I am slightly late with this one. We have had just 3 races this season. In my defense, the season probably doesn’t start until Miami so really I am on time haha. I wasn’t entirely sure whether to post this or not but I’ve done it the last 2 years. We have the addition of a new team this time with Cadillac. Read on to see my thoughts on their entry. Let me know if you think I ranked it too high. There was definitely some surprising liveries but in a very very good way! I love the variety in colours this year. It’s nice to see more colour than carbon but that’s thanks to the new rules. Of course there’s a lot of questions on people’s minds this season. Can Max win another championship, or will Norris claim his second one? Will Ferrari get through a whole alphabet of strategies in one race? Will Alonso retire after this season? How will Cadillac perform? People have been speculating about whether F1 will improve due to the new regulations. Initially, I was suspicious. However, I can now see the positives. Honestly, I think from what we’ve seen so far, we are in for an exciting and interesting season.
11th – McLaren
They were last in my 2025 livery ranking and they are last in my 2026 ranking as well. It’s not about who I support. The issue is that this car is literally the same as the previous one, and it’s boring. Colour scheme wise we have the papaya orange which is featured more extensive on the engine cover. Also a small black angle on the front wing end plate. We also see the return of many of their sponsors. The most noticeable change is probably the wheel covers having been updated. We no longer have four distinct blocks of colours. Now, there is more of a blend. This is probably the best feature visually on the car. The car obviously has different structural features due to new regulations. These include a smaller frame and larger engine cover. McLaren have decided to go for a less dramatic overhaul. Some may say if it’s not broke don’t fix it, but I feel its underwhelming. Anyhow, I’m sure they will be hoping they score their second championship win with Lando Norris. Oscar Piastri will also be returning hoping that he will be in line for a possible championship win as well.
10th – Ferrari
I can’t help but feel the Ferrari car gets worse every year. It’s definitely to do with that hp branding everywhere. The blue just clashes with everything. The extra amount of white ruins the look of the car too, Last years car was better. Similar to Red Bulls approach, Ferrari has gone with a glossier finish moving away from the matte. As mentioned, there are more white accents around the cockpit. The car features a serrated shark fin engine cover and a pushrod rear suspension. The first since 2010. I agree with others who say the design reminds them on the 2016 Ferrari livery. I still don’t like it. Ferrari fans please don’t come at me. Ferrari sees the return of drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Charles finishing in fifth place in the championship last season with 242 points. Lewis finishing in sixth with 156 points. Quite a bit of difference separating him from his teammate. Lewis will be hoping to do better this season as he wasn’t the Lewis we all knew last. The question that everyone is probably thinking though is, will Ferrari get their strategies right in the upcoming championship battle?
9th – Alpine
Usually Alpine’s liveries are the best thing going for them but this is pretty disappointing. Alpine actually abandoned mid season development in 2025 to concentrate for a much better car this season. This car is said to have been designed from a clean sheet to fix previous structural limitations. There is a revised front wing, new aero vents and altered rear wing. The colour scheme remains the same with the blue and pink gloss and some different sidepod branding. Don’t get me wrong, I do love the colours. They remind me of bubblegum. However, I thought there would be more change in the design. This year marks hopefully a full season for Franco Colapinto and returning driver Pierre Gasly. Colapinto’s future all rides on this season in my opinion as we all know how cut throat Flavio can be. At the end of the 2025 season he failed to score a single point. Gasly finished with 22 points. I think this more to do with the car than the driver, as I think Gasly is underrated. Hopefully this will be a better season for the team. Fingers crossed both drivers and the team this championship will score more points.
8th – Aston Martin
Aston Martin were one of the last to reveal their liveries and it was a less that impressionable reveal. It is said to be a subtle evolution of the 2025 design and subtle it is. The livery maintains the signature British Racing Green with increased use of lime green accents and a new satin finish. The placement of the branding is unusual. There is a rather noticeable blank space. They have enough sponsors so this is quite strange to me. What would make this more better in my eyes is more lime green. This would just make it a bit more brighter and fresher. Again, we see the return of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Alonso finished the 2025 championship in 10th, whereas Stroll finished in 16th. I feel bad for saying this because I’ve heard Stroll is actually lovely but he just doesn’t really improve. I’m not even sure if he enjoys the sport or if his dad is like a dance mum. I think what’s probably on everyone’s mind is, will Alonso retire? I can’t really see his contract being renewed. The only place I could see him going, is possibly Audi if they decide things aren’t working there.
7th – Williams
The 2026 Williams features a more vibrant glossier blue. It incorporates a lighter “Barclays” blue on the sidepods and white accents across the wings and engine cover. It’s a more complexed colour scheme with a multi shade of blues. Unfortunately though as much as I love the idea, it falls a bit short for me. Speaking of Barclays, they have just signed multi year sponsorship agreement with Williams. I can’t help but feel slightly proud of how far Williams have come in the last few years. The car was looking pretty plain at one point. Again, no change in drivers for Williams. There was just 9 points between the two drivers at the end of the 2025 season. Albon finishing on 73 and Sainz on 64. Whish is a great finish for Sainz compared to the disaster of the beginning of the season he had. He also got 2 podium finishes last season with Albon yet to get a podium finish with Williams. Anyhow, I am always routing for Williams to do well and I love James Vowles as team principal. I really hope they are able to have an even better 2026 season, scoring even more points.
