Who will compete for the 2026 World Cup? Windsor: “It will be Russell and Alonso”

Risking a favorite driver and a favorite team for 2026, at this stage and with the enormous regulatory revolutions that have turned the world of Formula 1 upside down, is an almost impossible risk to take. Especially if all the paddock rumors about the controversial Mercedes “motorone” and the controversies that are inevitably following one another end up in the cauldron. Yet there are those who, thanks to a decade of experience in the Circus, have tried to overstate – and not a little – on who will be the protagonists of the next highly anticipated championship. We are talking about Peter Windsor, a British journalist who in one of his interactive YouTube live broadcasts with the public outlined a picture of the values ​​on the pitch which, from his point of view, we could see in the season that is now upon us. Honda-Newey pairing to keep an eye on The first outsider from Windsor compared to 2025 bears the name of Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso, thanks to the arrival of Adrian Newey not only at the head of the project, but also in the unprecedented role of team principal: “I think that Alonso can not only win a race, but also the championship. And it won’t just be by luck, by chance or by other people’s mistakes that Fernando will win a Grand Prix again. He will win it because the car will be good and he is still very fast, to the point of questioning a possible withdrawal.” “There will be Newey, Honda engines, Alonso’s talent, huge investments and Stroll’s support: if he doesn’t win at least one race, I would be really shocked. And in my opinion he will win it,” he added. “If we had to make an ‘off the radar’ bet for the world championship, I would bet on Fernando Alonso”. Russell will also have his chance. For Windsor, Mercedes cannot be ignored as part of the title match, as mentioned at the center of the controversy for a find on the combustion engine capable of releasing several more hp than the competition. “Russell has a good chance of winning the title this year, obviously with the big condition that the factory Mercedes is a fast car with a good engine, and I’m pretty sure of that.
I also think that Kimi Antonelli will probably win his first race.” And McLaren? “George, title candidate. Fernando, candidate for the title. Consequently, for me McLaren will have less chance of reconfirming themselves in 2026 – continued Windsor – They will certainly win races, but I think this year Piastri could have a slight advantage over Norris. But only because Lando has already won his championship: you could even say that this will make him ride more relaxed and maybe even better, but at the same time it could take away a bit of determination. We can’t know.”