By Jailah Williams UpshawÂ
In honor of this week being Race Week, I thought I’d write my WDC (World Drivers’ Championship) 2026 predictions. For reference, I’m a fully established McLaren girl. But I do love Lewis Hamilton—no matter what team he’s on. So, obviously, from that bit of knowledge, you may be able to guess who I’m rooting for to win the WDC… or can you?
Occupying the first pick is Oscar Piastri. You know, I truly, madly, deeply believed he was going to win last season. But as they say, “There’s always next year.” Fingers crossed it’s this year! Honestly, last season was amazing—there were so many dramatic edits of different rivalries on the grid. As the season went on, they got more and more intense. But to be fair, it’s kind of like that every season. There were tons of edits of different drivers set to “Girl, So Confusing.” My For You Page was literally Heated Rivalry—which is funny because HR was there too.
Back on topic. My second-place pick is Lando Norris. He actually won his very first WDC last year, so good for him! It’s about time. Lastly, the driver occupying my third and final pick was going to be Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, but I don’t know… I think George Russell has a good chance of winning for Mercedes. I actually don’t think George has won one yet. Hmm, I wonder why?
There’s this movie that came out last year with Damson Idris and Brad Pitt set in the F1 universe. Let’s just say reality is just as dramatic as the movie. There’s always, always, always drama. Drivers’ contracts end during the season, and sometimes teams announce new drivers for next year during race week—which I think is a bit mean, but I digress.
The “sassy man apocalypse” has definitely infected the entire grid—so many eye rolls and deep sighs. But that’s what makes F1 so much fun! You see them traveling around the world, racing on different tracks each week, driving cool cars, facing high stakes, and always delivering drama.
But to be fair, I think overall it’s a pretty chill sport. No one’s really jumping up and down screaming at the TV… I fear. Unless you’re just that type of person—and honestly, nothing’s wrong with that. I, however, will keep pushing everyone I know to give Formula 1 a chance, especially now that it’s on Apple TV. Yay for me—I don’t have to pay for it anymore!