No one is surprised by how eventful the 2026 F1 season has been so far. Coming into the season, anticipation centered on how the new set of regulations would impact racing.
The cars changed significantly, and so did the demands on driving style. Most people worried about how swiftly the drivers could adapt to the cars. Interestingly, many drivers have adapted to the new vehicles in a way that potentially makes picking the best drivers a little tough.
Yet, the following F1 stars have registered enough exploits in the sport that most fans wouldn’t want to miss a single show from them all through this season.
1. Lando Norris (McLaren F1)
Sports specialists and F1 pundits appreciate that Lando Nnoris’ expertise transcends the issues that come with McLaren’s unreliability this season. Thus, Daniel Thornfield, who’s a senior analyst at the online casino expert portal Spinprofy, testing and reviewing all legal platforms to play casino games, says he wouldn’t recommend to wager against a perennial winner like Norris.
You want to look beyond the compromised races caused by an underperforming package to observe Norris’ impressive outing across the year. His Hungarian Grand Prix victory is the biggest testament to his form in the first half of 2026. Yet, besides that, Norris’ doggedness and unpredictability are qualities you don’t want to miss going forward.
Perhaps hearing from the horse’s mouth would probably do better. The McLaren driver openly claimed he has driven “better than I probably did to this point last year”, when he was running for a maiden F1 world title.
He eventually beat his Australian teammate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen to the crown, securing his maiden F1 World Championship.
2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes F1)
Not many could have predicted Antonelli’s remarkable 2026 F1 run at the start of the year. His massive dominance has seen him win six out of 11 races (which could have been more were it not for reliability glitches).
Yet, he’s still a teenager.
The 19-year-old Italian has become the championship favorite as he gradually takes the sport by storm. Well, he’s also put up a few minor errors here and there that could hinder his ultimate dreams ahead of the new year. But there’s hardly any driver that’s more well-rounded than Antonelli.
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Then comes Max Verstappen, whose performances have technically outpaced his team radio rants across the year. He’s been outstanding in most races, from the Hungarian showdown to Miami’s F1 qualifying rounds.
He was also impressive in Australia and Austria, producing strong performances on the track from one continent to another.
The only downside to Max’s season is a few less-than-optimal qualifying sessions and the spin at the start of the Miami GP that slightly undermined his year’s outing. Yet, without a doubt, there’s still much more the Dutchman can offer the F1 community before the season ends.
4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari F1)
Coming off two seasons in which he finished behind his respective teammates—George Russell in 2024 and Charles Leclerc in 2025—Lewis Hamilton entered the new regulations with few adaptation problems. Many had thought the legend’s place at Ferrari was at stake, especially if he failed to perform in the first few races. But, to everyone’s surprise, the old Hamilton returned to the tracks.
All through the year, Hamilton has been swift, consistent, and passionate with the same hunger he’s had at the peak of his career. No one doubts he’s putting up a very high 2026 F1 performance. Had the British racing driver maximized his potential in more races and avoided several costly penalties, he might have ranked higher on this list.
5. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
New Zealand’s Liam Lawson is the driver to look out for in the coming months. While the Racing Bulls might land a big-name driver that steals the organization’s headline in 2027, the last seven months have seen Lawson stamp his name on the grid with some authority for the Kiwi.
Granted, the 24-year-old’s outright pace potentially lags behind rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad. But in other areas, such as race starts, race pace, and tire management, Lawson keeps his younger teammate at bay. We’d back him to lead the best-of-the-rest sweepstakes and take the No. 5 spot in our rankings.
What’s Next?
The next opportunity for F1 drivers to dazzle fans and reaffirm their dominance on the Formula 1 calendar is at the Dutch Grand Prix, which takes place from August 21 to August 23, 2026. Following this month’s race at the Circuit Zandvoort, all roads lead to the Italian Grand Prix from September 4-6.
The next stop after Monza is the September 11-13 Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, before Baku hosts the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from September 24-26.
There are still plenty of races ahead this year, and this list might deserve a few additions or subtractions soon. But until then, the five F1 drivers above are among the most interesting names to watch for the rest of the season.
