Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
With the 2026 Formula 1 season-opener inching ever closer, former world champion Jenson Button has picked the two drivers who he thinks will battle it out for glory.
Lando Norris enters his first-ever season of racing in Formula 1 as the defending world champion, but the sport’s new regulatory era threatens to scupper McLaren’s recent progress that saw the Woking-based outfit win two consecutive constructors’ titles.
A new set of rules brings new contenders, and many believe that Mercedes have developed a strong package from their impressive turnout at the shakedown in Barcelona.
Of course, Max Verstappen and Red Bull are an eternal threat, and Ferrari could also prove to be a thorn in the sides of Mercedes if their engineers in Maranello give Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton something to shout about for the upcoming term.
- READ MORE: How to watch F1 2026 pre-season testing in Bahrain including full schedule and live TV times
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Jenson Button thinks George Russell and Lando Norris will take part in a British title fight this season
During an interview with Sky Sports News on the eve of F1’s first official week of testing for the 2026 term, Jenson Button was asked for his thoughts on who the favourite is for the drivers’ title.
Button referenced George Russell as being the early favourite, but picked out Norris as someone who may very well take the fight to his compatriot during the Briton’s defence of the 2025 championship.
He said, “When you look at Mercedes over the last few years, when there’s been a regulation change, they’ve been so strong on the engine side, and I expect that to be the same.
“When you look at testing, the amount of laps the Mercedes were able to do was impressive.
“They also have four teams, so there’s a lot of mileage that they’re accumulating, which is good for reliability but also for performance.
“I think George Russell is the favourite, but you can’t count out McLaren. They’ve still got a Mercedes engine, and they might not be as involved with the power unit as Mercedes aerodynamicists are, but they’re still going to be there.
“So I think we could have a couple of Brits fighting for a world championship in 2026.”
- READ MORE: Lando Norris issues sarcastic response when told George Russell is favourite for the 2026 F1 title
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Jenson Button also praised the calibre of British F1 drivers
As well as a new era of regulations, the upcoming campaign also marks the first time since 1996 that the F1 grid houses five full-time British drivers.
As one of the 11 F1 world champions to come from the United Kingdom, Button praised the calibre of talent that hails from the isles after being presented with the fact.
The 2009 title-winner said, “There’s a lot of British talent at the moment. You’ve got obviously Lewis, the seven-time world champion.
“We’ve got Lando Norris now, who’s a world champion. George is so close. He’s almost got his fingertips on the trophy. And Ollie Bearman, a massive talent.
“I was really, really impressed with him in 2025. His outright raw speed is something else. Once he calms down a little bit, which I think he did towards the end of the season, he’s really got that pace.
“With Lindblad also coming in, yeah, it’s a big step. It’s great for British motorsport. It really does help the kids in the younger ranks coming through to hopefully have more Brits in the sport in the future.”
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