P1 with Matt and Tommy - Reacting to our 2026 driver line-up predictions from 2023

Episode Date: December 29, 2025

If you’ve been on YouTube in the last few weeks, you might have seen our video from 2023 where we predicted all the 2026 driver line-ups. Well, we’ve had so many requests to look back on those *crazy* predictions - so let's do it! It can’t be understated how much F1 has changed in the last three seasons - which is probably why some of these picks need thorough re-examining…You can watch our 2023 video right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zClzwXeS6bEPlease vote for us in the Autosport Awards 2026! https://www.autosport.com/awards-voting/Sign up to our Patreon! You'll get access to every P1 episode ad-free, extended versions of every 2026 race review, early access to tickets & merch, and access to our Discord server where you can chat with us and other F1 fans! Click here to sign up now: http://patreon.com/mattp1tommyFollow us on socials! You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, YouTube and TikTok. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everybody and welcome back to the P1 podcast with Matt and Tommy. We weren't we weren't planning on doing this one until next year. And then apparently the YouTube algorithm went, Hey, everybody, do you want to watch this? And the amount of comments we got requesting for us to react to this were a hell of a lot. So Tommy, as much as I can kind of feel what's coming, I'm still looking forward to this. I am as well. Like, I know, you know, some people will laugh at us and fair enough.

And yes, we will joke about how much a lot of this is wrong. But I'm actually really excited to look back at this and kind of give reasons to the logic, explain why these decisions were made. And I think it's actually going to be a really fascinating podcast. to see just how much F1 has changed in three years. Like, under three years, if, you know, there's logic to this, and yet it's all over the place.

Sometimes, sometimes. Sometimes. Let's not try and, you know, defend ourselves just yet. Oh, no, it's terrible, but... But Formula One has changed a lot since 2023. I think that's the key thing here. Right. So the way we're going to do this is we are, of course, going to reflect on these predictions that we made.

Was it at the start of 2020? at the end of 2020. It was. So we'd had two races, basically. Okay. So we knew a little bit about what was going to happen in 2023, but there was a break, wasn't there? And then we were like, let's make this video. So what we're going to do, we're going to have a points system. Of course we are. We're going to gamify this. So essentially how it's going to work is we will get one point if the driver that we predicted is on the grid. Doesn't matter if they're in the wrong team. Two points if we've nailed it. And it's the correct driver on the grid and at the correct team. Very simple rules and obviously zero points if they're not on the grid. So yeah,

April 2023 is when we made these predictions. It doesn't feel that long ago, but my God, watching back that podcast, I felt like I was a fetus back then with everything that was, you know, where we've come to now with how our like setups look and our microphones and stuff. It's, it feels like we've recorded it on a tin can. It does. And I remember also being very ill during that video, which probably explains a lot of my predictions. I wasn't ill, and I was still very wrong. Right, okay, let's get into it. Let's begin with Williams, where the 2026 driver lineup is Alex Albon and Carlos

Sines. In 2023, I predicted Alex Albon and Frederick Vestey. Now, one of them is absolutely bang on. Thank you very much. I'll be taking those two points. The other one, Frederick Vestey, he had a reasonable amount of. of hype at that point. He had Mercedes ties

and look, there are some bad predictions in this one. I don't think this is an insane one despite the fact Frederick never making it to Formula One. So look, I'm not too angry at myself for going for this because we're looking at the hype drivers

at the time. We're looking at who could make it through and Frederick Vestey was one of them at the time. He was. I had Logan Sargent and Frederick Vestey So of course I was also on the Vestey train

which we'll talk about in a bit we'll also talk about Logan Sajent didn't work out for him has to be said you know this was the start of 23 and yeah it wasn't good for

Logie on his debut year was it he finished way down in the championship and actually did manage another year somehow but on to Vesti He actually ended that year that we were predicting, so 23. He finished that year second in F2. He's still on the Mercedes radar.

