The Dakar Rally is underway, Audi has shown a sneak peak of its first F1 car and Formula E started its 2026 season last year. The off season no longer exists, time to go racing in 2026.
World Rally Championship
First Race: Monte Carlo 22-Jan
After possibly the shortest off-season in professional motorsport the WRC kicks its ‘26 season off the traditional way in the hills above Monte Carlo. It’s the final year of the current technical regulations before major changes. The most pressing questions revolve around Hyundai’s participation beyond the end of the season. With only factory efforts from Hyundai and Toyota plus the semi-works M-Sport Ford WRC is in need of new manufacturers.
In 2025 Seb Ogier broke Welsh hearts and brilliantly snatched the title from Elfyn Evans at the death despite having skipped 3 rounds earlier in the season. This year Ogier is once again looking at a partial schedule but exactly how many rounds he will end up completing remains to be seen. If things are going well, don’t rule out him collecting a record breaking 10th Championship.
IMSA/WEC
First Race: IMSA Daytona 24hr 24 to 25-Jan
WEC Qatar 28 Mar
These feel like transitional years for both Championships. Porsche’s sudden withdrawal from the WEC dealt a major blow to both the championship and the idea of customer cars in the WEC and LM24 top class. Hyundai arrives with its Genesis brand and a major new motorsports program for the increasingly ambitious Korean Kia/Hyundai group, but it will be a huge hill to climb. The current technical regulations are well bedded in now with Ferrari, Cadillac and Toyota all having highly developed and proven cars. Peugeot on the other hand continues to struggle to recover from its bold initial technical direction that didn’t work.
Meanwhile in IMSA the works Penske Porsche’s remain and no doubt the team will be determined to avenge the pain it felt from the loss of its WEC challenge. BMW switches its top class challengers from the RLL to WRT team bringing alignment with its WEC effort. RLL meanwhile starts a new relationship with McLaren in the GTD class, could this lead to bigger and better things as McLaren gears up for its return to top class prototype racing in 2027? Only time will tell.
Sportscars golden era continues but seems to be finding its natural peak because no matter how bold the ambitions not everyone can win at the same time.
NASCAR
First Race: Bowman Grey 01-Feb
An announcement on the future of the ‘Chase for the Championship’ has yet to be made, but anything short of dumping the idea entirely and returning to a traditional season long points championship is likely to be met with disappointment from traditional fans who have felt increasingly ignored/abused NASCAR over the last decade.
As in 2025 the most interesting developments are likely to be off track. 2025 ended disastrously for corporate NASCAR with a thumping loss in the monopoly lawsuit brought against them by 23XI and Front Row Racing and an awful lot of dirty laundry got aired in public. In the long run the sport is almost certainly going to be healthier because of the compromises NASCAR has been forced to make. NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps is the first big head to roll as a consequence and unlikely to be the last. The unconstrained power - and ability to extract $100m’s from the sport - that has been enjoyed by controlling France-Kennedy family for the last 70 years has been significantly restrained so I wonder if an intra-family power struggle is not out of the question.
Indycar
First Race: St Pete 01-Mar
Indycar rolls into 2026 with many significant changes having occurred and many more on the horizon. 2025 saw Fox Sports take a 30% share holding in the series resulting in one of the most powerful media companies in the US now having real skin in the game when it comes to promotion and growth of the series. How this will manifest itself in 2026 is questionable, but longer term it will be interesting.
Indycar also introduces an all new officiating structure, making technical rule enforcement and race officiating completely independent from corporate Indycar for the first time. A much needed move that was long overdue and double so since Penske Entertainments purchase of the series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2019.
2026 will be the first season in almost 20 to see the ever entertaining multi time champ Will Power in anything other than a Penske. Willy P has hopped over to the Andretti team replacing Colton Herta who is opting out of Indycar to and pursue the opportunity of getting to F1. Meanwhile over at Team Penske the seat vacated by Willy P has been filled by David Malukas along with significant change amongst the teams senior management and engineering staff. It’s not so much about rebuilding but more a case of refreshing for Team Penske after a prolonged period of stability and - generally - consistent strong results.
Looking beyond 2026 Indycar needs to finalise its next generation of chassis and engine regulations for 2028 and secure the continued participation of Chevy and Honda for 2027 and beyond.
F1
First Race: Australia 08-Mar
F1 2026 has all new chassis and engine technical regulations for the first time since the cost cap era began. Can someone pull a ‘Brawn’? The only certainties for F1 are the field is likely to be much more spread out than enjoyed over the last few seasons and Ferrari’s ability to self sabotage will continue.
New cars will hit the track in Barcelona on 26-Jan for a closed doors off the record, on the QT and very hush-hush test. Information - and wildly uninformed nonsense - is bound to leak out fuelling hysterical proclamations about the sky is falling in. Things will only start to become clear with the first open test in Bahrain a couple of weeks later and even then much can change before Australia. F1 teams learn quickly.
NHRA
First Race: Gainesville 05-Mar
2026 will be the first season in 48 years to have the legendary Force naming missing from the entry list.
Other major championships and events: -
MotoGP - First Race: Thailand 01-Mar
WSBK - First Race: Australia 21-Apr
F2 - First Race: Australia 07-Mar
Formula E - First Race: December last year!
F1 Academy - First Race: China 14-Mar
European Le Mans Series - First Race: Spain 12-Apr
BTCC - First Race: Donington 18-Apr
Super GT - First Race: Okayama 12-Apr
Super Formula - First Race: Motegi 04-Apr
Bathurst 12hr - 15-Feb
Isle of Man TT Races 25-May to 06-June
Knoxville Nationals - 12 to 15-August
Bathurst 1000 - 11-Oct