Chapter 1: What predictions are made for the 2026 F1 Championship?
Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the P1 Podcast with Matt and Tommy. Oh, you have all been waiting for this one. 10th to 1st in the World Championship for the drivers. Will myself and Tommy go for the same thing? Will we not? I hope not. I hope not as well. I'll be really upset if we've teed this up so beautifully of, oh, my God, it's going to be so much chaos.
I think looking at my predictions, I feel like surely there's going to be some disagreements in there. But this is the state of Formula One as of right now. Not knowing the pecking order is the most exciting until Mercedes are five seconds clear at the end of one. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. And also spoilers or not. Who knows? You have to have to wait and see.
Right, Tommy, let's get in to P10. My P10 is Carlos Sainz. Daddy Vowels is going to cook. He's going to cook-ish. I mean, P10 is not exactly maybe where they wanted to be from finishing fifth in the Constructors last year, but it's going to be cooking compared to where we were, where we missed the shakedown. I say we like I'm part of the Williams team. They missed the Spain shakedown.
And to bounce back, I think Carlos Sainz, He's getting his footing in Williams, in my opinion. And how can we not put Carlos in the top 10? He belongs there. Last year was a phenomenal season. And if Williams can turn around potential weight issues, unlocking the performance, I think Carlos will cook just like he did last year.
P10 I have gone for Oli Behrman. I think he's going to have another brilliant season. Haas looking great after testing and Oli Behrman really, really, really impressive towards the end of last year. That run that he had of just points finishes and of course the fourth place in Mexico.
And this was, of course, his rookie season, like a full rookie season from the start as well, which is so impressive. If he can do that already, I think he's going to have a great year in the house. And yeah, who knows? If he manages to impress, I do genuinely think that there'll be serious questions.
asked about to when when's the time for him to potentially you know make the step up to a to a bigger team because if he you know people are not gonna let him just sit in a house for for years and years so yeah it's an exciting season i think he's gonna do really really well
Okey-dokey. P9, Tommy, who is the top of the midfield?
So just before we get into P9, a little bonus prediction, but based on what we've done so far, I think this might be the ooh moment where we agree. If I've done my predictions correctly.
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Chapter 2: Who is predicted to finish in P10 and why?
And yeah, I think Gasly is going to have a great season and be the dizzying heights of P9 for the best of the rest. And the fight for P9 battle will be won by Pierre Gasly, in my opinion.
Okie dokie. P9 is one of the top four. No, I'm kidding. It's Pierre Gasly. We finally agreed. Delete the whole podcast. Start again. That is upsetting. I'm more angry at that than I am if I got everything wrong. But yeah, Pierre Gasly for me, as I mentioned earlier on when I was speaking about Alpine with Colopinto, I think that Gasly will have a brilliant season.
and he will flourish in having a better car again. I feel like the motivation will be sky high after last year where he was saying he doesn't want to ever see the car ever again. So we're now at a stage that I think Alpine should, in theory, they've got... We questioned, didn't we? Oh, why have they... Why have they binned off their engine program and gone with Mercedes?
Well, that's not looking too bad now, is it? And you're then questioning, why didn't Aston Martin do the same? But instead, they went for Honda and Alpine. They've rolled the dice, and I think that they may well have something pretty good this year. So, Pierre Gasly is my P9. Okay. Oh, I'm nervous. Because I'm now looking at this top eight, Tommy, and I feel like I'm disrespecting half of them.
But the thing is, they all have to finish somewhere in the top eight with the top four teams that we don't know the pecking order. All right, here we go. P8. And my Drivers' World Championship prediction is... Isaac Hadjar. Sorry. I'm sorry, Hajar.
I did say that you might win a race in a previous prediction, but I'm also, there's part of me after seeing everything that is required from this car, seeing the driving style of his teammate and everything else, I feel like Max... We'll see where I put him, but he can make the difference. I don't know whether Hadjar can.
I've not seen anything to suggest that he is going to be right on the level with Max. I know it's only testing and times don't matter, but this is all I am basing it on. So eighth wouldn't be bad, though, in an insane... sort of weird reality that we're in with the Red Bull second seat.
Eighth, I think, anybody going into that second seat would take, considering what we saw last year, what we've seen for the last few weeks. Hajar, P8, and I'm going to stop talking before I change it. Go, go, Tommy.
