Outlandish Predictions – By Olly Sansom
In Formula 1 it is known amongst the fans to expect the unexpected. That is why most of us love the sport because we simply do not know what is going to happen, especially when there is a regulation change like there is heading in the 2026 season.
So, with that in mind here are 3 outlandish predictions that we think could happen in the 2026 season.
Alonso claims his third world title
The first prediction we think might happen is that Fernando Alonso has the potential to claim his elusive third world championship.
Fernando has a better chance than ever heading into the 2026 season to achieve this feat. Regulation changes, a proven winning engine and one of the most successful engineers ever surely this is Fernando’s time, right?
Adrian Newey heading over to Aston Martin surely makes them favourites despite their poor testing results, this is the same man who designed one of the most dominant cars in the history of the sport while at Red Bull not once but twice.
However, Alonso is not getting any younger and surely it is now or never for the two-time champion who turns 45 this year. He also does not have a good history with Honda engines, his time at McLaren was nothing short of a disaster, it created more memes than it did success. It was also the birthplace of his now iconic radio message “GP2 engine! GP2! Argh”.
As much as everyone would like to see Alonso succeed it is more likely that we will never see the Spaniard on the top step of the podium ever again.
Lewis Hamilton retires from F1
It was no secret that Sir Lewis Hamilton did not have the season he would have hoped for at Ferrari last season, in fact it was a bit of a disaster. He achieved his lowest points tally ever since the points change back in 2010, finishing on only 159 points. He also achieved 0 podiums in a season for the first time in his career.
It was clear to see in interviews at the back end of last season that Hamilton looked deflated and defeated, a version of Lewis most fans have never witnessed.
Just like Alonso, Lewis Hamilton is not getting younger having turned 41 in the off season. Despite claiming in interviews after testing claiming that he is back and promises to stay, we just can’t look past the fact that if he has another nightmare season at Ferrari, he could end up announcing his retirement from the sport.
Max Verstappen announces he is leaving F1
Now this would definitely come as a shock for most of the motorsport world and some fans don’t think this would ever happen, but the facts are there.
It is no secret that Max is not a fan of the new regulations and how these cars operate. Saying in an interview during testing that the new regs make the cars “like Formula E on steroids” and that they are “not a lot of fun” to drive, he then doubled down on this claim and said, “Maybe it’s better to drive Formula E right?”.
It has not been uncommon in the past for drivers to take a step away from F1 and go to other racing categories like endurance racing or rally driving. Both Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso did just that.
So don’t be surprised if we see Max do a similar sort of thing, especially as he has already expressed interest in racing in the 24 of Dayton and Le Mans at some point in the future. He has also already raced in GT races in Germany and competed in the virtual 24-hour of Le Mans on three separate occasions.
A switch from single seater racing to endurance racing could be on the cards for the four-time world champion in the near future.
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