The fight for the 2026 F1 drivers’ title begins this weekend in Melbourne’s Albert Park, but who is the favourite in the eyes of the fans?
According to a RacingNews365 poll, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are the top favorites to win the 2026 drivers’ championship, despite not having strong momentum at the beginning of the season. Verstappen and Hamilton received 29% and 23.8% of the votes respectively, leading the pack as Formula 1 prepares for a major regulatory overhaul. Verstappen’s favoritism is due to his past championship success, though his pre-season performance in Bahrain testing did not fully support such predictions. Hamilton’s second-place finish in the poll is interesting, especially after a challenging first season with Ferrari in 2025. The lack of support for recent form is evident in the poll, with Charles Leclerc, despite dominant testing, only receiving 21.5% of the vote. Surprisingly, defending champion Lando Norris received just 5.6% of the vote, with more attention going to his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. For the detailed poll results, please see below!
