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Championship · Motorsport · Single-Seaters

Formula 1

The pinnacle of motorsport since 1950 — Lando Norris the world champion, and a new era in 2026: eleven teams, with Cadillac and Audi on the grid.
✓ Last reviewed: August 2026
SportMotorsport — single-seater world championship
OrganizerFormula One Group under FIA regulation
Held since1950 (Silverstone)
World championLando Norris (McLaren) — 2025, sealed at the Abu Dhabi finale
2026 era11 teams · Cadillac & Audi join · 50/50 hybrid power on sustainable fuel

What is Formula 1?

Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport — the FIA's world championship for single-seaters, contested since 1950 across a global season of Grands Prix. Lando Norris is the reigning World Champion, McLaren's first since Hamilton, sealed in a three-way Abu Dhabi finale over teammate Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen; McLaren took the Constructors' title.[1] [2]

SeasonPool / FormatHost cities
2025Lando Norris (McLaren)Sealed at Abu Dhabi over Piastri & Verstappen; McLaren constructors' champions
2024Max Verstappen (Red Bull)4th straight title; McLaren constructors' champions
2023Max Verstappen (Red Bull)Record 19 wins in a season
2022Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2021Max Verstappen (Red Bull)Abu Dhabi last-lap decider vs Hamilton
2020Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)Record-equalling 7th title
2019Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2018Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2017Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2016Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)Retired as champion

World Drivers' Champions of the last ten seasons.

How does it work?

Teams design and build their own cars to the FIA's technical formula; points at every Grand Prix (and sprint) decide the Drivers' and Constructors' World Championships. Entry is by FIA Super Licence — earned via the junior-ladder points system — making an F1 seat, of which there are only 22, among the scarcest jobs in sport.[2] [3]

What is new in 2026?

A generational reset: eleven teams for the first time in a decade as Cadillac — General Motors' American entry — and Audi join the grid, racing new-regulation cars whose power units split evenly between combustion on sustainable fuel and electric drive. Three U.S. races (Miami, Austin, Las Vegas) anchor the sport's American boom.[4] [5]

Why does it matter?

F1 is motorsport's summit in money, technology and audience — a Grand Prix seat or podium is the sport's defining credential, and its champions from Fangio to Senna to Hamilton are global sporting history.[1] [2]

References

  1. Formula 1 — official site. Accessed August 2026.
  2. ESPN — Lando Norris wins first F1 world title in Abu Dhabi finale. Accessed August 2026.
  3. FIA — official site. Accessed August 2026.
  4. Formula 1 — Cadillac receives final approval as 11th team for 2026. Accessed August 2026.
  5. ESPN — F1 in 2026: new rules, Cadillac and Audi. Accessed August 2026.