For F1’s 2026 opening sequence, UK and Ireland-based creative agency DissEmbargo focused on the sport’s stars: the drivers – from Cadillac’s Sergio Perez to Ferrari’s seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, Red Bull’s four-time world champion Max Verstappen and 2025’s champion, McLaren’s Lando Norris. 

But the one-minute sequence has another star: the car, which in 2026 has seen a great deal of transition. It was an idea that F1 worked with DissEmbargo for the second year in a row to feature.

F1 “wanted it to feel premium, clean and for us to focus on the idea of ‘change.’ Why change? With new regulations and technologies introduced for 2026, it set the stage for a season of transformation, [and] the titles would mirror that in a visually interpretative way,” DissEmbargo wrote on its website.

The agency skillfully wove transformation in with the familiar. All F1 fans will recognize the sport’s familiar theme song, and the red, white and black color scheme that has long been an F1 staple. But the sequence also reflects F1’s strong commitment to always pushing the envelope, making the sport as much a show of athleticism and commitment by the drivers as it is a constant feat of engineering and teamwork.

To that end, the fonts are sleek and modern and the cars’ lines and curves are showcased with loving attention.

“Over the course of several focused and creatively driven months, our team worked in close partnership with F1’s internal creatives, bringing a shared vision to life through a highly collaborative and iterative process,” DissEmbargo wrote. “Together, we meticulously refined every aspect of the piece — from the pacing and editorial structure to the evolving art direction and the integration of complex CG elements.”

Here's a look behind the scenes at creating the sequence, which took place in Bahrain.

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