The Late Braking F1 Podcast - Who Takes the 2026 F1 Title? | Our Championship Predictions

Episode Date: March 1, 2026

With the first race of 2026 just around the corner, the LB boys share their full F1 World Championship predictions, from Drivers’ to Constructors'. Find out who they think will rise to the top in this new era... F1 Fantasy is now live for 2026! So create your team, ⁠join the Late Braking league⁠ and see if you can beat us... LEAGUE CODE: C6Y6R4ZUY02 Want more Late Braking? Support the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and get: Ad-free listening Full-length bonus episodes Power Rankings after every race Historical race reviews & more exclusive extras! Don't forget! You can also gift a Late Braking Patreon subscription—perfect for loved ones or your own wish list. Choose anything from 1 month up to a full year of top-notch F1 content: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/latebrakingf1/gift⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Late Braking: You can find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Come hang out with us and thousands of fellow F1 fans in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ server and get involved in lively everyday & race weekend chats! Join our ⁠⁠F1 Fantasy League⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and see if you can beat us! Get in touch any time at [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's never too early to plan your summer story in Europe with WestJet, from rolling countryside to cobblestone streets. Begin your next chapter. Book your seat at westjet.com or call your travel agent. WestJet, where your story takes off. Thank you for listening to the Late Breaking F1 podcast. Make sure to check out new episodes every Wednesday and every Sunday. And welcome to the late breaking F1 podcast presented by Harry Ead, Sam Sage,

and me, Ben Hocking, on what is, this final Sunday before we get back to F1 Racing in Australia. Next Sunday, Sam, the excitement is palpable. It is palpable, but something that's caught my eye even more is that Harry's got a beer and how I really want a beer. So Thursday, as we record this, not actually a Sunday. The illusion's gone, mate.

It's basically, sorry, mate. Shattered. It's basic, pardon? Shattered, I said. Shattered. Okay. With an A. I was like, no, no, I haven't done that.

but yeah it's a Thursday feels like the end of the week it's a big episode it's like a beer time I mean every day every day's a beer time let's be real but it felt like an appropriate

beer time I think you're just having a beer celebrating that it's not teammate wars yeah yeah I've actually not stopped drinking since we recorded it because I'm so happy it's over

misery and excitement combined I think that's a great synopsis for the late breaking podcast actually yeah yeah well we've got championship predictions today. So Wednesday's episode, we discussed which of the respective teammates was going to score the most points this season. But today we're going to go through the entire driver's championship

all the way from 22nd, the Wooden Spoon, to first place, who we think is going to be the 2026 Formula One world champion. We'll also do our constructors predictions later on in the show as well, although you'll probably guess roughly what we think on that based on these driver's predictions. We're going to break this up a little bit. So we're going to start with, 22nd through to 18th. So the bottom five drivers in the championship. So we'll first just read them out 22nd to 18th and then we'll get into some discussions. So Sam, who have you got? Who are those five drivers for you? Perez, Bottas, Lawson, Stroll, Lingblad. Okay. It's the same five drivers for me, just in a slightly different order. I have got Bottas in 22nd, Sergio Perez in 21st,

Lance Stroll in 20th, Arvid Limbluden 19th, and Liam Lawson in 18th. Harry, your five. My five are 22nd Valtry Bottas, 21st, Lance Stroll. 20th, Sergio Perez, 19th, Gabby Bortoletto, and 18th, Liam Lawson. Okay. Should we start with Cadillac? Because both myself and Sam, despite being in the opposite order, we've got their last and second last.

And it's not much of an improvement from Harry going with last place for Valtrey Bottas and then 20th for Sergio Perez. But I guess maybe it's more of a comment on Aston Martin than it is on Cadillac, Harry. But you've at least got some hope that they're not going to be

at the very back of the championship. I'd be, yeah, just. I just think there'll be a little sneaky performance from Perez this year. I mean, obviously put him in winning the battle when teammate wars. we don't expect the cabback to be fast for most of

this year, if not all of it. But I don't know, there's enough jeopardy as we head into this new season that I think Perez could sneak. I'm talking like a point or two maybe at a race and that might just seal his 20th place.

So yeah, that's the only reason. I just, whilst I think the Aston Martin William will get better, I'm just the back foot that they are on. I mean, I've put stroll in 21st. Sam, putting Perez 22nd and Valtrey Bottas 21st, on the surface, sounds quite bleak. In reality, is it as bleak as it sounds?

I give a lot of credit to Kagalak. They've got a real uphill battle to go out here. They are the new kicks on the block properly. A lot of big regulation changes that are very complicated for the teams that have existed on the grid for a long time, let alone coming into this completely fresh. and it's no slight on them. I really hope they do progress throughout the year and I hope they become competitive

in the seasons that follow. But I think there's going to be a real gap to fill before they even get to that point. And whilst Perez and Bottas both sensational in their driving ability, I just don't think the cars can be there to give them the opportunity to score points. So I do think it'll be a case of

they might get a couple of points each if there's a big of reliability happening further up the field. We're talking single figures here. I'm talking both drivers under 10 points for the season, I would think. because I mean last season we had Alpine in last place but for a last place team they were actually pretty competitive. They already scarsely was scoring just over 20 points. At least from my perspective, I don't think Cadillac in last place are going to score that many points this year.

Particularly the first half of the season I think might be a struggle for them. It's a really competent lineup like Sergio Perez and Valtry Bottas if we get the best versions of both of them, that ain't going to be the thing that let's Cadillat down here but just the reality of the situation coming into a really competitive field who have been doing this for a long time

these V6 hybrids I know they've been adjusted but they do go all the way back to 2014 that's a lot of catching up to do I know they're using the Ferrari power unit but everything else is brand new it is going to be a bit of a rough starts the year for them I don't expect them to score we'll see if this is wrong

these are all guesses folks by the way I don't think they'll score a point in the first half of the year. I think it's more likely that they are going to be lapped a couple of times maybe per race by some of the leaders in maybe some of these Grand Prix. I wouldn't be surprised if at the start of this year, Perez or Bottas are maybe getting lapped by the top of the midfield in some of these races.

Just if they are three, three and a half seconds back per lap, that is going to add up quite quickly. Maybe the outlook is better than that. And I do think they'll get better as the year goes on. and I don't think they'll end up on zero points this year. And actually all of this is in a first year, pretty encouraging. I just don't see them competing with a lot of these other teams. The other thing you compare them to Alpine last season as well is another challenge for Kagelak

is there are two more cars on the grid. Yes, they are those two cars, but technically it is another step to get to the point. You need two more cars to have a DNF or a problem, or you need to beat another team outright again. It's just that extra little bit more difficult than what it was last year. Harry, do you think, by the way, it will be single digit points for these couple of drivers?

