Season 8 drops. You watch it in a weekend. You finish the last episode and immediately want to know what happens next. Here is what happened next.
Hamilton to Ferrari — Did It Work?
Season 8 covers the shock. Hamilton leaving Mercedes after more than a decade. Ferrari taking the gamble. Everyone wondering if a seven-time champion can adapt.
Two races into 2026: Hamilton finished fourth in Australia and third in China — his first Formula 1 podium as a Ferrari driver.
He and Leclerc are fighting wheel-to-wheel mid-race. Not destructively. Leclerc said on the radio during China it was 'actually quite fun.' Two fast drivers who are somehow getting along.
Mercedes, meanwhile, are dominant without him. Which is the one outcome nobody wanted to think about.
Antonelli — The Kid Who Replaced Hamilton
Season 8 introduces Kimi Antonelli as the next big thing. Nineteen years old, promoted directly to Mercedes to replace the greatest driver of his generation.
Two races into 2026: Antonelli won the Chinese Grand Prix.
Maiden F1 victory. Second youngest winner in the history of the sport at 19 years and 202 days. Only Verstappen has done it younger. He crossed the line and said 'I'm about to cry, to be honest.'
The promotion already looks like a masterstroke.
Norris — Title Defender, Zero Points
Season 8 ends with Norris lifting the trophy in Abu Dhabi. The drought is over.
Two races into 2026: In Australia he finished fifth. In China his McLaren suffered an electrical failure before the race started — never made the grid. His teammate Piastri had a completely separate electrical failure the same day.
The McLaren that won the 2025 championship is not the fastest car in 2026. Not even close.
Russell — The One Who Waited
Russell spent years as the most talented driver not winning races. Mercedes kept promising the car would come good.
Two races into 2026: he won Australia, he is leading the championship, and Mercedes have built the most dominant car on the grid.
His radio message after winning in Melbourne: 'I like this car. I like this engine.' Understated. Perfect.
Verstappen — Still Verstappen
Four championships. Untouchable when the car works.
Two races into 2026: crashed out of qualifying in Australia, started last, finished sixth. Retired in China with an electrical failure while running sixth.
Red Bull's new car is not working under the 2026 regulations. The four-time champion is ninth in the championship after two races.
What's Coming Next
Japan is next — Verstappen's best chance to prove Red Bull's problems are fixable.
Then Miami (May 1-3) and Montreal (May 21-24) — the two North American races where the championship picture starts to clarify.
The Season 8 storylines have not resolved. They have just moved to a new chapter.
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