From title contenders to season shockers — Our experts share their predictions for the 2026 F1 ACADEMY campaign

It’s that time of year when drivers, teams and fans alike are counting down the days before the lights go out for the first time at the Shanghai International Circuit.

A season full of possibilities awaits, but what could 2026 have in store? Before the action commences, we tasked some familiar faces to share their predictions for the campaign ahead.

F1 ACADEMY Champions Doriane Pin and Abbi Pulling, racing driver and F1 ACADEMY commentator Alice Powell and F1 ACADEMY Content Editor Hannah Prydderch revealed their hot takes, from who’s tipped for title glory to top rookie hopefuls…

WHO WILL BE THE 2026 F1 ACADEMY CHAMPION?

Doriane Pin: Alisha Palmowski is, in my view, the driver with the strongest potential to win the title this year in just her second season. She has already demonstrated that she has the raw speed, and with more experience under her belt and better preparation heading into the season, she could truly set herself apart in 2026.

Abbi Pulling: I think Palmowski may get it. I’ve known her since she started in single-seaters and I think she could snag it.

Alice Powell: I think it's going to be hugely unpredictable. If we go to 2024, most people have said it's between Abbi Pulling and Doriane Pin heading into the season. Last year, we had people saying Maya Weug and Doriane Pin. This year, we've got more than two names, which is nice. I think it's going to be between Alisha, Ella Lloyd, Emma Felbermayr is going to be up there as well. She had some really strong results. Alba Larsen really impressed, she was doing a great job in Vegas until she had that spin. She had some solid results, keeping with MP Motorsport as well, so a team that she knows well.

That’s going to be the hardest one to answer! Ultimately by the end of the season, it will be between Alisha and Ella. They showed more consistency than the others throughout last year, strong pace and were strong coming through the field. Alisha probably will just nick it at the very end. She had some strong results. If you're looking towards the end of the season, Vegas was a strong track. She was very strong in Shanghai and she comes through well in the reverse grid races too, which is obviously going to be really important.

Hannah Prydderch: I’m anticipating some fierce competition with a four-horse race for the title. Considering last season, I’d be bewildered if Lloyd and Palmowski weren’t the frontrunners. Lloyd needs to step up her Qualifying game, with only one top-three time in seven rounds to Palmowski’s four. If Palmowski can avoid the on-track tangles that held back her rookie year, I back her for the title.

Although lacking a podium in 2025, I’d expect Larsen rectify this on many occasions to join the leading quartet. Felbermayr might have only finished 10th in the Standings, but you underestimate her at your peril — there’s a spark and a self-assurance in her this season that makes me think the best is yet to come, but I do this Palmowski will have the measure of her rivals.

WHICH SQUAD WILL CLAIM THE TEAMS’ TITLE IN 2026?

Pin: PREMA Racing has been the title-winning team for the past three years. Even though the team has two rookie drivers announced for this season, they have the expertise to help young talents develop quickly and build the foundation they need to perform at the highest level.

Pulling: Rodin Motorsport will get the Teams’ title. They’ve got two second year drivers, then a good rookie in Ella Stevens. So I think that it could be Rodin, but it will be close throughout.

Powell: I think that will go to Rodin this year. They've been so close, particularly in 2024. They were really close, but I think they will get the title this year and purely because they have a really strong line-up. They have two second year drivers, which I expect to be fighting for the title in Felbermayr and Lloyd and a strong rookie as well of Stevens, who will be racing in cars for the first time.

Prydderch: PREMA’s reign as the undefeated Teams’ Champions will come to an end. I have no doubt about the talents of Paatz and Westcott, but the inexperience will put them at a disadvantage compared to MP Motorsport and Rodin, who each field two returning drivers. Campos Racing were the team to beat across the first three rounds last year so I expect them to start strongly, but I think the combination of Larsen, race winner Gademan and Wild Card points scorer Esmee Kosterman will give MP the edge.

