Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen put on notice as worrying 2026 verdict delivered | F1 | Sport
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will have to overcome a strong McLaren team once again in 2026, according to Express Sport readers. The Woking-based squad have been tipped to emerge from the technical regulation changes as the fastest team on the grid once again.
McLaren are chasing Red Bull’s all-time Constructors’ Championship point record heading into the final seven races of the 2025 season. Andrea Stella’s squad have notched 12 wins from the opening 17 rounds of the campaign, and sit 333 points clear of second-placed Mercedes in the standings heading into the Singapore Grand Prix.
Such is McLaren’s advantage over the rest of the field that the title race has been narrowed down to the two team-mates, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, with the Australian currently 25 points to the good on his British colleague.
For the likes of Verstappen, Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and George Russell, their title hopes are being pinned on a fast start to the new technical regulations, which come into effect for the 2026 season. The new rules could shake up the order, giving fresh faces a chance to fight at the front.
According to Express Sport readers, though, they’ll likely face another battle against McLaren. In a survey of over 3000, 40 per cent believed that Piastri and Norris will be set up for another fight for F1 silverware.
Voted the next most likely to succeed were Mercedes, who have been bullish about their new power units ahead of the regulation changes. The Silver Arrows received 18 per cent of the vote share.
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Red Bull came in third place with 15 per cent of votes ahead of Laurent Mekies’ first full season in charge, while Lawrence Stroll’s heavily-backed Aston Martin project received 13 per cent of votes. Unfortunately for Hamilton and Leclerc, only 12 per cent of readers believed that Ferrari can recover and fight for the title in 2026.
Before 2026, however, McLaren will need to settle the ongoing title charge. Piastri suffered a heartbreaking DNF in Baku last time out, crashing on the opening lap after jumping the start. This allowed Norris to cut his lead at the top of the standings down to just 25 points.
Piastri should also be concerned about the presence of Verstappen. The 28-year-old looked to be long gone in the title fight, but back-to-back Grand Prix victories mean that he could clinch the crown for a fifth successive year by out-scoring the Australian at a rate of 10 points per race for the remainder of the year.
