Formula 1 closed the first part of the 2026 season with the Hungarian GP. The race at the Hungaroring, which saw McLaren’s first win of the year, left many questions to be answered, but also brought important answers that should set the tone for the second half of the championship.
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Can Alpine be a top team?
Photo: XPB Images
This question has been around since Fernando Alonso was still with the team. After a disastrous 2025, Alpine found its way in 2026 with Pierre Gasly leading the campaign and helping the media forget the scandals that shook the team off the track. Next year, the partnership with Gucci will be an important moment.
However, there is still a long road ahead to know what Alpine’s role will be in the coming years. One aspect involves the team’s future, which is pending due to the negotiation of part of the shares, ongoing for months. Additionally, Franco Colapinto is not having a good year. He has scored only 19 points, 23 less than Gasly, and is becoming a concern for the team. It is time to consider alternatives.
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Does Haas still need Ocon?
Photo: XPB Images
For those following the season, the answer is clear: no. The driver is offering little to the team in 2026, despite having been extremely important for the team’s stability last year. So far, only three points have been scored and performances have been criticized even by the team principal, Ayao Komatsu.
Behind the scenes, the Brazilian Rafael Câmara’s name is already emerging as a likely candidate for the Frenchman’s seat. However, the young driver’s performance in the current Formula 2 season may be a hindrance. In any case, Haas still has a question that has haunted it for several years: will this team achieve anything in F1? And, with Câmara’s possible entry, will it just be Ferrari’s B team?
What is Williams’ fate?
Photo: XPB Images
Those who got excited about Williams in 2025 suffered a hard blow this year. The team managed to build a heavy car, an unacceptable mistake. The consequences are disastrous: all progress, not only on track but also in the team’s image, is being scratched this season.
James Vowles seems lost, without the same firm stance he showed in the team’s good moments. Few advances and two drivers with potential being wasted at the back of the grid. Alexander Albon is expected to continue, but Carlos Sainz seems to be giving up on the project, something surprising since the Spaniard sustained years in a struggling McLaren.
If Williams loses Sainz and Albon, its fate becomes even more questionable. It is necessary to have a driver who helps lead the team towards definitive improvement. The team had a duo for this mission in 2025. However, now it seems that Albon and Sainz are just people who drive the cars on the weekend.
Another team that disappointed greatly in 2026. The car seemed like a defective puzzle and the pieces never fit. The situation became so absurd that the drivers had to take their hands off the wheel to avoid the risk of nerve damage due to intense vibrations.
However, after many promises, the big update on the AMR26 arrived at the Hungarian GP and surprised. The car returned to running in the midfield and it was a relief for the team and its fans. There is still a need for improvement in the Honda engine, a partnership that started shaky but seems to be aligning as the season progresses.
If this really is Aston Martin’s turning point, the team could present a better scenario for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in 2027. But it needs to get better organized, as Adrian Newey’s departure left a gap in the technical leadership of the project, giving the impression that someone is still missing to lead the team.
Does Cadillac have a future?
Photo: XPB Images
It does, but the team will need to make tough decisions already in the second half of the season. The problems of the first year were expected, but the feeling is that Cadillac has not yet defined what its identity will be within Formula 1. And this inevitably involves the choice of drivers.
Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez were bets to bring experience to the project, but they hardly represent the team’s future. At the same time, Colton Herta, a name treated for years as Cadillac’s priority, is having a disappointing season in Formula 2 and no longer conveys the same confidence.
Cadillac needs to take advantage of the end of 2026 to define a direction. Staying in the middle of the road, without betting on experience to seek evolution and without fully investing in a long-term project, could be the worst possible scenario for a team still trying to find its place in Formula 1.
