F1 2026 cars: What name has each team given its chassis for the 2026 season?

Henry Valantine 26 Dec 2025 3:00 PM

It's all change in Formula 1 in 2026, but what will the cars be called?

We all know by now that the F1 2026 season will bring about the biggest combined regulation changes in the sport’s history, but here is what we know about what the cars will be called.

All-new power unit and chassis regulations will be coming into play at the same time by the time the cars roll out for pre-season testing, each with its own chassis name and identity. Let’s take a look.

Alpine: A526

Alpine confirmed just before Christmas that it would follow its naming convention of years gone by with a social media announcement that its 2026 challenger will be called the A526.

It represents a combination of the Alpine F1 project’s codename (A500), plus the year (’26), in this instance.

Aston Martin: AMR26

The first Aston Martin to have had its design led by new team principal, Adrian Newey, is set to be unveiled officially on February 9th, with the name AMR26.

A simple naming convention of the initials of Aston Martin Racing followed by the year, which the team has used since its arrival on the grid.

Audi: To be confirmed

The first big question mark.

Audi revealed a concept livery of next season’s car, which will be the first as an Audi factory team after its takeover of Sauber, which was named the R26. Will this carry over into next season, however?

The R26 as a name has history in Formula 1, too, as it was on the chassis of the Renault which powered Fernando Alonso to title glory in 2006.

More key information as we look ahead to F1 2026

F1 driver numbers: Which numbers will the drivers be using in 2026 and why?

MOM is out and Boost Mode in as key F1 2026 terms defined

Cadillac: TBC

A new team brings with it intrigue about what it will call its first car.

Cadillac will be launching its first challenger by unusual means, airing an advert during the Super Bowl in front of a captive US audience to show off its first livery, though the name is as-yet unconfirmed.

Ferrari: TBC

Ferrari has been very… well, un-Ferrari in recent years, by having kept a consistent chassis naming convention over the course of the last few seasons.

The Scuderia has tended to change its car’s name from year to year, such as the SF70H in 2017, marking Ferrari’s 70th year as a manufacturer, to the SF90 in 2019, to the SF1000 in 2020 and the F1-75 in 2022, but the last three seasons have been using SF along with the year.

Ferrari has set a save the date for January 23rd, so we’ll soon find out what its 2026 challenger will be called.

Haas: VF-26

Haas has confirmed it will keep its now decade-long naming structure on its 2026 car, calling it the VF-26.

Team owner Gene Haas rolled his early days in business into Formula 1, with Haas Automation making its first CNC [computer numerical control] machine in 1988, which was named the VF-1 – or, unofficially, the ‘Very First One’.

That was kept into Formula 1 when VF-1 its VF-16 arrived on the grid in 2016, which has been kept ever since.

McLaren: MCL40 [expected]

McLaren’s naming convention goes back for some time now, with the team having switched to the MCL chassis name in 2017 after Ron Dennis’ departure from the company – with the team having used a chassis prefix – MP4 – up to that point.

That car was the MCL32, with the cars having gone up one in the subsequent years apart 2023, where the MCL60 marked 60 years since Bruce McLaren founded the team.

This convention is expected to be followed again in 2026, which would make its next car the MCL40.

Mercedes: W17 [expected]

While no name has officially been given by the team, it is widely expected the 2026 Mercedes will be called the W17.

The W stands for ‘wagen’, or ‘car’ in German, with its history stretching all the way back to Mercedes powering Juan Manuel Fangio to title victory in the all-conquering W196R in 1954 and ’55. Interestingly, that car is also the most valuable Formula 1 car ever sold at auction, with its Stromlinienwagen, or ‘Streamliner’ specification, having sold for an enormous £42.7m at auction in 2025.

Back in the here and now, Mercedes picked up the chassis name again when it rejoined the sport in 2010 with the W01, which it has used ever since.

Racing Bulls: VCARB 03 [expected]

Much like Mercedes, while no name has been revealed for Racing Bulls’ 2026 car at time of writing, it is widely expected to be the VCARB 03.

Simply, this is the initials of the team, and the third car it will have produced in this guise. Nice and easy.

Red Bull: RB22

Much like its sister team, Red Bull has kept its naming conventions straightforward since its arrival on the grid two decades ago.

Starting with the RB1, it has gone up every year – with one exception. The team’s 2021 challenger, expected to be called the RB17, was the RB16B instead, with Formula 1’s regulations evolving, before going back to its convention with the RB18 in 2022.

The RB17 does exist, though, with Adrian Newey having pencilled the design of the team’s high-performance hypercar.

Red Bull has confirmed it will be the RB22 to be driven by Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar in 2026.