Teams, drivers and cars
Eleven teams, twenty-two drivers
Eleven teams take part in the 2026 season, each with two drivers. The eleventh is Cadillac — the first new team since 2016 — and the former Sauber team now races as Audi.
As well as their race drivers, teams have reserve drivers: they stand in for a team-mate who is ill or injured, and they work on the simulator. The rules also require teams to give rookies a run in Friday practice several times a season.
What a car is made of
Each team builds its own chassis — the body, suspension and aerodynamics — but it can get its power unit from a manufacturer. In 2026 there are five: Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda, Audi and Red Bull Ford.
Customer teams get the same engine as the supplier’s works team, so the difference in pace between them comes down to the chassis, aerodynamics and set-up.
Money and rules
Since 2021, teams have had a cost cap — a limit on how much they can spend in a season. It’s there to stop rich teams pulling away from the rest just by spending more. Drivers’ salaries and the pay of the three highest-paid senior staff aren’t included.
The rules are written by the FIA — the International Automobile Federation. At the track, the stewards make sure they’re followed: they investigate incidents and hand out penalties.
This chapter’s key term — .