F1 2026 season stats: Fernando Alonso leads in career GP starts, Arvid Lindblad debuts as sole rookie. Ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season, Fernando Alonso leads all active drivers with 425 Grand Prix starts.

In this special ranking, 14 of the 22 drivers who will take to the track this year have already surpassed 100 career Grand Prix starts.

The countdown is on for the start of a season that, with major technical regulation changes and the introduction of new power units, is raising eyebrows among fans. Nevertheless, engines—welcomed or not—will roar to life at the Australian Grand Prix, the first of 24 events on the 2026 calendar. In Melbourne, drivers will take to the track once again to open a new chapter in their F1 careers, or, in just one case, to experience their very first race weekend in the Circus. Ahead of the red lights going out, here is the number of GP starts for all active drivers in the championship prior to the upcoming weekend at Albert Park.

Triple digits

At the top of the list is Fernando Alonso, the all-time record holder in Formula 1 history with 425 starts. Excluding the 2002, 2019, and 2020 seasons, the Spaniard has been present in the championship continuously from 2001 to today, entering the 2026 season at 44 years of age. If the upcoming season concludes without interruption, the Asturian could approach 450 GP starts, with Abu Dhabi marking his 449th race.

Further down, in second place on the all-time list, is Lewis Hamilton: seven-time world champion and continuously present since 2007, the British driver for Ferrari will enter the 400 GP mark by the end of the year, adding to the 380 starts he has already completed. In this season, only one driver could surpass 300 career starts: Sergio Perez. Returning to F1 after missing last year—the first absence since 2011—the Mexican would move from his current 281 GP starts to 305, taking seventh place on the all-time list, just one behind Jenson Button. If all goes smoothly, three drivers could pass the 200 GP milestone by the end of the season: Lance Stroll (189), Esteban Ocon (180), and Pierre Gasly (177).

Lower numbers

Unlike the statistics above, no other driver will reach or exceed 100 GP starts by the end of the season, with Oscar Piastri approaching the milestone with 94 starts. Notably, world champion Lando Norris shares the same number of GP starts (152) as George Russell, as do Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Gabriel Bortoleto (24 each). These last two, unlike Jack Doohan—who was replaced by Franco Colapinto in Imola last year—are one ahead of another rookie from last season, Isack Hadjar, who did not start the Australian GP due to an incident during the formation lap. Regarding rookies, the only debutant in this championship will be Arvid Lindblad, who obviously has no GP starts yet.

GP starts per driver before the 2026 season