustainable fuels.
The divisive Drag Reduction System (DRS) is gone, replaced by active aero, which allows both the rear and front wing angles to adjust on the straights and corners to reduce drag and increase downforce.
Interpretations of this have already got fans talking, with one concept shown off by Ferrari leaving fans particularly excited.
However, drivers have complained over how complex energy management is on these new cars.
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A new overtake mode has replaced the rear wing opening to increase speed on straights, although the aerodynamic regs of this generation have been made with closer racing in mind.
Max Verstappen blasted the new cars as “like Formula E on steroids”, while Lewis Hamilton added fans would need a degree to understand what will happen in races, though insisted the new cars were “more fun” to drive.
Resurgent Ferrari?
Ferrari were the quickest car over the Bahrain pre-season tests, with newly-married Charles Leclerc leading the pack.
Hamilton has been encouraged over pre-season after he endured his worst-ever season in F1 following his move to the Scuderia in 2025, failing to score a podium in the season for the first time ever.
The Tifosi were also left stunned on social media after Ferrari showed off some blistering launch pace during a practice start, something F1 analyst Will Buxton joked means they could start from last and still lead at Turn 1.
Ferrari’s aforementioned wing concept which saw the rear wing do a full rotation while on the straight, got fans and F1 experts alike buzzing on social media.
With testing being prone to sandbagging we won’t know a true reflection of the Scuderia’s pace and place in the grid order until Australia.
But for now at least the long-suffering Tifosi could be in for a season to remember for the right reasons.
F1 El Clasico
F1 welcomes a new race this season in the form of a second, or rather relocated, Spanish Grand Prix, bringing an El Clasico to motorsport.
Barcelona has not lost its spot on the grid despite the country now hosting a second race in Madrid.
By name the Spanish Grand Prix will now be held in the Spanish capital at the Madring – a hybrid circuit and street track – while Barcelona has been renamed the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
The Barcelona race in June 14 no longer has a permanent home on the grid however, with it being announced it will alternate year-to-year with the Belgian Grand Prix until 2032.
Silver sprint
The British Grand Prix at Silverstone has been brought back into the fold for the F1 sprint calendar.
It will host a shorter sprint event for the first time since 2021, making it one of six tracks that will host the shorter format.
The Chinese and Miami Grands Prix are hosting sprint events for the third year running, while Canada, Singapore and the Netherlands are holding sprint races for the first time.
The latter race, the home event of Verstappen, will be leaving the grid after this season.
The youngest Briton
Arvid Lindblad is set to become the youngest Briton to ever race in F1 when he races for Racing Bulls in Australia at the age of 18 years and seven months on Sunday.
Born of a Swedish father and mother of Indian descent, he made records last year by becoming the youngest ever F2 race winner.
Lindblad will also be the only rookie on the grid in 2026.
He has been part of the Red Bull junior programme since 2021.
New faces
The new faces in the paddock are not exclusive to drivers with Cadillac entering the sport as the 11th team, marking the first completely new team entry to the sport since Haas a decade ago.
The American team opted for experienced heads in Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez for their debut season.
Audi are also newcomers to the sport, but are moving in after acquiring the Swiss-based Sauber team.
That being said, while keeping the Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg driver line-up of last season, they are going into the deep end by deciding to build their own in-house power unit.
Works Red Bull
Red Bull Racing have taken a major development leap of their own this year after they partnered with Ford to build engines for Red Bull and Racing Bulls.
Despite the upheaval of last season that saw key departures including Christian Horner and Adrian Newey, there will still be a weight of expectation.
Red Bull have won six constructors’ and eight drivers’ titles since joining the sport.
The early signs are positive for them after strong mileage in pre-season testing, while Mercedes star George Russell even suggested they were the team to beat.