Yeah, 100%. Like I said, I think it's going to be, whilst I agree, I think they'll improve, I think the few points that they'll get will come from some luck that will come their way, not to say that it's undeserving, but I think it's going to be one of those, you know, could be a rainy day, Silverstone or spa, whatever,

and they managed to sneak a result or as an attrition heavy race, which we could see a lot of with reliability too. But yeah, it's not going to be, we're not talking double digits here. A name that's already come up for the three of us is Lance Stroll. Aston Martin, of course, struggling in preseason testing.

These predictions indicate, Sam, that those struggles might continue beyond just the start of the year. Yeah, unfortunately, he's not having struggles like a car that looks like it's going to be a race winner either. So whilst the car is going to take a little while, I do believe it will massively progress as we go throughout the year. The char and the engine? Well, that's the thing, isn't it?

That's the big thing. If they can get as much on the engine as their competitors, then I do think there's a chance. They jump from being arguably maybe 11th or 10th on the grid, to possibly being, you know, fifth, sixth. If that is the case, if they can get themselves up to that fifth or sixth thing, I just after years of the stats proving it, Fernando also has way more chance of being the guy that will pick up your point here and there.

And I do think it's going to be. going to be much harder this season to pick up points. The top four teams just seem like they're away with it at the moment. They seem so far advanced over the rest of the Griggs. So even if Ashton Martin improve, it's still slim pickings. And unfortunately, Lance Stroh with the way that he's been dealing with the testing, with what we've seen him in previous seasons, it takes a big of a miracle of events for Lance Strohl to really maximize points from a Grand Prix.

So unfortunately, I think it's going to be really tough for him to climb the points board. Yeah. I mean, Landstrol takes a bit of a battering on this podcast, bless him, and these predictions are really no different. But I will present a slightly different side of the argument here, even though I have put him down in 20th. I think there is an argument, at least parts of this season, with maybe an increase in unreliability with these teams. He does seem to thrive when there's chaos. Like, he does do a good job in these particularly wet weather races and where there are, I don't know, seven or reliability issues in a Grand Prix.

He seems to be one of those drivers that just stays in the game. He actually doesn't lose his head very often. You don't see him crash the car as often as maybe some think that he does. You remember Australia last year when even, I mean, a lot of them were rookies, but you had the likes of Carlos Synes, the McLaren's going off. A lot of drivers had off. His own teammate. Yes, exactly.

As much as he wanted to blame that on Pierre Gazley. It's the gravel, mate. It's the gravel. A gravel, yeah, right. He was there at the end. Miami Sprints, another one from last year. So we've put him down in, you know, the lower positions here, but you never know. Maybe he can take advantage of a race or two early on.

Racing Bulls is another team that's had a lot of attention so far in our predictions, because I've got Limblad 19th and Lawson 18th. Both drivers have appeared for you already, Sam, and at least Lawson has for you, Harry. Harry, you've said a couple of times that this might be a slight downgrade of a season for racing balls. Does at least the start of your predictions here imply that to be true? Yeah, I, the racing balls, at least from testing.

And again, I think this can change very easily this year, but they don't look like they've got the same sort of pace that they had certainly throughout 2025, where they were very consistent, whilst a lot of teams had up in the midfield, that is, last year, whilst all teams had ups and downs throughout the season. Racing balls were always just sort of there, weren't they? And it just doesn't seem like they're quite in that same position as we rolled into the first race of the season. So I've gotten the further down.

I just think it's purely the car. The power unit looks like it's pretty good, at least on the Red Bull side. So I don't think they're going to be necessarily let down by that. But car-wise, it didn't look like the greatest thing of the world to drive during testing. maybe I'm being harsh, but I just, that was my gut feeling. Sam, to me it feels like Aston Martin, there is at least the potential there that they will be uncompetitive for parts of the season, maybe all of the season we don't know.

Same with Cadillac. And whilst racing balls have made an appearance here, I don't think they'll be completely uncompetitive. I just think maybe the inexperience in the lineup and I don't know, they're not being a huge amount of optimism coming out of preseason testing, just puts them slightly behind some of their rivals. they're just awkward as a team. I don't mean that in an insulting way.

It's just what they stand for, the purpose of that team, means that the teams behind them will be looking to progress to become champions eventually, right? That's the dream for your Kagalax, your Aston Martins. The teams in front of them are going to be kicking on immediately to try and get to the front. They share that same dream. But this Racing Bulls team, Limblog, Lawson,

again, I've stated this before. They're a training ground. They're there to be experimental for car development, which then feeds into Red Bull. They're getting a lot of bad stuff because they tell. the stuff that might not work on their car a lot of the time, and it fails, and therefore it doesn't go to Red Bull. They have that relationship. It's part of what they do as a sister team. Then you compare that with the experience of the team itself. I think Limblog will come good. I think he's

got a lot of raw talent behind him to get to take a few races. And if Lawson carries on in the same way that he did last year and before that, there's a lot of risk in the way that he drives and a good performance might end up being very quickly unraveled because there's contact or the race management isn't quite there. So when I compared it to the rest of the teams that we've got coming up, they just fell short, unfortunately. I don't think they'll be out of the mix a lot of the time, but I just don't think they've got enough either to get themselves over the line in comparison to the teams coming up. It's going to be tough for both drivers to get up to speed very early on in the season. I mean, Lawson this year, I don't want to say he doesn't have the excuse, but he doesn't have

the reason of last year of being put into Red Bull for two races and then being put in racing balls and seemingly struggling for maybe half a dozen races. after that. He isn't going to have that this year. Limbaud, of course, very fresh into the sport. So it's going to be a lot of pressure on the two of them quite early on. I think at least initially they've got a good chance of being there with Audi and probably ahead of Williams going into Australia as well. But that doesn't necessarily mean we're not ranking where they are going into Australia. We're ranking for the full season. And development-wise, there is at least a potential that they are slower in that regard compared to some other teams.

Let's have a look at 17th through to 13th before we stop for another discussion. Sam, who have you got for these five drivers? 17th, 17th, I've got Colopinto, 16th, Alonzo, 15th, Hulk, 14th, Bortoletto, 13th, Ocone. Okay, Harry. 17th, I've got Limbludd, 16th, very painfully, I've got Fernando Alonzo, 15th, Franka Colapinto, So 14th, The Hulk, and 13th, Alex Albon. Okay, and then for me, 17th, I've got Fernando Alonzo. Oh, God.

It hurts, man. It really hurts me. That's not the last of the pain in this five either, because Alex Albin's 16th. I've got Ockon in 15th. Carlos signs in 14th, and then Franco Colopinto in 13th. So Colopinto, let's start there, because he makes an appearance in all three of our list,

just slightly different end of the list. So Sam, you've got him 17th, Harry's in the middle in 15th, and the meet in 13th. So based on Gasley not making an appearance yet, Sam, I'm guessing you're thinking Colopinto's not going to get as much out of the car as his teammate will. Exactly that.

