BEYOND THE TOP THREE: WHY OSCAR PIASTRI IS JAMES HINCHCLIFFE’S BIGGEST 2026 SNUB
James Hinchcliffe has revealed his top three drivers for the 2026 F1 season, and 2025 standout Oscar Piastri didn't make the cut.
James Hinchcliffe isn’t picking Oscar Piastri for his top three drivers in F1’s 2026 season, even though he’s backing Piastri’s McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, to be right up there.
Last year, Piastri almost grabbed the drivers’ championship for the first time. He had a pretty solid lead, 34 points ahead of Norris and 104 over Verstappen, with just nine races to go. But things took a bad turn late in the season. He slipped down to third, while Norris took the title and Verstappen jumped to second. Both McLaren drivers finished the year with seven Grand Prix wins each, but in the end, Piastri was 13 points behind Norris, who only edged out Verstappen by two points.
Now, with the big regulation changes coming for 2026, Hinchcliffe thinks Norris, Verstappen, and George Russell from Mercedes are in the best spot to take advantage. In his eyes, Piastri is probably fighting for fourth in his fourth F1 season.
Hinchcliffe is especially confident about Russell. Mercedes is convinced they’ll have the upper hand with their new engine in 2026, thanks to F1’s big changes to the power units. The electric side of the equation jumps from 20% to nearly 50%, and the MGU-H is gone for good.
Since McLaren gets its engines from Mercedes, Hinchcliffe figures that’ll help Norris stay in the title fight. But he still can’t ignore Verstappen; he’s proven he belongs in any championship conversation.
Hinchcliffe put it this way to F1’s official website: “2026 is shaping up to be one of the wildest, most open seasons we’ve seen. With all these rule changes, teams need to nail the car, the engine suppliers have to get it right, and the drivers have to pretty much relearn how to get the best out of the car. Mercedes looks strong again, so I’m putting Russell in my top three. Norris is on the list too; he comes in with a champion’s mindset and that Mercedes power. And with how tricky the new energy management is, I just have to include Verstappen. He always seems to have that extra brainpower when he’s driving.”
Now, don’t count Piastri out just because he stumbled at the end of last season. That tough finish in 2025 could be exactly what pushes him to come back fighting in 2026. He’s had the winter to hit reset and work through it, so he shouldn’t be dragging any of last year’s baggage into the new season.
Hinchcliffe isn’t the only one pointing out that the new 2026 engine rules might play to Verstappen’s strengths. Drivers will have a lot more to juggle with all that extra electric power, and Verstappen already showed he’s got a knack for it in testing. He was the first to push the new Red Bull Powertrains unit with a high-revving style in Bahrain, squeezing out extra energy. He even used lower gears in corners to recover more, even when it made the car sketchy to handle.
Still, Piastri has his supporters. Franz Tost, the ex-Toro Rosso boss, thinks Piastri is ready to go toe-to-toe with Verstappen, especially after what he learned last year. Piastri handled the heat pretty well when he was fighting Norris for the 2025 title, at least at first. But things started to unravel after McLaren told him to give second place back to Norris in Italy. After that, the mistakes piled up: crashes in qualifying and the race in Azerbaijan, plus trouble in the US Sprint.
So yeah, Hinchcliffe is leaving Piastri out of his top three, but there’s still plenty of reason to believe the Australian could bounce back and make some noise in 2026.
KIMI ANTONELLI LEADS F1; GEORGE RUSSELL DROPS TO FOURTH AFTER FRUSTRATING P4 FINISH AT SUZUKA
Kimi Antonelli leads the F1 championship! Discover why George Russell is under fire, and Max Verstappen is eyeing a Mercedes seat.
Heading into 2026, everyone had George Russell pegged as the clear favourite for the F1 drivers’ title. Now, Kimi Antonelli is the one stealing the spotlight.
Russell’s in the toughest spot of his Mercedes career, and every time his 19-year-old teammate lays down another blistering lap, the pressure ramps up.
Back-to-back wins in China and Japan haven’t just made Antonelli a real threat for the championship hey’ve totally changed the vibe in the Mercedes garage. Suddenly, everyone’s looking at Russell differently.
It’s a harsh reality. Russell’s now 28, this is his fifth season with Mercedes, and before the season, the bookies put him at the top. But things haven’t gone his way: car problems and Antonelli off to a flying start have made life as the team’s “senior driver” anything but easy.
Antonelli is leading the championship with 97 points; he’s 22 clear of Russell, and he’s won two of the season’s first three races.
The pressure on Russell goes deeper than just being outscored by his teammate. The clock’s ticking, and the spectre of Max Verstappen isn’t going away.
