Legendary Formula 1 pilot Heinz-Harald Frentzen expressed an unexpected opinion about who will win the championship title in the 2026 season.

Frentzen raced in F1 from 1994 to 2003, competing for five different teams: Sauber, Williams, Jordan, Prost and Arous. But despite countless appearances, he was never at the right place and time to compete for the title.

In the fourth season, Frentzen became vice-champion of the Jordanian team, losing only to teammate Jacques Villeneuve after Michael Schumacher was disqualified in the final standings. This remains his best result in his career.

Just before the start of the 2026 season, as 11 teams prepared to subject their cars to new technical regulations, 58-year-old Frentzen published an unexpected prediction on social media.

Frentzen’s former Jordan teammate Damon Hill asked him at “X” who would win the title in 2026, and Frentzen replied:

“Fernando Alonso.”

Two-time champion Fernando Alonso is preparing to start his 23rd season in Formula 1, his fourth with Aston Martin. The team was actively preparing for the 2026 season by investing all the necessary resources in the car and inviting the best experts from Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari and other teams. Among the main experts is the legendary engineer Adrian Newey.

Fernando Alonso

— Heinz Harald Frentzen (@frentzen_hh) January 11, 2026

Aston Martin pilot Lance Stroll said that the team does not yet have enough cars to be the best team in Formula 1.

The Silverstone team recently hired legendary engineer Adrian Newey as team principal and plans to become a championship contender in the future.

Newey initially joined as technical managing partner, overseeing operations ahead of F1 regulation changes in 2026, but it was announced that he would replace Andy Cowell as team principal at the end of 2025.

It’s an unusual position for Newey, but the team hopes to move on from 2026. Newey and Enrico Cardile are just two of the big names drawn to top-flight Aston Martin.

The team includes two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and experienced Lance Stroll, who is starting his 10th season.

However, at the end of last year, Stroll remained cautious about the team’s future:

“That’s a big question for everyone. Nobody knows what each team will look like in Melbourne at the start of the season.”

Of course, we don’t have all the tools to be a top team and there is no point in hiding behind that, but time will tell how strong we are.

It is exciting for us to move forward with brand new people and structure, and new regulations. “As a team, we are looking forward to the season,” Stroll said.

Former Haas team manager Günter Steiner has come to the defense of Lando Norris, who some fans and pundits regard as an unworthy Formula 1 champion.

Max Verstappen’s run of four consecutive world titles ended last season when Norris won a tight three-way title fight at the final round in Abu Dhabi.

The British driver thus became the first British Formula 1 champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, and the first McLaren driver to win the championship since Hamilton in 2008.

However, Norris faced a wave of criticism immediately after winning his first championship. While some experts and fans stated that the title was undeserved, it was claimed that the McLaren team preferred him over teammate Oscar Piastri.

The turning point of the season was a technical error at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, which caused Norris to retire from the race and fall 34 points behind Piastri. After that, many, including Steiner himself, eliminated the Briton from title contention.

However, the Italian admitted that he was wrong in his assessments and emphasized that any doubts that Norris deserved his title were unfounded.

Steiner said, “I don’t agree with that. He definitely deserves that title. Lando fought until the end.”

We all wrote him off throughout the season, especially me, but he bravely returned to the fight and that’s why he became world champion.

“He has learned his lessons and avoided the mistakes he made at the beginning of the season.”