Aston Martin tipped to usurp F1’s long-standing order in bold 2026 prediction

The 1996 F1 champion, in his outlook for the 2026 season, did not rule out a change of guard atop the grid. Hill drew parallels with the Brawn GP team, which took the sport by surprise during the 2009 campaign.

"Yes, you could [see a changing of the guard in F1 this year]. I mean, we could see a complete surprise,” he said via talkSPORT.

"Something like when Jenson Button won with Brawn, they surprised everyone because they saw through the regulations,” Hill added.

Hill went further to single out the Aston Martin outfit as a team he expects to make the jump to the top of the field.

“The master of seeing through the regulations is Adrian Newey, who's gone to Aston Martin. He left Red Bull and Max Verstappen behind, and Christian Horner has left that team anyway. But he's gone off to Aston Martin,” he said.

"He's been working on this project now for a good 18 months or so. So we're sort of expecting him to wave his magic wand over Aston Martin. It could happen,” he concluded.

As thoughts and predictions around the 2026 regulations continue to swirl, Aston Martin remains a team firmly in the spotlight, with Newey, who was appointed as team principal, leading the charge.

Earlier, the Japanese manufacturer unveiled its power unit for the upcoming campaign. The Aston Martin car's launch will take place on 9 February, only after the behind-closed-doors test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

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