Whilst he had the winter of a winters, so I'll never stop releasing on about that quote. I just think that he's not going to be there with Gassi across the entire season. Gassley, I stand by this, is the most underrated driver on the grid. I think him and Carlos Saints pretty much go toe to toe in that acclaim. He is a phenomenal driver, and he's beaten, as we stated in teammate wars,

every single driver is going up against since we've been done this podcast, other than Max Verstappen. And he was pretty green on the racetrack at that point as well. He knows how to get the most out of a car. Now, whilst I think that the Alping is going to be significantly better than what we saw last year, I don't think it will last. I'm actually thinking they're almost the opposite of Ashton Martin, or they might start relatively strong, but development might stall earlier on

because I just don't think they've got that deeper system, I'll pin yet, that they can take a project and they can develop that project over a number of series to maximise this. So I think Colopinto might get an all right start, but he's still developing to the car, still learning how the car works. Gassi will adapt faster, then the chance of points will go. And I think, unfortunately, he won't be at his best when the car is at its best.

So that's why I think Colapinto might end up subsiding in comparison. Harry, you've got him 15th. That implies at the very least, even if he's not there with Gassley, he's going to be in some point scoring positions. Is that going to be enough to impress the big boss? Who knows, mate? Like, it could be winning races and it wouldn't be enough to impress Flavio.

He'd forget that he'd want... If Frank had got up being said, won the Australian GP, I think by the end of the year, Flavio would have forgotten. I think by the race he could have forgotten. Well, exactly. On the flight home. Yeah. Who won that one?

By the way? I was like, I'll throw it. Frank McI'm on the seat. I think it really depends with where he is in comparison to Gassley I think I'm on the similar sort of a thought process

as Sam on this one I think the Alpinal at the start of year looks like he's going to be relatively good, strong maybe head of the midfield and if Colopinto can you know with the Mercedes engine behind him benefit from that

and pick up points I don't think he'll be beating Gassley but he could be relatively far behind Gassie but still will only be one position I think there's a realistic, you know, realistic option that happens. It might get tough as we get later into the year and other teams catch out, like Sam said. And I think whilst Gassad might be able to stick it out in a similar position, I'd just see Collop into falling down a bit more.

So it'll be a better year for him. I've got no doubt, especially with the world's greatest off season in, or, you know, human history. Yeah. He's had such a great winter. it is just going to be an amazing, he'll win the first five races of the year, but by the end of the year,

he'll be retiring from every race, like, and it will be a gradual decline as the best winter of all time sort of fades into existence. Yeah. The ice caps have to melt. Do they?

Well, let's carry up. Yeah, good idea. I've got colopinto slightly higher than both of you. I've got him 13th. Again, I think the Alpine is going to be more competitive than it was last year. And if it's not, goodness me, they've really failed. But I think 13th would be a really solid season for him.

I mentioned in Teammate Wars, whilst I don't think he'll quite beat Gasly, I think he will be more competitive versus him than maybe what we're expecting. This is someone who fared pretty well against Alex Albin, despite being put into that card without any real preparation. you know, Logan Sargent when he was dropped mid-season. Colopinto had to get in there and adjust very quickly. And we saw some really promising performances from him. And I'm excited to see with a, again, in theory,

better car than what he had last year, maybe he can start to get some more consistent points score. I'm not sure it will be enough to beat Ghazley, but I have got him as high as 13th here. Someone I haven't got as high as 13th, someone that none of us have got as high as 13th, is Fernando Alonzo, 16th, 16th and 17th. Harry, if we'd said that six months ago,

what would your reaction have been? Pain. I mean, it's pain now, but it would just not seem believable that this is where they are. And whilst we, I think we all believe that Aston Martin would be able to improve as a season goes on, or Honda can improve their engine.

The thing is, and we've said this before, it's such an unknown about that car, because if the engine gets good and works, that could be the greatest car in the field. We just have no idea. So, and I'm not suggesting they're going to start winning races or anything, but if they can get the engine to work properly and everything starts to, you know, starts to fire on all cylinders,

and pardon the pun, then, you know, maybe Alonzo can start, trying to challenge for some points but I mean that is not where he was expecting to be this year at all I think like Perez I know Perez is further down I think he might when the car starts to come good later in the year if it comes good I think he's going to be able to just sneak some good results as I said the other day the the P10 he gets in I don't know hungry and it's the greatest p10 the world's ever seen I can't do it um yeah I think it would going to have a few of those, to be honest.

Some Fernando Alonso in magic, but it's just not the magic we really want to see. I think I referenced this on an episode about a month ago, talking about who was favourite for the championship in the eyes of the bookmakers, and Alonzo was like fifth on the list. Like, he was right up there. He's not anymore. Like, it's just, if this is, I can't bring myself to say it. If this is the end, no.

I don't want this to be the end for a long. on so in F1. This can't be his legacy. Please improve the car. Improve the engine. Improve something. So he's not stranded at the back getting lapped by cars and drivers

that he should be racing against. I've gone 17th, so. The only real small saving grace and it's not quite the same. But if you, the McLaren 17th and the DNF that we always reference, it's worse than that.

obviously, but... Does that turn around happen in time for Alonzo? No. That's... For him to... This year. Well, I mean... They weren't winning a championship

at the end of that season, is my point. No, I know, but... Yeah. I feel like for Alonso, just a win. It's all he wants in this point. It's got worse every single season we say, well, it's on a wig. Every year since 2020, it's gotten worse.

He's going to win Monaco. Yeah, he's going to win it. He's going to... They're going to put like some ridiculous illegal engine in the car and then he will just back everyone up for 70 laps around one ago. And that would be the first illegal win of his entire career. That's insane. Most honest man.

Yeah. 2008 Singapore. Right, that's going to do it for 22nd through to 13th. So the bottom 10 drivers on the grid we've decided. But we're going to look at 12th through to 7th right after this. Where are my gloves? Come on, heat. Winter is hard, but your groceries don't have to be.

This winter, stay warm. Tap the banner to order your groceries online at voila.ca. Enjoy in-store prices without leaving your home. You'll find the same regular prices online as in-store. Many promotions are available both in-store and online, though some may vary. Welcome back, everyone. Before we go into the next stage of our driver's championship predictions, We've got F1 coming up next week,

which means F1 fantasy is back. I didn't realize you wanted cheers then. Yeah, sorry, we're the rubbish too on this, so we got that hyped. Yeah. Harry, are you going to stand for you being included in that? I mean, you had a great year. I know, my P3 medal is sat proudly somewhere.

To be clear, folks, that's P3 out of the four of us on the podcast, not in the world. A P3 is a podium and I'll take it. Yeah. I love that they built a podium for four people. I'm the only one. Yeah, F1 Fantasy is back. So we had nearly 3,000 people in the league last year.

Amazing take-up. So we're hoping to get similar numbers again this year. We absolutely love getting you involved, reading out who the winner is on each week, who are the top three in the championship. We'll be doing all of that again this year in our updates. We're all going to be involved. Rob Marshall Revenge Tour is my team name.

