With trackside action paused, we turn to F1 watches – because this season, the real movement is happening on the wrist.
It’s barely begun, and yet the 2026 Formula 1 season has already stalled. An unexpected hiatus caused by the postponement of the Bahraini and Saudi Arabian races, scheduled for April, has left the grid momentarily frozen in time.
So to make the most of the respite, we’ll catch you up to speed about the changes that have happened off the track, where the pace has certainly quickened. While the Formula 1 drivers sit twiddling their thumbs until they can get back behind the wheel, Elite Traveler takes a look at the watches being worn on their wrists.
The best watches worn by F1 drivers
TAG Heuer steps in as the sport’s new official timekeeper, replacing Rolex, while partnerships across the paddock have quietly reshuffled, from Breitling joining Aston Martin to IWC announcing a new name for its newest watch.
Aston Martin and Breitling
Aston Martin enters the F1 2026 season with a new name on its wrist, swapping the longstanding partnership of Girard-Perregaux for the aviation-rooted bravado of Breitling. The collaboration may be in its infancy, but has already begun its multi-year commitment on a strong footing with the launch of the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco.
Reimagined for the Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team, the debut Navitimer watch leans into the model’s utilitarian past, a nod to the days when drivers relied on its slide rule to calculate lap times and fuel consumption mid-race.
Driver’s choice
Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso: Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco
Lance Stroll has been quick to adopt the new uniform, wearing the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 almost as standard kit. Fernando Alonso, however, plays a more nuanced game. A long-time ambassador for Richard Mille, his personal loyalties lie elsewhere. Even so, he has been spotted in official imagery sporting the team’s new Breitling, a subtle nod to where the power balance has shifted.
See also: The Watches Worn By the World’s Most Famous Men
Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS and IWC
At Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 Team, continuity reigns, at least on the wrist. IWC Schaffhausen remains firmly embedded as an official partner, its Pilot’s Watches a familiar sight from pit wall to podium. Yet the departure of Lewis Hamilton has subtly shifted the narrative. Where once the collaboration between the two brands leaned heavily into Hamilton’s singular sense of style, 2026 marks a return to the driver as muse: this time, with George Russell stepping into focus.
Driver’s choice
George Russell: Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41
George Russell’s namesake Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 features the classic tri-compax layout, now rendered in black ceramic with flashes of electric blue – a color scheme lifted directly from Russell’s own race-day kit. It’s personal without being ostentatious, a watch that mirrors both the team’s precision and its new-era poster boy.
Oracle Red Bull Racing and TAG Heuer
If 2026 is a year of recalibration, Red Bull Racing is doing so with a familiar partner. TAG Heuer, returning as the sport’s official timekeeper after taking over from Rolex in 2025, continues its long-standing alliance with the team, even as its presence across Formula One expands. As the partnership with the Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team enters its next decade, TAG Heuer has seen various World Championship titles claimed and, with it, the creation of special edition timepieces.
Driver’s choice
Max Verstappen: TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph
For Max Verstappen, the formula is well-rehearsed: TAG Heuer has named several collections and even watches after the champion Formula 1 driver. Yet away from the circuit, he braves a more indulgent, flamboyant edge. Spotted pre-season in a full-gold Carrera Chronograph, Verstappen traded his track-ready, Monaco steel for something decidedly more decadent: a victory lap in a 39mm case of yellow gold with a matching brushed dial and contrasting black subdials.
McLaren and Richard Mille
Fresh off a dominant 2025, the McLaren Formula 1 Team enters the new season with momentum, but with Richard Mille still firmly on board as watch of choice.
Driver’s choice
Lando Norris: RM 72-01 Automatic Flyback Chronograph
For reigning champion Lando Norris, that means an ever-evolving rotation of statement pieces. The RM 72-01 Automatic Flyback Chronograph, lightweight, architectural, and unmistakably modern, marks a celebratory moment, its crisp white design a nod to Norris’ career-defining year.
Oscar Piastri: RM 67-02 Automatic Extra Flat
Meanwhile, teammate Oscar Piastri takes a more restrained approach. Not one for daily wristwear, he reserves his RM 67-02 Automatic Extra Flat for the podium; its featherlight carbon construction and flashes of papaya orange echo the car itself.
Ferrari and Richard Mille
Over at Scuderia Ferrari, after a turbulent 2025, stability is the watchword. And with Richard Mille as a firm partner, it’s looking for a line-up that pairs legacy with star power.
Driver’s choice
Lewis Hamilton: RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph
Enter Lewis Hamilton. His RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph unites two of haute horology’s most revered complications in a single, sculptural form. Hamilton’s version is the carbon TPT with flashes of Ferrari yellow seen on the hands – those wanting accents of the classic red can find that on the titanium edition of the chronograph.
Charles Leclerc: RM 67-02 Automatic Extra Flat
A familiar face on the podium and a familiar timepiece for this list, Charles Leclerc continues his long-standing relationship with the RM 67-02, rendered in Ferrari’s signature red and white. While it’s believed Leclerc’s watch of choice is a prototype, the bones of this celebrated watch remain the same: lightweight, skeletonized, and built for speed, it remains one of the most seamless translations of motorsport into watchmaking.
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