And it's kind of laughable now, but it was a logical step to think that he would make the step up. You're looking at drivers of who's doing well in Formula 2 and you think he's got Mercedes backing and he's doing it incredibly well in F2. He'd just won the feature race in Saudi after we'd recorded this. And if you'd have said in kind of, yeah, that this, he'd never even got a shot at all, never mind, you know, at a team, like not even like one odd race or anything, I think it was quite surprising. So yes, not correct, but I think in a weird way, if you'd have predicted Carlos Sites in that team, back in 2023, you'd be even more insane to predict that than any of these two,

which is quite a thought, isn't it? Exactly. The dominoes that has gone on since we did these predictions are quite crazy to think about. Imagine how many comments for slander we'd have had if we'd said, I think Carlos Sites is going to be at Williams. These were comfortably the worst team by a mile at this point. This was without good old daddy vows. But of course, Vestey is a reserve driver for Mercedes in F1. So it's somewhere, but not on the grid. Right. Let's head to Alphatari, where the 2026 driver lineup is least.

Liam Lawson and Arvid Limblad. So, I had gone for Yuki Sanoda and Iwasa. And basically the logic here, which I said in the video, was Honda had basically announced they were leaving Red Bull, the main team. And there was talk about potentially like where they're going to go because they are going to supply engines in 26, but at this point they hadn't signed an Asthmartan deal. So it was a case of like, well, where they're going to go?

And there was a lot of talk of Alfa Tauri at the time, racing balls now, being sold. And my logic here was this would be some kind of Honda team as such. And in that, to Japanese drivers, Yuki Snowda, as the experienced driver that has been there for a while. And Owasa, who was doing, you know, well in Formula T, at this time. So it made sense in my head. And

onto like the drivers that are actually there. And just to just to kind of add a bit of how crazy Formula One has been since this prediction, Liam Lawson would have not been on anyone's radar at this point. And if you'd have said that one Liam Lawson would come in,

well, Nick DeVries was in at this point. She's quite crazy. Nick DeVries is in at this point. replaced by Ricardo, who's then replaced by Lawson, who then didn't get the seat next year, and then did get the seat, and then went into Red Bull for two races and then back. Like, what an insane journey he's had, and at this point, not on radar at all. Was he on my radar? No, he was not.

My two drivers for Alfa Tauri back then, now racing balls, was Gabrielle Bortoletto and Iyuma Iwasa. So the first thing I want to do is slap myself in the face because I was calling him Gabriel. But at that point, I genuinely said, I literally said at the time, I've not really heard of him, but. Yeah, he's doing well in F3. I will take the point because, of course, he is on the grid in 2026, not driving for racing balls. But yeah, Bortoleto was, I think, yeah, in Formula 3 at that point, and he was doing incredibly well. Of course, he then went to win Formula 2 as well, and now he's on the grid in Formula 1. And as for Owasa, yeah, very similar sort of hype driver at the time made a lot of sense to potentially get that step up.

But alas, it did not happen for Owasa. He has had the occasional FP one outing, hasn't he? Yeah, yeah. But has not been on the grid. So it is 3-0 to me as we head to the next one. Come on the Gallagher. We go to Audi. Nico Holcomberg and Gabriel Bortoletto are the drivers next season.

my prediction was Teo Porchere and Lando Norris. So look, Porchair, this was, again, like a couple of races into the Formula One season in 2023. Porchair ended up winning Formula 2 that year. And it's not as simple as getting a promotion when you win Formula 2. That's what we found out. And I think Porchair was genuinely one of those drivers that was wrong place, wrong time, to not get that opportunity. as Philando Norris

I'll take the point because he's on the grid well that I'm me but McLaren were really quite not great back then and I think people are forgetting this I even said I think in this podcast back in 20203 that I didn't think McLaren were going to be doing very well come

2026 so but look these are these this is what happens when you look back and you reflect but Philando Norris in 23 he finished sixth in the standings And it was 370 points behind Max Verstappen in 2023, which of course... I can add some more logic to that, to your prediction, that basically, at this point, McLaren had finished behind Alpine in the championship before, finished fifth. They had the worst start to the season ever did they.

And Lando's first two results were 17th and 17th. And that was on pure pace as well, wasn't it? Yeah, exactly. because remember how much we laughed at the Mika Hakenen prediction about the fact that they were good. They were terrible at this point. And yeah, I think around this time we also did a video around Lando Norris. Where does he go?

He needs to leave McLaren because they're not good enough. And now he's world champion with them crazy. Yeah, and obviously you see our predictions floating around social media when people laugh at them and whatnot. But at this point, we were never saying that Lando was not good enough. It was always the case of Lando's a great driver in a team that can't give him the car. Yeah, well, we said he needed to leave. That's why, because McLaren weren't giving him the car to deliver.

