While we’re still the bones of two months away from the start of the F1 season, already fans of the premier racing event in the world are eager to see what comes next. Lando Norris came out on top last year thanks to a pulsating series of races down the stretch, but many predictors and experts do not expect anything different this year. What do the bookmakers think? Who stands out on top as we peer at early F1 favourites for the 2026 season?
Drivers Championship Odds
Despite Norris landing the title last year, he’s currently the third favourite with the bookies. Norris (5s @ Bet365, 5/2 @ BetVictor) still ranks high, but he’s a fair bit behind two of his major competitors from last year in Max Verstappen (11/4 @ Bet365, 9/4 @ BetVictor) and George Russell (12/5 @ Bet365, 5/2 @ BetVictor). Norris obviously has the championship pedigree now, but he’s got a title-winning expert in Verstappen right on his heels – and, if we know Verstappen, he’ll be smarting at last year’s finish and desperate to get back into title-winning form this year.
Russell is the interesting one. Regulatory changes make the 2026 F1 season feel even tighter than before, with Mercedes making some interesting adjustments – hence why they appear to be favourites with many bookmakers for the constructors’ championship win. They’ve been a bit of a powerhouse with hybrid-power vehicles, and new regulatory adjustments could give them even more opportunity.
Changes to make vehicles cleaner and more efficient are also paired with the new aerodynamic system to replace the old DRS, as well as changes to the chassis and weight reduction system. This is likely to create a class of more agile cars, thus creating better opportunities for overtaking and tighter, more competitive races- that’s where Verstappen could win out, given his racing expertise and devilment in the driver’s seat.
However, Verstappen is racing for Red Bull, who sit much further down the constructors’ championship odds. We all know how important the car is for a driver, obviously, so having a vehicle that is far less quoted to be a constructors’ championship contender does merit a mention here. While they are running with a new partnership in Ford, it’ll be interesting to see how they settle into the year – can Verstappen’s obvious quality as a driver offset Russell’s potential benefits from his car?
The Chasing Pack
The other two likely challengers are both recent and long-term challengers. Oscar Piastri (8s @ Bet365, 11/2 @ BetVictor) and Fernando Alonso (7s @ Bet365, 11/2 @ BetVictor) both rank high enough on the bookmakers’ odds to be worthy of mention. Piastri cannot be ruled out after a great year last year, though; his relative inexperience does make putting him as a clear favourite difficult. Alonso, meanwhile, has the history and the experience, but does he have the car? The bookmakers appear to think not.
Of course, one name who has next to no chance of competing for the title is Lewis Hamilton (25s @ Bet365, 33s @ BetVictor). He might be one of the greatest of all-time, but his swansong with Ferrari – as romantic as it was – looks to be going about as well as the last few years of his career elsewhere.