Max Verstappen

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen is the driver every rival measures themselves against — supremely fast, ruthless in wheel-to-wheel combat and almost impossible to rattle. His dominance defined the closing years of the last regulations era.

2026 is a genuine test of that supremacy: Red Bull switches to its own power unit, built with Ford, and nobody knows how competitive it will be out of the box. If the package works, Verstappen is the favourite; if it doesn't, watching him drag an imperfect car to the front would be a story of its own.