We've still got a few TBCs. Sam, I know you've asked the Discord for what your team name should be, and there's a clear winner already. I think that might be what I go for, regardless of the rules I also put in place for them. Sorry, Discord. Someone was just funny. And Harry, the only way is up was your team name last year,

so I'm assuming you've got to name your team after Kiefer Sutherland. Why? He's forgotten entirely. He's forgotten entirely. Make out point in this last year. Yeah. It's ambitious to think that I remember anything more than two weeks ago. I should have really...

Sure, keep your sublant. I'll call it that. Why are we doing that? I should have claimed that we actually spoke about it last week and just... And you'd go, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay. I did think I had bought it. I'd been like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, fine.

So if you want to get involved, the link to join the league is in the description. depends if you've already got a login and everything that you'll need to go through a few hoops in order to get there. But yeah, all of the instructions are on the website and just make sure you join the league

and at least beat one of us. I'm not sure who's going to be bottom out of the four of us this year, but make sure you beat one of us. That's what I'm aiming for. Good. At some point as well, we will read out some of your funniest team names. Whether it's here on the podcast or on social,

we will commit to doing that because there are some very creative team. already out there in the league. Shall we get back to some predictions for the driver's championship as we go from 12th through to 7th. So we've got six drivers here. Sam, take it away. 12th Pierre Gasley.

11th, Albon. 10th, bareman. 9th, Seitz. 8th, Hajar, 7th Piascri. Okay. Harry. 12th, Ocon. 11th, Seins.

10th of Behrman, 9th, Ghazli, 8th, Hajjar, and 7th, Piastri. Okay, mine is, Beirman 12th, Holkenberg 11th, Gassley 10th, Bortoletto, 9th, Hajar 8th, and Lewis Hamilton in 7th. Oh, my guy thinks Aldi's going to be banging in the points. Well, let's start there, because I'm quite high on Alis. You are. You are high. What was that team name?

You were going to pick bang? Well, Al do you have a chance of meatballs or the other one? The other one's great too. Yeah, all right. Aldi's nuts. Sorry. Yeah, I, you know, sometimes I come to the podcast with prepared, like, stats and information on why I think this team or this drive is going to be good.

It's in my gut, man. I feel like how old are you going to get there this year? It's catching. It's catching. Yeah. There is a little bit of science in that in that Bortoleta did a race run in Bahrain preseason testing that looked very competitive, at least in regards to the midfield. And there's no way to know if that's going to carry through to other tracks. And, you know, he did his run at a different time to some of his rivals and maybe different

fuel loads. But it looks pretty encouraging. At least from my perspective, Aldi made the most progress from the beginning of the Bahrain test to the end of the barade test. Like the beginning, they looked like it's ninth or tenth. At the end of it, I thought that they were in the mix with the likes of Hass and Alpine. And it's a bit risk-reward with Aldi

because if they do develop the car or the engine quite well, no one else is going to benefit from it. Equally, it can go the other way as well. If they do something wrong, no one else is going to feel the ill effect of it. So I think it's a really solid lineup. Bortoletto in his second year, Holkenberg is super-reliolk.

reliable, super steady at this stage in his career. I just have a feeling that that car, I'm not saying it starts as the fifth best team, but I do think it ends the year as the fifth best team. Okay. Interesting. Interesting. You're not quite as high on Audi, Sam, but you do have the two drivers right next to each other in the championship. Yeah, I think so far in my listings,

they are the only team where the drivers, apart from Peres of Bottas right at the back, where the drivers have been right next to each other. I think that's a credit to the lineup. I think they are at this point very solid. I think Audi have done a great job at forecasting who their drivers were going to be before we got to being Audi. I think a rising Bortoletto is a fantastic young pick to have.

And as you really mentioned, Ben, Holgerberg's just such a safe pair of hands, super reliable, gets the job done. They've just got to hope he hasn't decided to go on holiday for three months in the end of the season, which you know what? Don't do that. The car might get better.

And it might. I feel like, unfortunately, with the way that that engine is the most terrifying noise I've ever heard, It could be quite unreliable. There could be some problems with the car breaking down. And unfortunately, when Pointer have got slim pickings, it's hard to come by. I think there's a real risk with Audi getting it wrong and the engine struggling. They talked about having some heat problems.

They talked about the fact that they obviously were struggling with turbo. And again, they've got to work this out all on their own. They don't have a customer team to help them with research and development. They're not getting extra miles at the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes are. So I just think that they might have your good race here. and there where you see them properly inside the points, I just don't think it's regular enough to beat those who are already normally in that midfield pack

and solidified there. Harry, you've got the most positive opinion on HASS, Bayerman in 12th, which matches what Sam's got, but you've also got, sorry, bareman in 10th, but Ockon in 12th, whereas Sam has Ockon outside of the top top. So your opinion's a little bit higher on Hasse than the rest of us, but they look pretty good at the moment.

Yeah, I think they look, they look pretty solid. And I've got a feeling that Haas will sort of stay like that throughout the year. The other thing as well, you know, if we're looking at versus Audi, for example, I think I'm kind of with you. I think Audi will have relatively good pace. But I think reliability is going to let them down. Whereas I think maybe Haas, it may be like a tortoise and a hair situation here.

Haas may not be quicker, but they will get to the line first because they don't break down. It's going to matter this year, more than like the last few years. Thank goodness for that. So I think there may be occasions where Hasse may not be quicker than the lights of Adi, for example, but they may just pick up the points when others around them have failures. So yeah, the car is pretty solid, pretty solid testing for them. It wasn't like, it wasn't making headlines, but it was just, yeah, it was just solid, wasn't it? It was very solid. I guess the reason I've got Hass a little bit lower in the championship,

so I've got Bayman in 12th and Ockon outside of the top 12. My reasoning here is I'm just not sure with the size of that team, whether they are going to be able to keep pace with some of the other teams in terms of that development. They should start the year well. And I've got them a bit higher towards the start of the season because that Ferrari power unit looks pretty good, especially at race starts. And like you say, with the Bahrain test, they were, they were really solid across both weeks. Didn't have a lot of reliability issues whatsoever. And if some of these midfield teams do come a cropper in terms of DNFs,

Hasse might be able to take advantage of that. I just worry, can they keep that going for the full year? Where are you at on this one, Sam? I've got the split in the drive. It's just because I think that Berman is going to really kick on. And what's from much will happen to O'Con. I think he'll be there or thereabouts what he did last year. It's Berman that I'm excited by.

And I do think that he will step up again. We'll see a further improvement from him. The hearth, though, is rock solid. Also, I don't think it's going to set anything in light in terms of absolute outright pace. I think because of its reliability and its ability to get round the track more times than pretty much anyone else without falling apart, it will find itself dipping into those smaller points tallys regularly throughout the season. I think you're right, they could be outdeveloped. That's where the risk comes from them.

