The Formula 1 season has come to a close, and it’s time to take stock! We’re doing this with Giedo van der Garde: the Viaplay analyst and former F1 driver is measuring up the drivers for us. Today: the top 3 of the Formula 1 final report 2026. And, unsurprisingly, the highest score goes to Max Verstappen.
The Top 3 of 2026:
Max Verstappen: 9.9
“Without a doubt, Max made the best impression this season. He kept the championship exciting until the very end. That’s impressive, especially considering how things were going earlier this year. Or rather, how they weren’t going. But Max is so good, he always gets the maximum out of that car. Thanks to him, it ultimately wasn’t a race between two drivers, but three.”
A few days before the final race, Van der Garde expressed his confidence in various media outlets that Verstappen would clinch the title. That confidence was very justified and understandable based on the above. However, the Red Bull driver just missed out. But that doesn’t dampen the spirits. Van der Garde: “I give Max a 9.9, a well-deserved score in my opinion. Just shy of a 10, but if he had become champion and defended his title, that would have been the final score.”
George Russell: 9
“Of course, this season was all about Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Max. Understandably, they were fighting for the title. But don’t forget George Russell, I thought he drove really well at Mercedes this year. He was perhaps the most steady of everyone on the grid.”
Amidst the dominance of the McLarens in the first half of the season and Lando Norris‘s comeback in the second half, Russell managed to secure his own victories. He triumphed twice: winning the Grand Prix of Canada in June and proving to be the strongest in the Grand Prix of Singapore in early October.
“Russell was often in the right place at the right time after Max. I truly believe he had a good year, despite not always having the best car. Moreover, he consistently outperformed his teammate Kimi Antonelli. So, I give him a 9.”
Lando Norris: 9
“Of course, we’re all talking about his strong end to the season, and rightly so: Norris was indeed in good form, strong and fast in the last few months.”
At the beginning of this season, it was his teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri who was the more successful of the two McLaren drivers. Prior to the final race in Qatar, Van der Garde predicted that Norris would finish on the podium. “In a normal race, he will finish second or third,” he said. This turned out to be a prescient view: Norris finished third and thus crowned himself champion. “Ultimately, he deserves a lot of appreciation. In this case, I give him a 9. That seems like a fair score.”
