3 Formula One Prospects You Need To Look Out For In 2026

2025 has seen young prospects become stars and established names improve even more, but what drivers should you look out for in 2026?

Formula 3 saw talented Brazilian Rafael Câmara claim the title, in a similar dominant fashion as compatriot Gabriel Bortoleto two years earlier — and Bortoleto has made waves in his rookie season so far in Formula One.

Formula 2's championship winner is undecided, with multiple drivers — including Luke Browning and Jak Crawford, who have had experience in F1's practice sessions already — in with a chance at winning the sport's premier feeder series and hopefully advancing into F1.

Meanwhile, shock career moves from drivers outside F1's traditional pathway, including IndyCar and the World Rally Championship, have fans wondering if drivers without a typical background can make it all the way into F1 somewhere down the line, with their performance in 2026 potentially being a big indicator.

With that in mind, here are three names to keep tabs on over the next calendar year.

Colton Herta

Colton Herta has become a part of IndyCar furniture in the 2020s, but will leave the sport to become a developmental driver for Andretti in 2026, as well as racing in Formula 2 for Hitech.

This could be a huge risk for the American, who, at 25, is the oldest confirmed driver for next season, and will be joining a series notorious for being somewhat of a shaky indicator as to whether a driver will go on to do great things in F1 or not, with current F1 and Haas sensation Ollie Bearman finishing a distant 12th in the championship in 2024.

Prediction: Does well in Formula 2 in 2026, but does not get a Cadillac seat in 2027 and has to wait until the year after for his big shot.

Kalle Rovanperä

The same age as Herta and the only driver on this list to not be in Formula One or Formula 2 either currently or next season, everything about Rovanperä indicates he is a wildcard when it comes to racing.

At 25, he is already a two-time World Rally Championship winner — the youngest ever — and has ditched the sport to move to Super Formula over in Japan, where F1 drivers Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson have plied their trade and seen success, with both getting their F1 moves soon after.

Rovanperä has much less experience than the two aforementioned, but enough talent on four wheels to potentially make up for it. Max Verstappen's response of 'I like it' when asked on the move might bode well, too.

Prediction: Is a success in Super Formula in his rookie year, has a title-contending season in 2027 and goes on to secure a reserve role in F1.

Arvid Lindblad

Almost a guaranteed name on the grid next season if speculation is to be believed, Arvid Lindblad is part of the next generation of British talents.

Coming fourth in his only Formula 3 season at 17 and winning four races along the way, plus a strong showing in the 2025 Formula 2 season where he currently sits seventh, has Lindblad primed for a Racing Bulls seat if the cards fall right for him.

The looming fallout between Yuki Tsunoda and Red Bull — where the Japanese racer has been described as not 'bringing anything to the table' — might see a situation where he is left without a seat at either Red Bull or Racing Bulls, allowing one of Isack Hadjar or Liam Lawson to step up to Red Bull and Lindblad to take the vacant Racing Bulls seat.

Prediction: Gets his F1 move in 2026, immediately impressing in a similar fashion to Isack Hadjar.

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