That's why I've got a few drivers from other teams dotting around them. But early on, I think they're looking in a really solid place. And if his Ferrari engine can keep that advantage off the starts and it might be tough to overtake, then they might see themselves in good positions early on. Staying with you, Sam, because I like to focus now on Williams. Both drivers have been revealed from all three of us up to this point, but you have the highest opinion of them

with Carlos Seines in 9th and Alex Albin in 11th. A tough pre-season for them, not even making an appearance in Barcelona, looked relatively reliable when we got to Bahrain, but not necessarily that quick. Tell me if I'm wrong. Your prediction implies that they're going to get better throughout the season. Yeah, in Daggy Vowles, you have to trust, okay?

They have respected his authority. They haven't removed him from post despite. That's fairingish. They have not removed him from posts. They've been sure that he's got, you know, their support. And he has been bleating on about it being their year. So I've got faith that something is coming this year that will see them move up. I don't think they're as far back as what testing maybe assumes they were going to be.

They're still Mercedes powered. So that's always a very rock-solid engine supply that you can have there, even if it is going to be changed halfway through the year, that should see them having an initial advantage. And I do think that aerodynamically, they're going to shed that weight pretty fast. They can't afford to be that heavy for that long. Plus their line-up, I still think is one of the best lineups on the grid at the moment. I think Alex Album is fantastic.

His new helmet, by the way, he's just launched it on social media. It looks so cool. Such a great design for a race helmet. I really like it. Carlos Sykes is the smooth operator for a reason. So whilst I don't think they're going to be much further ahead than they were last year,

I do think they'll get back to that point by the end of the season. Harry, your prediction kind of implies the same, but maybe not quite to the same extent. You've got Carlos Sines and 11th and Alex Albin in 13th. So do you think that they will start the year there, or is this one that they're going to grow into? I think it's like a big jumper. It's one they're going to grow into.

I don't think they're going to start there here at all. I think they're going to be much further back as we head into the first half of the season. But I have the trust in James Vals. Despite the shaky start to this year, I think they will improve massively. And inevitably, they'll find ways to make that chunky, Chonky Williams lose weight along the way as well.

So I think they'll finish the year strong. They're not going to start it very strong, though. Yeah, I have the lowest opinion on them because I've got them, I've already revealed both of them in 14th and 16th. It's going to be a heavy, chunky car to start the year. James Vowell seems relatively optimistic. They'll be able to resolve that within three or four races, which wouldn't be too detrimental to the overall season.

some of the comments from Carlos Sines in particular don't seem very encouraging coming out of Bahrain and if they don't get fixed quickly Carlos Sines might be looking at his decision to go to Williams and go, I'm not sure if that's going to work out for me or not. If this does come true, and I'm very happy if it doesn't come true,

if they do finish 14th and 16th in the championship, I don't know if James Vowels can remain in his job. No, I think that's very fair. I think if they finish eighth, ninth in the constructors, what's the point? All this promise has not being sustained, isn't it? It's not been delivered upon. I think if they, based on your prediction, Sam, if they're ninth and 11th and show improvement throughout the year, I think he's fine. I think that will give them something to work with going forward. But he really has state a claim on 2026 and these regulations. So if he is finishing, they were 8th and 9th last year. So if they make a considerable step back,

it's going to be tough for him to justify his position, I think. Especially if they lose out to the likes of Alpine, for example, who were last, of course, last season. And that would be a real insult. Speaking of Alpine, just a quick one on, I know he's spoken about Colopinto, but Pierre Gazley is in this mix from all three of us. So Harry's got him ninth, I've got him 10th.

But Sam, you've got them 12th. So I know you're a massive fan of Gasly, which I'm guessing this is more of a statement on Alpine than it is the driver. Yeah, as I mentioned, I just don't think they've got the development of the car. I think Gassi will be able to maximize what he's given. As we saw last season, the moment the car was capable, barang early on, and there's some great form later on into the season.

It shows that he can deliver when the car gives him a, you know, when he gets like, actually, we'll take that mile. I just think the Alpian is going to slowly fall back through the pack. And like I said earlier, with points being so hard to come by, I think that means that they'll fall out very quickly. I guess we should probably mention Isaac Hadjar at this point. if you'd have told me or if you'd ask me before we did these predictions, what is the thing you are most confident about?

It would have been we will all have him in eighth place. So the back of the top four teams. It's where we predicted Lawson was going to finish roughly last year, and I'm going to guess where we would have predicted Sonoda to finish if he had started the year. Definitely didn't follow through on that. Harry, how important is it that Hajar does actually get in and amongst the big boys and maybe takes that first win that he's aiming for this year.

Yeah, it's super important. I think for for Lawson, well, I guess Sonoda, but when we were predicting this, Red Bull didn't look as good, I think, this and last as they did, they do now. They had a pretty troublesome preseason, obviously, whilst that turned around during the year. Real handful of Bahrain, wasn't it?

I remember some of Stappan's laps were, yeah. they hated Bahrain in general last year. So yeah, so it's actually, this is even more important that Hajjar does deliver on this because I think they probably are starting from a stronger position, even which is a bit weird thing to say, given where Bostappen was last year. But yeah, I think it's going to be, you know, rebel of third or fourth, the quickest team. Hard to know which one they are at the moment. But either way, if they are third or fourth, I think Hajar being,

8th was probably a realistic and, you know, a realistic option as well as we should finish the year. I'm not saying Sonoda's performances last year were acceptable because, I mean, Red Bull implied they weren't by getting rid of him. But there was at least more of a reason why, because the gap between the midfield and the top cars was much less than what we're about to see this year, at least we think. And because of that, I don't think Sam Red Bull are going to tolerate if if Hadjar is consecutively out of the points. Like, even if he is only seventh and eighth in some races, he at least needs to be part of that pack and not the pack behind.

With the gap that we're expecting to see between these top four teams, traditional top four teams and the rest of the grid, I feel eighth is genuinely the lowest he can acceptably be. And I do think he's got the talent to deliver on that. I've really spoken in length about the circumstances being very favourable for Hadjar, you know, the changing leadership, the fact that the cars are coming in and they're all having to learn at the same time.

The fact they seem quite agreeable to the younger drivers in the sinks that maybe F2 presents a lot of the same style of driving as what they do in Formula One. The cards are lining up well for Hajjar. That doesn't mean I think he's going to be a challenge the likes of Lechler or Antigelli or whatever it might be. I think it would take some time.

But if he's only lower than eights with the ability this Red Bull looks like it has got, he's failed himself and the team, I think. We do have a difference in opinion when it comes to seventh place, but I'm going to wait until we do sick through to first because we do have that difference in opinion, so both drivers haven't been fully revealed yet.

Let's take our next break on this episode, on the other side, sixth, fifth, fourth, third, second, and who is going to be our 2026 Formula One world champion? Welcome back, everyone. I should really use the drum roll here because this is the all-important moment where we make our predictions who is going to be the 2026 world champion.

