In F1, the podium is pride, points are victory, and races are history. The engines roar, tension rises amongst the pit walls and garages, and cars get into position, waiting for the red lights to go out. Looking ahead to the grid of 2026: Who will demonstrate the true essence of Formula 1?
Formula One or F1 racing is the pinnacle of the motorsport industry. Racing around the world on circuits like Singapore and on closed-road courses like Monaco, the 10 (now 11) teams fight for survival to win the World Drivers’ Championship and World Constructors’ Championship. Though a question always lingers: Is the win earned by the meticulously engineered car, or the driver, with their talent and win-driven hunger? Let’s zoom in.
Reigning over the 2021-2024 World Drivers’ Championship, Max Verstappen instilled fear with his dominance. Everyone felt the lurking presence of the “villain” and the Red Bull Racing team, bringing forth a rigorous 2024 season. But the season highlighted the weakness of all teams, including the dominating Red Bull Racing itself. RB Racing always favors Verstappen due to his superhuman skill set, and as a result, removes anyone who can’t handle the pressure of the seat, such as Pierre Gasly. In contrast, though, looking at his performances under Alpine, Gasly is a phenomenal driver considering that he trained under the Red Bull Junior Team. But the real obstacle for drivers like him is the cars of their respective companies.
During the Singapore Grand Prix ‘24, Gasly was told that Albon was in a vulnerable spot where he could be overtaken. Yet once Gasly reported having no traction in the blazing heat, Alpine strategists responded with “You have what you’ve got, we have nothing else to give.”
Absurd, right? Ironically, this is the same team that’d complain about not earning a win. The Alpine team principal in the Netflix “Drive to Survive” documentary was seen bad-mouthing former Alpine driver Esteban Ocon for asking for a drivable car, highlighting an unheard plea. But we can’t go without talking about Scuderia Ferrari and the SF-25 that ran on hopes and prayers the entire 2025 season. Leclerc and Hamilton were constantly disappointed by the performance of the car; the team faced disqualifications due to the car having many problems, such as being underweight, having ineffective “upgraded packages,” understeer, etc. And looking at Aston Martin in the 2026 Season, Fernando Alonso, veteran driver of the grid, reported having vibrations in his car to the point that he was “Risking permanent nerve damage in his hands and legs.” F1 drivers are handpicked for their skills, but if faulty cars are the reason they can’t reach their full potential, who is to blame?
Looking at the other side, these games don’t depend solely on the car; they depend heavily on who is steering and how they choose to play these games. Sergio Perez, in the 2024 Season, was kicked out for not being able to adapt to the RB20 and constantly underperforming in comparison to Max Verstappen. Perez had a great car; one that was extremely aerodynamic, fast, and everything an F1 driver would dream of. However, he failed to grab many points, earning more DNFs (did not finish) than podiums for the team, ultimately being kicked out. Another great example would be Lewis Hamilton, who ended the 2024 season switching from Mercedes AMG to Scuderia Ferrari, hoping for a fresh and more connected environment in 2025. However, instead of earning any wins for the Italian team, he found himself earning zero podiums throughout the 2025 season, a new record for the veteran driver. Though he is performing well under Ferrari this year, earning himself P3 at the Chinese Grand Prix and P4 at Australia, there are moments of him admiring the Mercedes car ( Mercedes AMG W17 E Performance) before getting in position to race. Mercedes constant P1-P2 for the past 2 races brings up the question: Was it really worth switching to his “Dream Team”?
Looking back, it really isn’t the driver or the car, but instead the driver and the car– their synergy. Maintaining the equilibrium is what gives teams the potential to win, becoming the name and face of a team. The FIA may create the rules and regulations for the Grand Prixs, but the cars and drivers zoom past their limits to demonstrate what is called the true essence of Formula 1 racing.