WHAT WILL BE THE BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE SEASON?

Pin: Lisa Billard could very well be the standout surprise of the season. She has the mindset and the speed to progress quickly, despite her limited experience in a race car. She has always shown maturity in her approach, and I’m confident she can put together a strong season — even as a rookie.

Pulling: Ella Stevens. I’ve known her for a long time. She very inexperienced in a race car, but she’s learnt so much and gotten up to pace in such a short period of time. I think she’s had one of the biggest learning curves I’ve seen a female have in recent times. If she keeps on that trajectory by the end of the year, I think she’ll be at the sharp end, hopefully, or getting close to it.

Powell: We’re going to have more rookie winners this year than we did last year. We had four rookie race winners last year in Palmowski, Lloyd, Felbermayr and Nina Gademan. It’s going to be a record year for rookie race winners this year. I think we’ve got a strong line-up with the rookies coming in, so we’ll have a strong showing from them.

Prydderch: Every team will get a win! It’s a long shot but I have faith. It hasn’t happened since there were five teams competing in the first season back in 2023, while Hitech have yet to score a podium. The increased competitiveness down the paddock should open doors for the likes of ART Grand Prix and Hitech to sneak through for a win, particularly in the reverse grid races.

WHO WILL BE 2026’S ROOKIE OF THE YEAR?

Pin: Payton Wescott. A young athlete still at the beginning of her development, she has shown encouraging signs of potential. she has already demonstrated good natural speed. With time, experience, and consistent training, she is expected to continue progressing steadily throughout the season.

Pulling: Top rookie is kind of hard to predict. It’ll be whoever steps into it and gets on with it to an extent, as bluntly as I can put it. I think it could be Lisa Billard, as she was really quick in Singapore and that’s a hard track to jump into, so that impressed me. There are some other rookies with a bit more experience like Megan Bruce, which may pay dividends and help her.

Powell: My prediction will be Megan Bruce.

Prydderch: I’ve gone back and forth on this one. Westcott looks strong and will hone her craft with additional mileage in the highly competitive Italian F4 Championship. Billard’s raw ability was on show in Singapore but her race performance could use some work. The Gatorade driver is a diamond in the rough. However, my pick is Bruce. Her previous experience in Jeddah and Silverstone should bolster her chances at tracks that catch out even the most experienced, and her last-minute appearance at the Marina Bay Street Circuit showed she has the maturity to cope with the pressure.

ANY OTHER BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR THE CAMPAIGN AHEAD…

Pin: The competition is expected to be tight, and the season promises to be an exciting one.

Pulling: This year we’re going to have more new winners than there’s ever been, in even just the feature races, let alone the fact that there’s obviously the reverse grid races to mix it all up. I think we’re going to have more people in the fight for the title. My year, it was me and Doriane until close to the end. In 2024, in the final round, it was only me that could win it because I’d won it. In 2025, there were two people that mathematically could win it. I think going into the final round, there’s going to be more people that could mathematically win it because it’s going to be a closer title fight.

I’d probably put it between Palmowski, Lloyd and Larsen, I think they’re going to be the three that are still mathematically in it. There’ll be one or two that are maybe within one or two points. It’s an outside shot, but everything would have to go wrong for everyone else. There’s going to be a lot of people mathematically in it that could win it still by the final race.

Powell: Going into the final round in Las Vegas, we will have more than two drivers in contention for the title. I think it’s going to come down to the wire like it did in Vegas last year, but there’ll be more in the battle. There’ll be more than two drivers, I think it’ll be between three or potentially four drivers. So I’m excited for this year.

Prydderch: This will be the closest-matched field yet. The top 10 were covered by 135 points in 2025, with nine drivers achieving a podium. I believe a greater mix of drivers will be fighting for the top five, potentially taking points off the title contenders. With the quality of drivers coming up through the ranks, a Wild Card podium isn’t out of the question.