Last year, we managed to come up with three different names who could win the 2025 championship, and all three of us were wrong. So you're going to want to pay attention to this, folks. Sam, you have the honours. Great. Sixth place, current world champion, Landon Norris. Fifth place, Kimmy Antingelli. Fourth place, Charles Leclair.

Third place, Max Verstappen. Second place, Lewis Hamilton. First place, George Russell. Oh boy. That's one vote for George Russell to be world champion for the first time. Harry, sixth down a first. Sixth place, also current world champion, Llanorice. Oof, times two.

Fifth place, Max Verstappen. Fourth place, Lewis Hamilton. Third place, Kimmy Antonelli. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Second place.

No. No. George Russell. No! You jinks! You can't do that to him! And I'm doubling down on Charles Leclair

to be world champion in 2026. Oh, I dig it in takes me so we didn't jinks him, man. Gonna cry. Ben Hocking, please. Your top six. Okay, sixth place. I ain't buying the hype.

I got Shao Leclair in P6. He's out of the opium. He's out of the hospital. I can't do it again. Harry Eadne there with the masks, firmly on. Yeah, P6, I've got Scholarclair. In fifth place, Oscar Piastri. In fourth place, Kimmy Antonelli.

Third place, Lando Norris. Second place, George Russell, and winning the championship, I have Max Verstappen. Three separate championship. Navigations. Ben doubling down on last year as well.

He also going for my snap. That is very late-breaking. To be fair to you, given you said Max Fitzhappen last year off the back of a terrible testing, this has been a much better testing, so theoretically. You're so close as well.

Yeah, that's not a bad shout. Good time with Ben. I mean, it's never a bad show. I can't believe you've got him where fifth, Harry? I just think the Ferrari and Mercedes are going to be class of the field. if I'm on this, but Ferrari

in the last of the field in one sentence. It doesn't matter if they can't do 70 laps of a race, they can do the first one. That's fine. Is there a particular concern with Red Bull and Vestapp? Is it more on the power train

and that being brand new? Is it more on the car side of things and not having Adrian Newey anymore? Is it a combination of the both? I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with the Red Bull. I just, I don't think it's necessarily going to be as quick as yeah the Merck and the and the and the and the Ferrari um I think he'll be he'll be

in the mix he'll be picking up wins this year um I just think those those four cars are going to be most of the time most of the time ahead of him so I don't think it's going to be a bad year for him by any means I just think yeah those those are going to be quicker is it going to be the same situation as last year where Vestappam some races and red bull were absolutely on it like the wins at Baku and Monza, like he was winning by an absolute mile. But there were other races, I'm thinking Hungary in particular and Bahrain that we've already referenced, where Red Bull were just not on the pace whatsoever. Are they going to have a few more of those weekends, do you think?

Yeah, I mean, maybe. It's hard to, I think, I think Calastrian was really inconsistent. The car was really inconsistent for, even in for Stappen's hands. And obviously, it's for something that Sonodora and Lawson struggle with even more. I think it could be an overall better car this year. So maybe those really bad weekends. Or, you know, a few bad weekends. You don't rear their heads as much.

But, I mean, for example, Bahrain doesn't quite look as bad as it did last year. So hopefully when they get to Bahrain, it won't be as disastrous as it wasn't 2025. But yeah, this is such an unknown for this year. I mean, we've had testing around. I know we've had the shakedown of Barcelona, but we didn't really get anything from that. we've had testing properly around Bahrain. Now, Bahrain's a great track, but there's so many other circuits

that are nothing like Bahrain that we could get to, and who knows who could dominate that weekend. So, yeah, tough one to tell, but just, as you said earlier, Ben, we are just guessing. We really are. Sam, you have Vastappen in the middle

of this Mercedes and Ferrari sandwich. Is that a case of, you think those two are going to be the top teams and Vastappen's going to pull out some magic at various points this season. Yeah, Mercedes and Ferrari car will be better, I think, across the whole season, then the Red Bull. And again, Red Bull are taking another blow losing Chief Designer Craig Skinger, right? And the other game on a long list of big departures that we've seen over the last 18 to 24 months.

I just think there's too many things shifting at Red Bull to maximise this year, but the talent of Max Vastan, the magic that Max Brings, there will be some performances that make you just go, this kid goes like a bloody driver race car really, really quickly. So I think we'll see a lot of what we saw last year where there are better cars, but are there better drivers? That's another question. And Max will keep himself in the fight, I think.

It will just be the difference in what the big manufacturers, you know, the OGs in Mercedes and Ferrari, I think are able to bring out a bit more across a full year. I mean, my logic for Vastappen being world champion outside of he's really, good. My biggest concern is not the Mercedes or the Ferrari. It's actually the 24 hours of the Nureberg ring and him going off and doing a different spot, just leaving halfway through the year. But I think he's with a pretty good chance of having a good year here. Harry's kind of laid out the logic already, which is they looked really bad in Bahrain last year, and yet he was still

so close to winning the championship. They look pretty good at the moment. Even if you don't think they are quite on the pace of some of their rivals right now. I think if you were to scale it like one to ten, what are you expecting from the Red Bull power train, like power unit going into this season? I think it's closer to a 10 than it is a one. Like they look pretty reasonable in that department already. I know Toto Wolf is talking about them having a one second advantage in a straight line.

I don't think it's anything close to that. But it's competitive. And that's kind of what Vastappen needs is competitive. I was, I'm going to R and a Rang about Russell versus Vostappan, I'll be honest. I think Russell and Mercedes might start the year better. I think we might get something of a repeat of last year where Vastappen and Red Bull get better as the year goes on. Of course, the opponent this time will be Mercedes rather than McLaren.

And we're still, we're still yet to hear about what's going to happen in regards to the compression ratio, the advantage that Mercedes have there. We should know fairly soon on that, whether that's going to be clipped in August. If so, maybe that final stretch, we might get a Vastapp and title push again. It would feel almost slightly brawn-esque, if that is the case,

having this almost slightly, not illegal, but not rule-approved situation, gets clipped halfway through the season, and then the chasing pack really start to catch up right before the end of the year. Now, both of you do not like McLaren's chances this year, at least versus Mercedes and Ferrari. You've both got Norris in sixth.

You've both got Piastri in seventh. Harry, explain yourself. I just hate McLaren, obviously. It's punishment for all the papy rolls. No, look, again, I think these top four teams are going to be pretty close this year. I still think, obviously, I think Ferrari and Mercedes is going to be the top two.

but I think they're all going to trade, trade wins, podiums, etc., between them. But I just don't think McClaren overall is as strong a package as the Mercedes and the Ferrari and, dare I say it, Max Verstappen, which is a bit of a repeating story for those two. He does have a strong package.