6th – Audi Revolut
Audi has officially joined formula 1 after a complete rebrand from the Swiss Sauber team and they have entered strong. I cannot get enough of this livery. I love the colour scheme here. We have a titanium silver front, a lava red rear and black carbon fiber sections. The car features the famous Audi four ring logo and sponsor branding from Revolut, Adidas, and BP. You could say the design is simple but it is bold and effective. I think it makes a statement despite the rebranding. I really love this pop of lava red especially with the use of highlighting the logo with it. I think further down the line we might see some more busier liveries but for now this is clean. The lineup remains the same as Kick Sauber previously with both Nico Hülkenberg, and Gabriel Bortoleto as their drivers. Both drivers will be wanting to impress this season due to their contracts ending. Honestly, I feel it does really depend on how this season goes as to whether they will be staying. It’s a tough call. They didn’t make massive waves in 2025 however, I do like them both. It would be a shame to see them go if they did.
5th – Visa Cash App Racing Bulls
Next, we have the VCARB who have stuck with the white theme. They have added slightly more blue as a nod to new partner Ford. I am slightly gutted as they have got rid of the mini bulls that they had. It was my favourite detail on the last livery. I feel that VCARB usually pull through with their liveries, one of my favourites last year was their Miami one. Something does feel slightly underwhelming with this one though. The combination of colours do look sharper and I do like the white wheels. The appearance is bolder but apart from that not an awful lot has changed. On a more of an exciting note for the team. They do have a new driver starting with them in the 2026 season. Arvid Lindblad will be making his first appearance as an F1 driver. He is the only rookie on the grid this year. After a lot of seat moves, and Tsunoda under performing, opened the gap for Arvid to join the team. He became the youngest ever race winner in both Formula 3 and Formula 2 at the age of 16 and 17. So you could say he has a lot to live up to. Am I being too harsh with the ranking of this one?
4th – Mercedes AMG
We next have the Mercedes. First looking at this I thought it was basically the same. After looking more closely, I can see the changes. To start off with we have a darker more traditional silver on the front. This blends into the a black rear, complimented by white AMG-inspired block stripes. I thought this was to do with Adidas but it isn’t haha. There is still the iconic teal and an added red star for Niki Lauda. Speaking of branding, there is more noticeable Microsoft branding on the side and front. They have thankfully kept the mosaic of Mercedes logos on the engine cover and sidepods. VCARB please take note! So actually I can see how the car has evolved rather than what I was initially going to rank it. The team enters the season with the same pairing of drivers as the last with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. Both achieved amazing results in the last championship. Russell finished in fourth with 319 points and Kimi finishing in seventh with 150, just 6 points below Lewis. That’s very impressive for a first season. I think they’re in for an equally exciting championship ahead.
3rd – Cadillac
Wow, Wow, Wow! Cadillac revealed their livery during a Super Bowl advertisement and simultaneous displays in Times Square and what an entry. What I love about this car is the monochrome, dual colour, with one side black and one side white. It’s actually hard to pick a favourite side. This is probably more of the approach Williams should have gone. The car features a repeating Cadillac chevron pattern in matte and gloss, along with large Cadillac crests. The design also doubles as a camo effect on the rear to hide technical details, featuring a geometric pattern. Another nice touch is the nose cone features the names of the founding team members from the US and UK. You can tell this car has been very well thought out, it’s a great addition to the season ahead. The drivers joining the team are no other than Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez. Honestly it feels good to have them back doesn’t it? I have been overly critical of Perez in the past. However, since Red Bull have been through a few drivers since his departure, was Checo actually that bad? I really hope both drivers have the return they wish for.
2nd – Haas
We next take a look at the Haas livery. I actually really like this design, I think it looks smart and I think their liveries keep improving every year. This year we have a less carbon-heavy look, reducing the overall black. Replacing that is more white and increased red accents. The partnership with Toyota is now more visible with the branding prominent on the engine cover. Speaking of the engine cover, we also see the return of the shark fin. There’s also a noticeably different smaller front and rear wings, with a straight instead of curved vertical plate on the floor. The team have retained drivers Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman for the 2026 season. I feel that this season is crucial for Ocon as he has been lacking in performance. Bearman had just finished above Ocon in the championship last year with 3 points more. This doesn’t seem like a lot. However, when you have quite a bit of experience behind you, you would expect more. Ocon must feel the pressure a bit. I can actually see Bearman improving on the points finish this season. He should be more comfortable with the car.
1st – Red Bull
Red Bull and Racing Bulls were the first to launch their challengers for the 2026 season and what a reveal! I’m not being bias. You can check out my post from last year’s ranking liveries. I rated the livery quite low in that post. This car is beautiful and the freshen up it so desperately needed. I was so pleasantly surprised. Let’s be honest, as a Red Bull fan, we don’t expect much with these. They have become copy and paste over the years. The gloss finish really makes the design exquisite. It compliments the red and yellow, giving things an extra pop. It feels so good to finally get rid of the stale matte! The same goes for the outline around the Bull and driver number, I really like these finishing touches. Just imagine how good this is going to look around Singapore. I’m sure this livery will also provide some nostalgia to fans. It reminds us of the Vettel era. I am very excited for this car. I am eager to see how it performs. I am also excited to see how well Hadjar can perform in it. Fingers crossed for a strong teammate as I do really like Hadjar. Hopefully this will be car that helps get Max that next championship. Simply lovely!
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