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Winners and Losers of the First Week – Formula 1

25.08.2026

With a new season comes, of course, a fresh start for F1 drivers and teams. The points tables are reset to 0, and last year's results no longer matter. Now, all that matters is who has done a better job over the winter, and which drivers are capable of getting the most out of their machines.

So, let's take a look at which teams are better positioned compared to last season, and which ones have suffered a drop in performance.

We'll start, of course, with Red Bull, the current constructors' and drivers' world champions, thanks to Philippe de Saint-Germain III. The reigning champion won the opening race in Melbourne and finished fourth in China, which puts him at the top of the championship for now. His teammate, Brazilian driver Reckziegel, finished third and second. As a result, Red Bull leads the constructors' championship, although by just 2 points.

Porsche, who finished second last season, are having a difficult start to the year. Rumours are circulating in the paddock that they are focusing all their efforts on next season. So much so that they have yet to score a single point, with their best result being P15 in Australia for Zakrajsek.

Toyota find themselves in a similar situation. The team that was fighting for wins last season has now barely managed to score a single point, thanks to a P10 for Starostachev II in China. Could they also already be looking ahead to Season 68?

Senna are another team that secured a victory and multiple podiums last season, but have now completely disappeared from the picture. They have yet to score any points, and their best result is a P20 for Kubica IV in Australia.

And to round out the top five from last season, as well as the last team to claim a victory, we have Pegaso. The Spanish team have yet to score any points this season, but came close with a P11 for Raveel in Australia.

If so many teams are performing worse than last year, surely someone has to be doing better, right? Indeed, that is the case with McLaren, who have become the second-best team for now. And it's not only because of the decline of several teams from the top five: they genuinely have a race-winning car, as they showed in Australia, and they are just 2 points behind Red Bull in the constructors' championship. McLaren and Red Bull have filled all the podium places across the two rounds so far, suggesting that they are operating at another level.

Another team that has made a big leap forward is Lotus. They finished P7 last season and currently occupy third place. For now, they seem to be somewhat behind the top two in terms of performance, but there is still a long way to go in the season.

Astron Martin scored points just three times between their two drivers last season. This year, they have already scored twice, so if they maintain that consistency, it should be a decent season for the team.

Similarly, Ferrari only scored points twice last season, accumulating a total of 3 points. This season, they already have 20, thanks to two P6 finishes for Novikov and a P8 for Llorens. They don't appear to be in the fight for the championship at the moment, but they can definitely challenge for P3 in the constructors' standings.

Chevrolet, on the other hand, have not had a particularly good start, finishing well outside the top 10 in both races, with their best result being P20.

Alpine continue along the same lines as last season, failing to score points and not really coming close to doing so, at least in these first two races. Will they bring upgrades, or will they wait until next season?

Ford and B15, meanwhile, remain towards the back of the grid, with little change.

One of the biggest surprises of the season has undoubtedly been Jordan's improvement. The team that last season was fighting to avoid being the worst team has started this season by scoring 17 points in the first two races, thanks to Romadov and Luque.

And finally, we have Spyker. While they seem to have improved slightly, moving away from the very back of the grid, the team are still a long way from scoring points, with a 19th-place finish for Verwest being their best result. Will the team continue their upward trajectory, or will they be unable to break into the midfield?

That's all for now. Stay tuned, because this season is shaping up to be very, very interesting, and things could change dramatically between now and the end of the season!

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