There you go. So, yeah, I don't, I'm not. saying at all that McLaren are going to be terrible. I think they do look pretty strong. I just think the advantage that they did have in 2025, for example, at the beginning of 2025, that doesn't exist now for them. So they're going to be in the mix, no doubt. They've got two great drivers, probably the best lineup,

but at least one of the best lineups on the grid. And so, yeah, they're going to be competitive. It's just not going to quite be enough of them. Wins for McLaren this season, Sam? Yeah, I think so. be surprised if they are picking up two or three across the season. I do think they're going going to be tough to come by. And I struggled with where to put them on my list because in my head, Mercedes and Ferrari is a team, I think, have got the edge. And whilst McLaren had a really strong

test in terms of mileage, they had no reliability problems because they're fueled by Mercedes. And I think the Mercedes engine is really strong. But I think Mercedes are doing more exciting things to their car aerodynamically than what McLaren are doing. And so I think, I think, the Mercedes is doing. And so I think that they will have more to give. I think they are sandbagging. I do think the Mercedes are going to come out the blocks would be a little bit scary, but I do wonder how much I'll be clipped as they go. Unfortunately, for McLaren, whilst I don't think they're there dynamically, they're also going to be clipped by this engine problem that might appear halfway through the year, and that will also put them on a disadvantage as it will for both Lepin and Williams.

So therefore, I think that when the car is not up to scratch in comparison to these other two, they're just got a little bit of a disadvantage. Like Harry, I think it will be incredible, incredibly close. Yeah, I think I've got them a bit higher. I've got Norris third and Piastri 5th. I think they will be more in the mix than that. I think having the Mercedes power unit is going to be an advantage early on in the season. Again, I don't think we've seen all of what the Mercedes power unit has. And that works for both teams, not just the Mercedes factory team, of course. So I think they will pick up wins. Whether it's enough for a championship effort or not, my leaning is no, but it wouldn't surprise me either.

It wouldn't shock me if they are right up there. Sam, but funnily enough, you have, whilst George Russell is your world champion in the predictions, Kimmy Antonelli, you've got him the worst position of the three of us down in fifth. So you've probably got the biggest gap between the two of all of us. I do. It speaks to two different things in my way of thinking. One is that I think these teams will be incredibly close together. And unfortunately, that tells me that Antingale with his,

whilst incredible roarability lacks a lot of race time experience still, when he's going up against Charlotte, Clair, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and George Russell, I think whilst the car will be possibly the best, he will be the least experience and the least quick across race pace. We saw so many times last season, it was his race management that was often letting him down. He had great qualifying pace occasionally. We saw the sprint pole that he picked up, for example, but he was unable to maintain tires as well as those around him.

I think with this year, there's so many different things to manage, your battery power, where you're deploying your aerodynamics that can now move properly. How are you defending versus attacking those around you? I think it's a lot for such a youngster to learn and develop right at the top of the field. I just think he was slightly full by the wayside as this marathon of the season goes on. So whilst I don't think he's going to be, you know, Eons behind, his teammate and the rest of the guys around him, I think he probably will be one step behind.

Harry, you've got Antonelli in third just behind George Russell in second. So I guess firstly, that implies you think Antonelli's going to make quite a push in this second season, quite an improvement of what he did last year. But is it enough, like, in third place? Is he competing for a title?

In my head, and less dangerous and scary place to be, but in my head, it's the top four. that are fighting for the championship. It's both Ferrari's, both, both Mercedes. So Hamilton, Lecler, Russell, Antonelli. It's a championship fight between the four of them. So I think so.

I think Antenelli, whilst the year experience is obviously still there, we could say the same for Oscar Piastri. I think those great, great drivers, they pick it up so quickly. I mean, like Lewis Hamilton, for example. So, yeah, there'll be mistakes along the way. I've got no doubt again, it's only year two. but I think that car's going to be pretty, pretty good.

And certainly the first half of the season, as you've already said. So I think Anteneli can take advantage of that and be a thorn in the side of George Russell. Yeah, I'm probably in the middle of your opinions here because I think he will make a stride in the second year. And I think he'll be more competitive versus his teammate than what he was last year. I don't think it will be, I think he'll be a really solid second driver. to the point where Mercedes are very happy with his progress, I don't think it will personally be enough to compete for the title.

But Stranger Things have happened. It wouldn't shock me. All right, let's touch on Ferrari, because there are some differing opinions here. Harry, you have cursed the great man, the man in his prime, Charles, Claire. You think, again, he's going to be world champion. Historically, whenever we've predicted,

did Charle of Clare to be world champion, Sam in 2019. You last year it goes really well. So I just, you know what? I just want to say thank you. You're welcome, because the content for the podcast at least will be excellent for the rest of the year. I just, I, like I said the other day, Charlotte Clare's got that dog in him. And I, that Ferrari, you know, whilst I don't necessarily believe it is going to be,

he's going to be half a second clear of the entire field as he was at the end of testing. There's no doubt, I think, that Ferrari is competitive, and a competitive Ferrari is exactly what Charles LeClair. Firstly, he deserves, after all this time, but it's all he really needs, because even last year with a car that wasn't good,

he's still putting some stellar performances. So you said it the other day, Ben, he's in the prime of his career right now, And I think even if the car isn't necessarily, you know, top, top dollar for the entire year, which, you know, if Mercedes do have the advantage at the start, I think they've got a solid cal for a whole year, which, again, LeClau's never had. I think it's going to be enough for him to seal it. Sam, you haven't got either driver winning the title like Harry does, but you do have Hamilton

in second, Leclair and fourth. We will get to Constructors' Championship predictions after the break and which they're going to be in the mix there. So you're quite optimistic too. I am optimistic. With Ferrari, it's so easy to just get wrapped up in it. You know, you go into boots. You say, Doctor, I'm feeling down.

I need something to pick me up. And they go, have a little dose of Ferrari opium, sir. That'll pick you up for a while. The issue is it always runs out. You always come crashing down. So I'm trying to get too wrapped in it. So they feel good. Their testing was great.

You know, they dig it all in one engine. The lap times were fast, the club putting the five baskets lap times. a cross-testing. The issue is there's a silver and black car slightly further down the pit lane that feel a little bit dangerous in what they're able to produce. And they've got a fine, talking, suave-looking gentleman who is sitting at the helm of it. So I'm a little worried that whilst Ferrari might have created something genuinely good this year, someone might have come on and just done something a little bit better. I should have brought a prop for this. You see this imaginary

wool that I've got in my hand? right it ain't over my eyes you're not fooling anyone Ferrari i see you there faster than everyone in preseason testing in Bahrain i'm not buying it i don't care you could have been three seconds faster every 10th that Lecler went faster the more convinced I was they're going to be sixth and seventh this year I'm not buying it they've got the flippy rear wing I don't care I'm not buying it about the mega starts mate yeah what about Hamilton being first by turn one You wait, Australia, they will have the worst starts on the grid. And we will all go, ah, they've done it again.

We shouldn't believe them. What about Hamilton dating Kim Kardashian, though? Oh, in fact, are they in. Liam Lawson, is he very exciting about it on another podcast? He's just in the cuck chair, is he? To answer your question, Sam, I don't think Lewis Hamilton dating Kim Kardashian is going to impact his championship position. Right, okay.