And he was very hyped at that point. And then he won the World Championship. So, you know, that happened. And what I'm McLaren for giving him the car that we said he needed in order to do well. So one point for me for the Audi prediction. My Audi prediction was Mick Schumacher and Carlos Sainz. so my so interestingly you're on the board you're finally on the board I'm finally on the board I've got a driver

and so a couple of things here we had the sidle had actually left McLaren at this point and a lot of the reasons why I think we went for Norris and science was potentially a reunion there of course he hasn't actually ended up there because so much has changed since then but we knew Audi would be on the grid Mick Schumacher was a rogue pick of just I think they're going to get a German driver

so they got Holkenberg so half a point no joking and Carlos Sainz there was there was logic there because of course at this point we didn't know he was without a seat with the Ferrari news and Lewis Hamilton news we thought you'd think that Sainz would have stayed at Ferrari at this point without the shock Hamilton move we had no idea at this point it was an absolute bombshell when it happened. And my logic here was Carlos Sites and Audi ties with his dad and everything. It makes total sense.

And of course, it did very much almost happen. He was contemplating it for sure. It seemed like it was going to be between Audi and Williams when he made that pick. It was, yeah. But alas. Did not go to the place that you had predicted. It is 4-1 to me as we now head to hatch. where the driver line-up is Esteban Okon and Oli Behrman.

And my line-up, I went for Sergio Perez and Kimmy Antonelli, who was so unknown at the time, I called him Kimmy Antolotti. Antolotti, and then you said something else which was wrong. You literally had three attempts at saying the driver that you apparently support. Okay. So we can laugh at it, but the fact that I predicted him to even be in Formula One itself, Yeah, that was... Sorry, 22, he was driving in Italian Formula 4

and at the start of this season he was driving the Formula Regional Middle East Championship, the Formula Regional European Championship and Italian GT Championship. So I think the fact that I got him at all in Formula 1... Just call yourself a Talent Scout really. Yeah, exactly. So I was on the Antalotti...

hype train, as I called it, at this point, and thought that he was going to make his way to Formula One, which of course he did. And Sergio Perez, the thinking there was that Hasse would go for an experience line-up, experience and youth. I got it right, but so wrong. Ockon and Bearman, Perez and Antonelli. Still a couple of points because you, of course, got both drivers on the grid, but not in the right team. My line-up. for Hass was Kevin Magnuson and Artler LeCleur.

So Kevin Magnuson that I think it was a little bit of a roll the dice between Holkenberg and Magnuson. K-Mag was just the one that was ousted out and

fairly, I guess, in some ways. You thought Hulkeberg was going to retire as a bit older, wasn't he? Yeah, an older driver. That's what I thought

was that Hulkenberg would just be like, cool, I'm off. But Hulkeberg's, of course, still been performing very well, got his podium and things like that.

And yeah, and I thought KMAG would keep that seat. But, you know, the Holkenberg stayed in, in Formula One and KMAG was completely wrong. As for Art of LeCler, I'll be honest, I was chatting absolutely out my ass. That was, right, I'm actually looking at this point, okay? So in 2022, he was sixth in Formula 3. Nothing too crazy, but not like, you know,

he wasn't absolutely horrific, okay? He also, may I add, won the Formula Regional Asian Championship for Mumbai Falcons India Racing so I'd obviously been scouting him out there Yeah, yeah And

Like championship manager Yeah, at this point He wasn't like He's not an absolutely horrific driver No, he doesn't deserve to be in Formula One No disrespect, Arthur But like he got to FP1 a few times I felt like his surname may well carry him

To potentially a seat It didn't happen Formula One has seen many a worse driver come to Formula One because of said surnames and power and money and things like that. So it didn't happen for Arta and I will hold my hands up. That was a shocking prediction. But we move on. It is 4-3 to Tommy as we go to Alpine.

The driver line-up is Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto. My Alpine line-up was Esteban Okon and Jo Guanyu. So we get a point because Ocon is still on the grid. go me. I love how we're giving that point. It's literally like a participation point. It makes us look better than it is, doesn't it? Yeah, but we'll take it. Things can change rapidly, and we know that.