Antonelli’s rise has been ruthless. He’s snagged a pole in both China and Japan. Every big result just confirms what some at Mercedes are starting to admit: he looks like the future, especially since he’s so good on the tough tyre compounds.
Antonelli himself isn’t pretending he’s the finished product. After his win in Japan, where he slipped back to sixth at the start, by the way, he said his launches off the line “definitely” need work. “It’s been a weak point this year, and I need to improve that because you can easily win or lose races with that.” Still, he’s on top. After Japan, he said, “It’s too early to think about the championship, but we’re in a good way.” He’s ambitious, but grounded.
Russell, meanwhile, battled a rear suspension setup issue at Suzuka. Too much oversteer, not enough grip. Toto Wolff admitted the tweak “put the car on the nose” and hurt them on Sunday. Russell crossed the line fourth, losing more ground to Antonelli.
People are noticing the shift. Christian Danner, former F1 driver, reckons Russell’s going to fight back. Maybe he will. But as the points gap grows and each race builds Antonelli’s reputation, talk is cheap.
Here’s the wild card: Mercedes could go for Verstappen.
The four-time champ is sitting in ninth, with only 12 points after three rounds. That’s foreign territory for Max. With Red Bull floundering and upcoming 2026 rules causing headaches, he’s reportedly rethinking his future there.
Sure, Verstappen’s Red Bull contract goes through 2028. But there are performance clauses he can walk if he’s outside the top two by summer break. That’s not looking so far-fetched the way things are standing.
He’s called the new cars “fundamentally flawed.” Is he admitting he’s “seriously considering quitting Formula 1.” And last year? Mercedes and Verstappen’s people were in talks. It even held up Russell’s contract talks with Wolff.
If Verstappen comes on the market, you know Wolff’s going to take a serious look. He’s openly a fan. For Russell, that’s unsettling. If Mercedes keeps winning and Verstappen wants in, Russell’s seat isn’t safe.
Russell came to Mercedes back in 2022, expecting to be a title contender. He got his first win in São Paulo that year, and he’s been a reliable points finisher, fourth in the 2025 standings with 319 points, a personal best.
But being “reliable” doesn’t cut it when a teenager is beating you and a superstar like Verstappen could be about to knock on the door.
It’s only been three races, but Antonelli’s already ahead 2–1 in both qualifying and race results, and those two are poles and outright wins.
Wolff tried to pump up Russell before things got started, calling him “one of the best” and saying it was nice he was the bookies’ top pick. But Wolff also tipped Antonelli to step up in his second season. That’s already coming true.
Russell’s shot at a championship is getting slimmer by the week. If Antonelli keeps this up and if Verstappen’s name enters the mix, Mercedes has some massive decisions ahead.
At this point, Russell’s fighting for more than just a title. He’s fighting to prove he deserves a place at the top at all.
ZAK BROWN COMPLETES A "RED BULL HAT-TRICK" BY SIGNING GIANPIERO LAMBIASE FOR 2028
Zak Brown confirms GianPiero Lambiase joins McLaren as Chief Racing Officer. See how this impacts Red Bull and Verstappen.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has finally spoken up after landing GianPiero Lambiase as the team’s new Formula 1 Chief Racing Officer starting in 2028.
News of Lambiase’s move from Red Bull to McLaren has already got people buzzing in the paddock. And really, it’s a big deal that the reigning constructors’ champions just added another heavyweight to their ranks. First, Rob Marshall, known for his aerodynamic expertise, came on board. Then Will Courtenay, the former Head of Strategy, joined too. Now, Lambiase completes the trio.
We still don’t know exactly what Lambiase will be handling, but he’ll report to Team Principal Andrea Stella, who’s been rumoured to have caught Ferrari’s eye.
Brown couldn’t hide his excitement in his first public comments. He went on X to announce: “Happy to share that GianPiero Lambiase will join the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team as Chief Racing Officer, reporting into Team Principal Andrea Stella, when his contract ends no later than 2028. He joins an incredible team under Andrea’s leadership, and I’m excited about what we can achieve together.”
Red Bull’s statement had a totally different vibe. The team confirmed Lambiase would leave in 2028, when his contract is up, but stopped short of saying when he could head over to McLaren. “GP is a valued member of the team, who joined in 2015. Until his planned departure, GP continues in his roles as head of racing and as race engineer to Max Verstappen. The team and he are fully committed to adding more success to our strong track record together.”
Honestly, Zak Brown is shaking things up in the F1 paddock. He’s snagging Red Bull’s big names, much like Christian Horner did to Mercedes when the ground effect era started. Lambiase’s decision to join McLaren really does feel like the end of an era for Red Bull.
