As the season pauses ahead of Miami, IndyCar race winner and F1 TV analyst James Hinchcliffe picks out the five drivers who have impressed him most after the opening three rounds of 2026.
Pierre Gasly
Gasly has been a masterclass in maximising opportunity. After a tricky period, he’s returned with calm, clinical racecraft and pace that consistently extracts more from his car than expected. Whether managing tyres, finding pace in qualifying or slicing through the field on Sunday, Gasly’s combination of experience and confidence has made him a consistent points-scorer and a threat whenever strategy comes into play.
Oscar Piastri
Piastri continues to show why he’s one of the brightest talents on the grid. Smooth under pressure and aggressive when it counts, he’s turned strong single-lap speed into solid race results. His adaptability across different circuits and conditions, plus clean wheel-to-wheel moves, mark him out as a driver who can routinely challenge for podiums as the season develops.
Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton’s early-season form underlines that experience still matters. He’s been sharp in extracting performance from tricky situations, delivering late-race passes and smart tyre management. While moments of door-opening speed have caught the eye, it’s his ability to read a race and make decisive strategy calls with the team that has impressed most.
Oliver Bearman
Bearman has taken promising rookie flashes and started converting them into mature race performances. He’s shown impressive overtakes and resilience after setbacks, rarely making the kind of rookie errors you might expect. His pace in mixed conditions and his fearless approach around the limit suggest he’s growing into a consistently competitive presence.
Kimi Antonelli
Antonelli’s rapid learning curve continues to turn heads. He’s shown rare composure for someone so early in their F1 career, combining raw speed with increasingly polished racecraft. Where some young drivers take longer to translate practice pace into race results, Antonelli is already finding that balance and demonstrating that he can be a long-term frontrunner.
Conclusion
After three rounds, these five drivers stand out for different reasons: experience and race-reading in Hamilton and Gasly; raw talent and development in Piastri, Bearman and Antonelli. As the season heads to Miami and beyond, all five look capable of influencing the championship narrative and delivering memorable performances.