There's a lot of rookies on the grid. Ocon, I thought, would not have the entire relationship meltdown with Alpine. I genuinely thought that he would be there for a lot longer. That did not happen. Everything crumbled. And as for Zhou Guan Yu, I saw in my mind's eye him going back to Renaud slash alpine in this glorious re-found rekindled relationship

but that did not happen so alpine I had Teo Pocheer and Joe Guan Yu so interesting enough we both went for Joe Guan Yu feeling that Alpine made sense for him to go there and Teopo Poir I really did think that

like you that he would be in Formula One you know he won Formula 2 in 2022 he had the french connection as well which i thought would would work great for alpine and if you'd have said after he won f2 in 22 um and then sorry sorry finished second in 22 and won the championship in 23 if you'd have said by 2025 he would be doing the european le mon series and an LMP2 car this is this is the thing like we we laugh but like

crazy things happen with young drivers you know spoiler alert Olly Bearman and Hadjar on my list and yeah well for you were right and you don't know and

I saw something very interesting it was an engineer I think talking about how like There's so many drivers in Formula One where things align and you go on a different path and it either works or it doesn't. And there's so many really capable drivers that could deliver. We spoke about Lawson, didn't we? And how it took Daniel Ricardo breaking his hand for him to get an opportunity.

And then he was really hyped. And then he got the opportunity and didn't work out. But yet he's all so much of motorsport, no disrespect. Like talents do well and the best talent, cream rises to the. top but there is so much of right place right time and i think teopo chair is wrong place wrong time uh for sure i know it's it's a sad story i'm sure he probably thinks had things gone slightly differently uh he'd be in formula one right now but but it didn't happen uh it's five three uh did you want to say anything about showguan you uh just uh yeah interesting how we both

both thought it had the connection with the Renault Academy and thought he'd be there but alas not and not on the grid. Let's head to McLaren where of course the driver line up is Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. So my line up was Colton Herter and Oscar Piastri. Now yes, absolutely insane to look at it now. Lando has gone like you. I thought he would go at this point. We've said it. You know, McLaren weren't very good at this stage. He had, Lando was a, you know, a really strong talent in 21 and 22. And we, we thought, you know, this guy deserves better than this McLaren. And if you'd said to me that McLaren would be winning the world championship in 25, as you said, you know, don't see McLaren being very good. The turnaround, you know, we've said

some like things about McLaren and and laughed at their strategies and things like that but they deserve an unbelievable amount of credit for how they've turned things around so at this point they had just finished the 2022 season behind Alpine in fifth place if you'd have said in three years McLaren would be Alpine by 811 points and win the

Constructors Championship that is insane so fair play McLaren and the logic here of course

Zach Brown was pushing so hard for an American driver to be in Formula 1 and he wanted it and he rated

her to we know that there's talk of him wanting an indie car talent in Formula 1 look what awards done of course

the whole messy stuff with pillow as well but there was logic there herter was very very hyped at this point and Oscar of course you know a rookie at this stage and I thought he would would stay there and continue to kind of

continue like with with McLaren and hooray a point two points finally two points yeah two points for a bang on prediction well done Tommy my McLaren prediction was surgery Sergio Perez and Oscar Piastri. For Sergio, I did not expect him to be having a season off

and not having a seat in Formula One between when we made these predictions and now. I felt that, of course, that Red Bull relationship would come to an end. And it did. And I thought McLaren would open up their loving arms for the experience, Sergio Perez. But they did not. And as for Oscar Piastri, similar to you, I felt like it'd still be there, gaining experience. I did not think he'd be challenging for the World Championship in his third season. That's what he did.

So yeah, a bang-on prediction for me as well. So something finally to write down and say, yay, we did this. I can't believe you didn't predict that Andretti would put a bit into Formula One, it'd be rejected, but Cadillac would be allowed on the grid, given a place, and then would sign Sergio Perez, how, like, you know, no wheel. Yeah, absolutely no will has been displayed here. So I get three points for that because Oscar was bang on and Sergio is on the grid. It is 8.5 to me as we head to Ferrari, where the line up is, of course, Charler and Lewis Hamilton.

And I predicted Pierre Gazley and Carlos Sines, wow, little did 2023 Matt know that Lewis Hamilton was going to come along. and Charle LeCleur would still be there. That is something I was convinced was not going to be the case. I felt that Charle would have had enough. To be fair, the one thing I was right about is that Ferrari weren't going to win anything. And that is correct.

