2026 Formula 1 Drivers, Race Engineers, and Team Principals

The 2026 F1 season features groundbreaking regulation changes (new power units with increased electrical power, active aerodynamics, lighter cars) and an expanded 22-driver grid with the debut of Cadillac as the 11th team.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Most race engineer pairings are expected to carry over from 2025, as these relationships are typically long-term and stable unless disrupted by team moves or promotions. No major race engineer changes have been announced for 2026 as of late December 2025.

McLaren (Power Unit: Mercedes)

Team Principal: Andrea Stella

Driver	Race Engineer	Notes
Lando Norris	Will Joseph	Long-term partnership since Norris’ 2019 debut; key to his 2025 championship success.
Oscar Piastri	Tom Stallard	Together since Piastri’s 2023 debut; Stallard is a former Olympic silver medalist rower.

Ferrari (Power Unit: Ferrari)

Team Principal: Fred Vasseur

Driver	Race Engineer	Notes
Lewis Hamilton	Riccardo Adami	Adami moved with Hamilton’s influences; potential change under evaluation after 2025 communication challenges.
Charles Leclerc	Bryan Bozzi	Promoted mid-2024; previously Leclerc’s performance engineer.

Red Bull Racing (Power Unit: Red Bull Ford)

Team Principal: Laurent Mekies

Driver	Race Engineer	Notes
Max Verstappen	Gianpiero Lambiase (“GP”)	Iconic partnership since 2016; Lambiase also holds broader racing operations role.
Isack Hadjar	Pierre Hamelin (expected)	Carry-over from Hadjar’s 2025 Racing Bulls season.

Mercedes (Power Unit: Mercedes)

Team Principal: Toto Wolff

Driver	Race Engineer	Notes
George Russell	Marcus Dudley	Together since 2023.
Kimi Antonelli	Peter Bonnington (“Bono”)	Former Hamilton engineer; also Head of Race Engineering.

Aston Martin (Power Unit: Honda)

Team Principal: Adrian Newey

Driver	Race Engineer	Notes
Fernando Alonso	Andrew Vizard	Switched for 2025; continued into 2026.
Lance Stroll	Gary Gannon	Experienced engineer; joined Aston Martin for 2025.

Williams (Power Unit: Mercedes)

Team Principal: James Vowles

Driver	Race Engineer	Notes
Alexander Albon	James Urwin	Long-term pairing; Urwin previously with Stroll and Russell.
Carlos Sainz	Gaëtan Jégo	Continued from Sainz’s 2025 Williams season.

Alpine (Power Unit: Mercedes)

Team Principal: Flavio Briatore (interim/acting)

Driver	Race Engineer	Notes
Pierre Gasly	John Howard	Stable long-term partnership.
Franco Colapinto	Josh Peckett	Carry-over from Colapinto’s late-2025 promotion.

Haas (Power Unit: Ferrari)

Team Principal: Ayao Komatsu

Driver	Race Engineer	Notes
Esteban Ocon	Laura Mueller	First female race engineer in F1 history.
Oliver Bearman	Ronan O’Hare	Wealth of experience from Mercedes, Williams, etc.

Racing Bulls (Power Unit: Red Bull Ford)

Team Principal: Alan Permane

Driver	Race Engineer	Notes
Liam Lawson	Ernesto Desiderio	Continued from Lawson’s previous seasons.
Arvid Lindblad (rookie)	TBD (likely new assignment)	As a rookie, pairing to be confirmed closer to testing.

Audi (formerly Sauber; Power Unit: Audi)

Team Principal: Jonathan Wheatley

Driver	Race Engineer	Notes
Nico Hülkenberg	Steven Petrik	Long-time Ferrari background; carry-over from 2025.
Gabriel Bortoleto	Jose Manuel Lopez	Previously with McLaren/Norris development; strong prior working relationship.

Cadillac (new team; Power Unit: Ferrari)

Team Principal: Graeme Lowdon

Driver	Race Engineer	Notes
Sergio Pérez	TBD	New team; assignments expected early 2026.
Valtteri Bottas	TBD	New team; assignments expected early 2026.

These engineer-driver bonds are vital for communication, setup optimization, and race strategy. With the massive 2026 regs reset, stable pairings give teams an edge—expect works outfits like Audi, Aston Martin (Honda + Newey), Ferrari, and Mercedes to challenge McLaren’s dominance.

Which 2026 storyline has you most hyped: the regs shake-up, Newey’s TP role, or Cadillac’s debut?