After Formula 1 pre-season testing, Mercedes was seen as the potential strongest force under the 2026 regulations. However, on the eve of the season opener in Australia, a poll promoted by RacingNews365 showed that Max Verstappen (29%) and Lewis Hamilton (23,8%) are the public’s favorites to win this year’s title.
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The result contrasts with the pre-season performance in Bahrain. Even with Ferrari looking strong, Charles Leclerc led the tests. Verstappen, meanwhile, was only the fifth best-placed, 1s1 behind the Monegasque. Still, Leclerc received 21,5% of the votes, trailing behind his seven-time champion teammate, who will try to bounce back after finishing the worst year of his F1 career.
Current champion Lando Norris had only 5,6% of the preference, signaling that the title won in 2025 did not convince the public of his skills. His McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, who finished last year in third place in the drivers’ championship, appeared with more support in the survey.
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Meanwhile, George Russell, Mercedes’ biggest name in 2026 and who was named by bookmakers as the favorite after the tests, gathered only 12,1% of the votes. His teammate, the young Italian Kimi Antonelli, did not receive a significant number of fan votes.
The 2026 Formula 1 season begins between March 5 and 8, in Melbourne, Australia. F1MANIA.NET follows the round in real time.
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