We have not won a constructors or Drivers World Championships since then. But I felt like Pierre Gadsley, at this point, he was able to show just how good he is and how he was and is. And I felt that Ferrari may have snapped him up as a driver to replace Sharma.

but he is still there and as for Carlos signs we were correct that he was at Ferrari but then obviously was he he was at Ferrari at the time that we did these recordings yeah so yeah I was about to say like wow we actually did something no of course we're not didn't this was 2023 so for Carlos I felt that he would still be at Ferrari I didn't think Lewis Hamilton would come knocking and if anything the vacancy would be taken in the other side of the garage when Charles left but instead Carlos is the one to left and still get two points because Ghazley and Sines are on the grid. Come on.

So my Ferrari prediction was Pierre Gazley and Alex Albon. Crazy. It's crazy. Is it as crazy as Lewis Hamilton joining? I don't know. Maybe not. No, absolutely not. No.

We've got used to it now. We've got used to Hamilton being at Ferrari. It was the most insane piece of news we've ever heard in Formula One history. And my logic was similar to you that Lecler, his contract was actually up at this point before he announced his new mega contract for insert year guessing, which everyone seems to do now, eternity contract. And yet I went for the fact that he would basically leave, he'd had enough, Ferrari weren't winning anything, and he moves on, which he hasn't done. and Carlos would also be the case of he's left as I obviously put him at Audi yeah because I put him at yeah so I put him at Audi

and they'd both be sick of Ferrari and Ferrari would look for drivers that would be strong and experienced at this point and those drivers who have a lot of races and were basically left for me to pick were Gassley and Albin so yeah completely wrong but as I say, the fact that Lewis Hamilton was there is probably more shocking.

That's what's changed a lot of this. I'm not saying that we would have been any more accurate at Hamilton State of Mercedes. Hamilton was the domino that just changed everything. Because we laugh at these and fair enough, yeah, that they are so wrong. And it's crazy how much it's changed. But you look at the grid now and even looking at the grid now compared to what it was. before, there'd be a lot of names there that you're just like, you're so wrong. Like, if we'd predicted it exactly right, imagine the comments again, Hamilton at Ferrari,

what are you talking about? Exactly, yeah, we would have had two years. Antonelli, 18-year-old at Mercedes. We would have had two years of slander, and then people going, oh, sorry, actually, you were right. It's actually worth just being wrong the entire time, isn't it? Yeah, so there you go. Completely wrong at Ferrari, but we both get a couple of points because all of those drivers

are still on the grid. Mercedes George Russell and Kimmy Antonelli are the line-up Tommy, who did you predict? I went for George Russell and Esther Ban Okon so I didn't go for Antonelli of course because I put him in the house

so I thought he'd be on the grid didn't expect him to jump into that car as soon as he did but thought he'd be on the grid but I went for Ockon basically with the idea that he would Hamilton would retire at this point I'd assume that Hamilton was basically decided to retire

hang up his gloves and then Toto would look for an experienced driver to partner with his team leader George Russell and he's worked with Ockon before he was a Mercedes junior I even said that that you know it's weird to think that Ocon was like the George Russell

of the time that when BOTAS was really struggling O'Con was doing amazing things in Force India and there was quite a lot of narrative around get O'Con in the Mercedes at Hamilton's team A, he's really good, it would be really exciting and yeah, that was the logic there

but of course Espanocon was at Alpine and then moved to house. He did indeed. My Mercedes prediction was George Russell and Charles Lecler. George of course bang on and if we do 20-30 driver lineups perhaps things will be slightly different at Mercedes

if they are as good as they may well be next year and Maxwell Stappen comes knocking. But so not really much to say about George. It kind of has played out the way we expected at Mercedes. Charlotte Clare, I had to put him somewhere and it had to be a top team because I thought he was going to leave Ferrari. He has not left Ferrari.

And instead, I, yeah, I don't know if I even regret this prediction. I don't think it's the most insane thing ever. We, at this point, we didn't know just how patient Charles Lecler was. Now we realize he has the patience of a saint. That's why he's called St. LeCleur. And fair play to him. Well done.

There's three points for both of us, because of course George is bang on and then Sharl and Esteban are still on the grid. So it's 1310 to me with two teams left. Aston Martin The driver line-up Fernando Alonzo and Lance Stroll Of course My prediction

Made in April 23 Was Fernando Alonzo and Landstrel Come on Come on Come on He's got one

He's got one Out of 10 teams By going for the same thing And to be honest It's the one time I've actually spoken Some wheel I said at the time

time when Aston were doing very well and they were looking quick that Fernando was doing a lot of amazing things there. Why would he leave if he's giving this if he's elevating this team into a position that they haven't been in? Why would Fernando leave? Why would

Aston want to break that contract and that, you know, that relationship? However, of course they've gone backwards since then but Alonzo is staying because Adrian Newey's joined the team. So, and of course Lance Charles is going to be there for the rest of time. That was kind of a given.