Good. Let me bring me back up. The people were asking. The good thing about my prediction here is that if I am proven to be horribly wrong, it's fine because they've then done well at last. And Leclair is a good car. What if they've done well but not well enough? That also seems possible.

I've finished second by one point. Oh, God. Well, we'll find that out after this break because our last part on today's podcast, we'll look at the Constructed's Championship from 11th to 1st. At Medcan, we know that life's greatest moments are built on a foundation of good health, from the big milestones to the quiet winds. That's why our annual health assessment offers a physician-led, full-body checkup that provides a clear picture of your health today and may uncover early signs of conditions

like heart disease and cancer. The healthier you means more moments to cherish. Take control of your well-being and book an assessment today. Medcan, live well for life. Visit Medcan.com slash moments to get started. Welcome back, everyone. You'll probably have a fairly good idea of what we think in terms of the Constructors' Championship,

but there might still be a few question marks out there as to the exact order we have them in. So, Sam, if you go through the entire list, 11th down the first. Sure, I've got Kagalak 11th, Racing Balls, 10th, I've got Aston in 9th, Audi or in 8th, Alpine 7th, Hars 6th, Williams 5th, McLaren 4th, Red Bull, 3rd, Ferrari second Mercedes first. Okay.

Harry, your 11th? I have got Cadillac in 11th, Aston Martin 10th. Oh, wait on. For an Audi twice. RB 9th, Audi 8th, William 7th, Alpine 6th, half fifth,

Red Bull, 4th, McLaren, 3rd, Ferrari 2nd and Mercedes first. And I've got Cadillac in 11th, Racing Bulls in 10th, Aston Martin in 9th, Williams in 8th, Hasse in 7th, Alpine in 6th, Audi in 5th, Ferrari in 4th, Red Bull in 3rd, McLaren in 2nd and Mercedes winning the Constructors Championship. So whilst we had a lot of difference in opinion when it came to the Drivers' Championship, less so with the Constructors.

I guess, Sam, based on the Drivers' Championship, you were the one person I wasn't sure if maybe it would be Ferrari to win that constructors, because they're the only ones, according to you, that will have two drivers in the top four, but is Russell, therefore, doing enough winning the title to give them the edge? I think so. And I must admit, I had to almost defy the gut reaction, which I live by solely day to day and decide on a little bit of logic

that if I want to wing something this season, I probably have to have a say he's at the front and not do this stupid thing and put Ferrari at number one. So there was a lot of just a win going in there. I lost a lot last year. And as we famously know, I'm not very good at losing. So I've thought about it from that respect. People I've witnessed Sam playing Monopoly on a plane for 10 hours straight.

And losing doesn't look good. Harry, you've also got Mercedes winning the championship. But you've got race. Sorry, you got Red Bull. I was trying to say you had racing balls in fourth. That's optimistic. You've got Red Bull in fourth. So I guess with Red Bull versus McLaren, whilst you have the two McLaren's sort of beating at Hadjar, you've got Vastappen ahead of both of them.

It's McLaren that have the advantage. Yeah, I think overall the McLaren car is going to be quicker than the Red Bull, but it's going to be the Max Verstappen package again, which is going to second reference in one podcast. But I think he's going to be the difference maker in that in terms of the driver's battle. but overall, I think McLaren will take home third over Red Bull. I don't think Hagear will, well, evidently, as I've put in it in eighth, but I don't think Hatchel will do enough to be able to beat them and give Red Bull third. So, yeah, like I said, I still think it's going to be super close, and maybe it's hopeful, more hopium from boots.

But, yeah, but boots, by the way, for American this is a pharmacy-type shop. I don't think they have boots. Really good. A lot of respect for boots. yeah yeah the funny thing you can do in boots is walking and ask if they sell boots that is literally not the funniest thing

have you done that I haven't a bit scared don't we walk up to some poor nice lady behind the tail and just confused it for the sake of it I have no idea where the rest of my point is going

so Red Bull's fourth McLaren third conclusion I ended up going with Red Bull in third despite the stop and winning the championship. It's something of a,

I know he didn't win the title last year, but something of a repeat of last year where Red Bull did finish third off the back of how many points Vestappan scored. And whilst I think Vestappan versus Hagell will be more respectable than what Vestappan versus Sonoda was, I still think the combination of McLaren

will be enough to get ahead. I've got Ferrari and fourth because I don't trust them. In terms of like the, if we're talking tiers of teams, Sam, have you got like an idea of, is it going to be the back two or three? three teams that are very much in their own group, then the midfield or something different? I think that it's going to look confusing to say it in a prediction because I think it will

have an evolution throughout the year. I do think Kagalak will be its own separate back market team, unfortunately. I don't think it will be three and a half seconds as mentioned, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are, they are a couple of seconds off the pace of the league is. After that, though, I do think we're going to see a big of a pack that will merge a lot. And we saw this last year where one team picked up for a couple of races due to an upgrade and another one would fall back. I think the race for upgrades will be very, very prominent at the start of this new set of regulation. So whilst I've got the likes of racing balls and Aston Martin at the back of this pack here, there are chances that if a good package comes along, you'll suddenly see Aston

Martin jumped up to fifth or sixth, for example. I can't see anyone outright leading that pack, though. I don't think there's a clear and outright leader of the midfield. And I mean, that's better for us. If we do have that variety in the midfield, as we saw kind of last year as well, that could make for some very entertaining Grand Prix. The first of which, who knows, might be Melbourne in a week's time. It means our next episode is previewing that race. Harry, are you looking forward to previewing the five straight line zones that we've got around Australia?

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, let's go with yes on the straight line zone reviews. Is that actually what they're called? Oh, it's not, no. Don't tell me that's the real words. I can't remember what it's actually called. Overtake zones? That's a separate thing.

But then you've also got where, yes. Hey, look, guys, this is really simple, easy to understand. Join us. We get to discuss all of that on our preview midweek. Sam, if you wouldn't mind until then, getting us out of here. Can't believe we finally done it. It's the last Nong race-related F-1 episode. in the off season.

We've made it, folks. The sunlight is finally here and we will see competitive F1 Engines Go Racing next weekend. Join us midweek for the first preview episode, the Australian Grand Prix. It feels good to say that. Make sure you follow us on social media,

late breaking F1. Watch us on YouTube, late breaking F1. We're looking for that cheeky 10K. We'll see that big double-digit number appear. That'll be quite lovely. Get involved in the Discord.

Now is the time to get involved in the Discord. If you're going to maybe hear yourself on the show, we start to get submission. on as we get into race time. And Patreon is available. So if you're extra content, power rankings, historic Grand Prix, extra topics being spoken about. We're about to record an episode after this one. And make sure you check it out. It supports the show massively. Thanks to those that already do. In the meantime, I've been Samuel Sage. I've been Ben Hocking. And I've been Harry Ead. And remember, keep breaking late.