A new champion and new regulations have swept the Formula 1 sport this year adding to the sports extensive history as the pinnacle of motorsport. As of 2025, there have been 780 drivers in Formula 1 representing 41 different countries. Every year 20 drivers race multimillion dollar single seater cars around the world at 24 different race tracks.
For the past four years the Driver Championship has been held by Dutch driver Max Verstappen; this year it switched hands, to 26 year old Lando Norris, a young British driver for Mclaren Mastercard. With a dramatic rainy season opener, Norris clinched his fifth career win taking a lead in the championship right from the start for the first time in his career, an exciting moment for many fans. This went on until round five in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix where his team mate, young Australian Oscar Piastri, for the first time in his career took the championship lead.
The season went on with Piastri holding on until round 20 where Norris took the lead and held it to the very end, although it was a close race between Piastri and Verstappen. all the way down to their final meeting of the season in Abu Dhabi. At the end of 58 laps, Norris stood on the 3rd step of the podium winning, the championship. This now meant Mclaren Mastercard held both titles the Constructors Championship for their second year but now also the Drivers Championship for the first time since 2008.
Sophia Roberts, a sophomore in QUEST says, “It was well deserved. I think that there was a lot of unnecessary hate and favoritism towards him but that’s not the sole reason a driver wins championships. He drove well this season.”
A new champion isn’t the only new thing changing in F1 this year. Since 2017 there have been 10 teams with 2 drivers each but this year there will be 11 with the Cadillac Formula 1 team making their first time debut in F1. While we welcome Cadillac, we’ll also be saying goodbye to the Stake Formula 1 team who will be re-branding as Audi this coming season.
Along with new teams on the tarmac, there will also be regulation changes to the cars.
“I think the new regulations will be great as long as they do what they are promising. Smaller cars with less dirty air will be great for tracks like Baku and Monaco and hopefully create more overtaking around those tracks,” says Marcus Schmidt sophomore in QUEST.
Overall 2025 was a season for the record books with many records broken, and the 2026 season will be another one to add with so much change happening this year we don’t know who will win the top spot in the end.
Jacob Ekk • Feb 3, 2026 at 9:43 am
I concur with Croff’s statement “smaller cars with less dirty air will be great for tracks like Baku and Monaco and hopefully create more overtaking around those tracks”. The Monaco Grand Prix is notorious for very limited overtakes due to its extremely narrow, tight street circuits. Although overtaking is possible shown by previous cars with Charles Leclerc winning the 2024 and 2025 Monaco Grand Prix, with these smaller cars producing less dirty air, I believe that these races will be more entertaining to the average viewer. However, Croff’s point regarding Leclerc’s in Monaco illustrate one of the core issues; drivers often rely on grid position and maintaining that track position rather than finding opportunities to overtake. With the reduction of size of the cars, and less dirty air, drivers will be able to grip corners much better and allow drivers to set up for overtakes. If Croff’s prediction is correct, the F1 2026 season will be a very enjoyable one.
Caius Moore • Feb 3, 2026 at 9:41 am
I found this article very entertaining to read and also informative. I don’t follow F1 racing much, but I do enjoy watching and reading about it. This article caught me up on some of the important news and updates within the F1 world. I was really interested in the new young racers for the McLaren Mastercard who won the championship, beating Max Verstappen. I also learned from this article that new regulations have been added as of recently, setting restrictions on the Formula 1 cars on the track.
Although the topic of the article is well-explained, explaining further what the new regulations on cars will be may enhance the reading experience further. Additionally, extending the article to make the read longer and more in-depth could add to the credibility of the Article. Diving deeper into who the racers are and how they compare to other well-known racers like Lewis Hamilton, a driver for Ferrari, would give some additional insight into the world of Formula racing.
Overall, this article was very informative and interesting to read. While some changes could be made to enhance the readability of the piece, it was still entertaining and insightful. The quotes given from other Millikan students give outside opinions on the topic, which gives additional credibility to the writing. The piece is strong and gives a new perspective on the new changes within Formula 1.
Leroy Taylor • Feb 2, 2026 at 11:50 pm
This was a great article, providing very efficient insights on what F1 racing is, from how many and the variety of different teams and drivers there are to where it’s headed with new additions to the track lineup and rules. I think the provided student excerpt from a real F1 fan gave a good example of the respective tone and message carried by some fans, while also demonstrating the passion of upset fans from previous race results.
I also really enjoyed the information provided on the addition of the new Cadillac Formula team, and the rebranding of the stake team into Audi. I was intrigued to have found out it was a rebranding of the stake team into Audi rather than simply another team addition as the introduction of the Cadillac team was. Furthermore, the details on the new rules and regulations around the cars, especially the addition of how the smaller cars can lead to even more exciting and eventful races on even the smallest of tracks such as Monaco and Baku.
Overall this was a really great article providing a sufficient overview of the upcoming 2026 F1 season, giving all the information one could need to fuel their anticipation of an exciting season of racing to come for new and longtime fans alike.
Ethan Ferry • Feb 2, 2026 at 10:50 pm
On January 29, 2026, Emma Croff wrote an article titled “Formula 1 Back in Action.” She discussed the happenings of the 2025 Formula One season and the significance of what happened throughout the season. I appreciate how she went into good detail on the standings, races, and drivers of 2025, almost like a recap of the season. She followed Lando Norris’ journey to the driver’s championship thoroughly, which shows that she is passionate about the sport and how Formula 1 is more significant than cars racing around a track. It was also good that she talked to other F1 enthusiasts from Millikan, showing the widespread significance of the sport of racing.
On the other hand, Croff gave a lot of information, but it lacked certain explanations or context, which would make non-enthusiasts confused about certain elements of Formula 1. Some of the lesser-known terminology and names within the article went without explanation, so I struggled to understand some of the elements of the article. Additionally, the title of the article is “Formula 1 Back in Action,” but the article was focused more on the recent season, rather than the coming one. Croff briefly described the coming season as she talked about the new teams being added and new regulations. Although she brought these things up, she did not go into detail, which left me wanting more. She could have definitely covered what is coming in 2026 in F1, rather than what happened last year, which may even encourage the reader to explore F1 for themselves because of the new exciting additions to the 2026 season. Overall, Croff did an excellent job discussing the exciting moments of the 2025 Formula 1 season and what is to come in the next season.
Jack Walsh • Feb 2, 2026 at 10:43 pm
After a very exciting 2025 Formula One season, a new champion was crowned. Previously, Max Verstappen was the King of Formula One. After four years of winning, Verstappen was dethroned by the young McLaren driver Lando Norris. It wasn’t an easy victory, though. In the Vegas Grand Prix, Norris and his teammate were disqualified, leaving Verstappen to walk away with the easy victory and a path towards a championship. The controversial dq of Norris almost led to his defeat, and for Verstappen to win his fifth championship in a row. Did Norris really deserve to be dq’d? And if he didn’t, how would it have affected his odds going into the final race at Abu Dhabi?
In addition to the close championship, F1 has been making some changes to cars regulations. Although intended to be more environmentally friendly, many have argued that it’s detracting from the core of F1. Different engine sounds, car restrictions, and more have caused many to raise questions about the future of F1. Are these car changes really beneficial in the long run? Or is it simply for corporate profit and to add revenue? Regardless of controversy, F1 has continued to remain a top sport for fans around the world, entertaining many with the sounds and sights of the racetrack.