That was the easiest two points anyone's ever had. But very happy that I got one team correct. Go me. So for Ashton Martin, I went for Charlotte Claire and Lance Stroll. Wow. I mean, that does not make sense in my brain. Those two together. Can you imagine?

Those two driving together? Yeah, just in a Formula One team. That's interesting because like your mousseau. ladies one, I could see if she, looking at if Charle would to leave Ferrari and say we go into the new regulations

and he basically needs to go somewhere I'd back this again probably an Aston Martin move because Alonzo will retire at some point. It's more the dynamic of those to his teammates just doesn't make sense in my brain but obviously Lance Roll was

we is yeah there forever we got the logic You know, we made some crazy predictions, but we all knew that Lance Stroll would still be there. Very true. So in all this, it was, of course, that Alonzo would retire at this age, but he's now going to go into a new regulation, hopefully with a great car, and Adrian Nui car. But I thought LeCler would basically, yeah, want to move on.

Because this is when we thought Aston was going to be a very good team, potentially. Very good team. Yeah, yeah, of course. course, we knew it was going to be the change. Interestingly enough, you mentioned about Schaul going to Mercedes. I just had a look from an article

from April 2023, which would have been just after we did this video, and it says Charlotte Claire denies he has been in talks to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes as the spotlight brightens on the Britain's future of Formula One. Hamilton and Mercedes team

principal Toto Wolf has said a deal will be struck. That didn't happen. And a report in Italy this week claims that it was an open secret that Ferrari's Lecler was already in talks with the Silver Arrows about a future move. So it was being hyped up. So there was logic there and again, you know, I thought we both had the same logic that Charles would have had enough at Ferrari and move on.

But he's still there and all those wins. championships. Shut up. All right, let's move on. 17, 13 to me as we head to the final team, Red Bull Racing. Of course, there's more teams in 2026, but we didn't know that at the time, so we're basing on the 10 teams. The 2026 lineup, of course, is Max Vastappen and Isaac Hadjar.

And my lineup was Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, the top two in the championship this season. and yes if I'd have gone for Isaac Hadja everyone had gone who's Isaac Hadja

but I went for Max I thought he'd stay of course this was at the start of the fact that he'd won the 22 season this was of course the start of 23 when he'd only got

you know he was this was the year of course, where he ended up completely dominating and going on that amazing run and winning almost every single race. Thought he'd stay at Red Bull, couldn't have predicted the turmoil at Red Bull that was about to unfold, of course,

as well. You know, it's crazy to think at this stage all those people that were still there that have now left. But I thought, Landon Norris, you know, you had him moving on from McLaren as well, bit like Charler LeClaire. You know,

a great driver fed up his team not delivering and that was the logic and that was the logic here that he would move to red bull he was highly sought after by red bull helmet marco there's a lot of talk that helmet marco wanted him on board and i remember having a lot of in-depth discussions around this time about lando norris and red bull and would you take never winning a race at mcclaren or going to red bull where you will have a championship winning car but your teammates max happen and what do you do? And that was that was why I put him there. And of course, he did stay at McLaren and thank good goodness he didn't listen to us because that was the right

decision. Well, exactly. He showed loyalty to the team and the team was able to perform a miracle turnaround in performance in the same set of regulations as well, right? Yeah, this was there's no, there's been no change of regulations since the moment we predicted this. That's the most insane thing, I think. Yeah. You know, you can you can say what you like about how wrong we were. But it is absolutely insane that McLaren had started this point had been yeah fifth to 17th places and you'd said fast forward to here and they're winning the championship by like 400 points over anyone else like what an earth yeah absolute domination in the constructors yeah the Lando Red Bull thing did seem very on at the time but it didn't happen my prediction

for the Red Bull racing team was Max Verstappen and you Yuki Sonoda, oh my, sorry, it feels actually wrong that you get more points for a Max Lando lineup than I do for a Max Yuki, because of course, Yuki not on the grid next year, and Max, of course, in the correct team. I was a year late. Wow. It could have been, Red Bull, why did you not commit to Yuki Sonoda for one more year to make this correct? Because then I could have said, I actually got something right with a team that changed. Because of course, Aster Martin, I can only celebrate so much. But how we got to there is not what I predicted.