Amazing that P8 is slanderous. Yeah, the second Red Bull driver finished 17th last year. I've also gone for Isaac Hajar, P8.
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Chapter 3: What are the arguments for P9 in the driver standings?
it depends on how close these cars are. So, you know, I'm already in defensive mode and I'm kind of almost like trying to tell myself, because there's part of me that's angry that I've put Piastri seventh, but there's part of me that's going, yeah, but if you think McLaren are going to be the fourth fastest car, then obviously they're going to finish fourth.
around that area so I'm sorry Oscar you had a great season last year of course narrowly missing out on the championship I hope I'm wrong but then in some ways my Ferrari brain says I hope I'm not wrong so Oscar Piastri P7 lots of love I'm really sorry in sixth place I've gone for Lewis Hamilton
which makes me feel physically sick because I'm talking about Ferrari here and the potential pace of the car. Lewis Hamilton, yes, he's had a reset mindset, everything. And we know what Lewis Hamilton is capable of, but he needs a car that he likes and that he enjoys. And I don't know whether this is going to be it. You look at the comments that he's made about the car.
He said in Bahrain, he's never felt... less grip than this year and I just will these cars suit him is a complete unknown and I'm basing my sixth place prediction also on the fact of form from last year as well like we've spoken about and he's come off one of the worst if not yeah the worst season of his entire Formula One career last year can he really bounce back
At his age as well, you have to throw in the age comment as well. Yes, there is science behind it. I hope Hamilton wins races. I want to see him win races. I want to see him win in Ferrari that isn't a sprint race. But I'm just not convinced right now. So that's why I've gone for sixth. Did you read his Instagram post? Did you see it? Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, crazy. Because I'm reading it now and it's like we've gone for sixth and seventh.
But I feel as though... I might be wrong here, but I feel as though he has said previously when he said poor seasons, I'm so back. I've reset now, ready to go and things like that. It's like, I need to see it.
For anyone that didn't see it, I'm going to read it out for you. It says, I'm reset and refreshed. I'm not going anywhere. So stick with me for a moment. I forgot who I was, but thanks to you and your support, we're not going to see that mindset again. I know what needs to be done. This is going to be one hell of a season. I've given everything to be here. Let's go team.
So yeah, it's very different to this is the worst grip I've ever had in a race car and looking quite miserable. The flip-flop of Ferrari kind of happiness is wild, isn't it?
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Chapter 4: Which driver is expected to take P8 and what factors influence this?
p4 i've gone for oscar piastri i've had him higher than lando norris but again i've swapped between the two of them a lot i think it would be exceptionally close between them again i think it may be even come down to a few points like it did last year you know a position swap here and there between the two i think they are the closely matched teammates uh probably across the whole grid um both exceptionally talented
And it's so hard to pick who's going to finish higher, but I have gone for Piastri just because of the kind of growth that he's had and how much he's improving year on year. That being said, I feel like it's maybe being overplayed how much people are like, I've seen a lot of people go like, oh yeah, Piastri is definitely going to beat Norris by loads this year.
I don't think that's going to be the case. I think they'll be very close. And yeah, it's hard to pick between the two. I do think, I actually think McLaren may well have the second best car. You say the fourth best. I'd actually maybe say second best car is what I would predict. And that's why I've gone for Oscar up in P4.
Wow, second best car, but only fourth and fifth in the championship. The absolute slander from Tommy there. Okie dokie. P3.
P3, yeah. I've gone for... Can't not say it. P3, I've gone for Kimi Antonelli. He is, yeah, quite high up, maybe for some people. But I think Mercedes, you know, I said the best car will be Mercedes. Second best car, I think, will be McLaren this year. And I...
back Kimi to have a much better season than I think people think and I do agree with you to the point where it is roll the dice Kimi Antonelli he might be second he might be seventh and it all just depends what... Any second there mate after saying Kimi Antonelli world champion for testing? Well, there was a reason for that, wasn't there?
And look, I think you look at Kimi's form, it's inconsistent. And that's going to be the big question mark going into this season. Towards the end of the season, he was a match for George. And sometimes he had races in Brazil where he was just comfortably better. Like Vegas, he looked really quick. Amazing in Sao Paulo as well.
But he needs to have those moments all the time to be in with a shot of the championship. And I think that's where he will struggle. But I do think Mercedes is going to be exceptionally strong, which is why he's third.
In third place for me in the Drivers' World Championship is... Charles Leclerc.
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