It's not like I thought that this Max Yuki thing would require a million driver swaps and some ridiculously controversial mid-season things going on and whatnot. But yeah, Max and Yuki, I saw it. It happened, but it's not happening in 2026. I just went to look to see what was going on in Hadjar's life at this stage when we predicted him and he had just finished fourth in the Formula 3 championship

and he would finish that F2 season in 14th so okay well we should have seen it we should have seen it I mean you were you were scouting Antonelli and flipping

Antelotti so yeah HATJR wouldn't have been that much of a rogue rogue pick for you so there you go all right so the final scores and 19 to me

and 16 to Tommy he wins another one get in there and also the one you did win I've seen in the comments absolutely robs it was actually a draw

for the which one was it the what was it I'm trying to remember now we've done so many predictions so many predictions

it was the one why have I just blanked it was the entire championship table The entire championship table. Yes, yes, there you go. We got there in the end. You can tell it's the end of the year.

Our brains have switched off of how to do a podcast. But hopefully you enjoyed us reflecting this on this. We certainly did. Ridiculously inaccurate some of them. You know what I'm really annoyed about? Because obviously all the points we got, if I'm not mistaken, are for the drivers that stayed in their team. The amount of changes we did just one right where we were like,

oh, Carlos Sites did go to Audi or. Pierre Gassley did go to Ferrari, we would have fed off that prediction for generations and shed the social clip a million times and we did not get one. Did we not get one? No, not one movement. One movement. Oh, no. Yeah.

Why would you say that at the end of the podcast? Why don't we end up a positive that I got Astor Martin, right? I can, I can, I'll just, I'll just dine on the Kimmy Antenelli thing. You'll dine on that. I'll dine on Aston Martin and getting Red Bull right, but in the wrong. year. And there you go. That just shows Formula One's very hard to predict. And when people start going, oh, man, Tommy, because this is what people did back in 2023. Oh, you can tell there's a four week break of F1 in the middle of a 2023 season when you're doing 2026 driver

lineups. Well, when we do it in 2026 for 2074, don't complain because it makes for great content when we react to it. Can I throw, before we go, I actually, just need to find this um what are you finding i'm i'm sorry i'm going to throw will buckson under the bus now to show um he works pretty car now yeah exactly to show you how difficult it is to predict something uh from so far away so end of 21 buxen did something similar said i'm going to predict the 20 25 grid um so we can see i'm going to read through his now and and we can compare Red Bull Max Lestappin and Lando Norris

Interesting Tommy's like absolutely I love that Love that picture Yeah exactly That's what I went for So Ferrari Charlotte Claire

Carlos Sites No Mercedes George Russell and Daniel Riccardo None of us went for Daniel Riccardo No we didn't Yeah for Danny right

McLaren Patto Award And Pierre Gasley Okay Aston Martin Nick DeVries and Liam Lawson Alpine

Ocon and Teo Porchere Alpha Tauri Dennis Hauger and Arvid Lindblad Oh he got one Wow he got the Arvid That's a banger Williams

Jamie Chadwick And Kimi Antonelli A fellow Antonelli scout Alpha Romeo Mick Schumacker And this was in 2021 As well you said So this was in further back So Will has cooked on a couple of these

And Hass Kyle Kirkwood And Zane Maloney So they're we go. All right. Well, there you go. So it's tough to find, as we say, like the F3, the F2 drivers.

But he got a couple of banners. We didn't get any bangers, sorry. That did not. We're going to have to keep doing this. Yeah, there you go. All right. Well, thank you everybody for tuning in. It has been a pleasure to bring you our washed predictions.

I hope you've enjoyed them. Tommy, what are your final thoughts? Final thoughts are just happy New Year. And obviously, it's a nice way to reflect on 26. and be excited for it. And yeah, I'm excited for it. So bring it on. New Formula One, the regulation video's got me very excited for a new season.

I can't wait for it. Hell yeah, can't wait for it. I hope everybody's enjoying time with their families. And, yes, have an amazing new year. Should we not do other content, but we might do? I don't know what's going on really anymore. But alas, we will still be there and we'll see you soon. There's still hope.

You know, when Teopoucher announces that he's going to Audi and we've actually cooked, after all, Arthur Leclair to Hass. Yeah. There's still time. I still believe. You never know with contracts. They can be ripped up. Bye, everybody.

Goodbye. Thank you.