{"id":3743,"date":"2026-04-08T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/?p=3743"},"modified":"2026-04-08T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T05:00:00","slug":"what-watches-are-formula-1-drivers-wearing-this-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/?p=3743","title":{"rendered":"What Watches Are Formula 1 Drivers Wearing This Season?"},"content":{"rendered":"

With trackside action paused, we turn to F1 watches \u2013 because this season, the real movement is happening on the wrist.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/div>\n

It\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So to make the most of the respite, we\u2019ll 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<\/em> takes a look at the watches being worn on their wrists.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The best watches worn by F1 drivers<\/h2>\n

TAG Heuer steps in as the sport\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Aston Martin and Breitling<\/h2>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reimagined for the Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team, the debut Navitimer watch leans into the model\u2019s utilitarian past, a nod to the days when drivers relied on its slide rule to calculate lap times and fuel consumption mid-race.<\/p>\n

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The Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco marks a strong start to the partnership between Breitling and the racing team \/ \u00a9Aston Martin and Breitling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Driver\u2019s choice<\/h3>\n

Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso: Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco<\/strong>
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\u2019s new Breitling, a subtle nod to where the power balance has shifted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

See also: The Watches Worn By the World\u2019s Most Famous Men<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS and IWC<\/h2>\n

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\u2019s 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\u2019s singular sense of style, 2026 marks a return to the driver as muse: this time, with George Russell stepping into focus.<\/p>\n

Driver\u2019s choice<\/h3>\n

George Russell: Pilot\u2019s Watch Chronograph 41<\/strong>
George Russell\u2019s namesake Pilot\u2019s Watch Chronograph 41 features the classic tri-compax layout, now rendered in black ceramic with flashes of electric blue \u2013 a color scheme lifted directly from Russell\u2019s own race-day kit. It\u2019s personal without being ostentatious, a watch that mirrors both the team\u2019s precision and its new-era poster boy.<\/p>\n

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The Pilot\u2019s Watch Chronograph 41 George Russell comes in the driver’s signature racing blue colors \/ \u00a9Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS and IWC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Oracle Red Bull Racing and TAG Heuer<\/h2>\n

If 2026 is a year of recalibration, Red Bull Racing is doing so with a familiar partner. TAG Heuer, returning as the sport\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Driver\u2019s choice<\/h3>\n

Max Verstappen: TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph<\/strong>
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.<\/p>\n

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Max Verstappen seen in his all-gold Carrera Chronograph \/ \u00a9 TAG Heuer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

McLaren and Richard Mille<\/h2>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Driver\u2019s choice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Lando Norris: RM 72-01 Automatic Flyback Chronograph<\/strong>
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\u2019 career-defining year.<\/p>\n

Oscar Piastri: RM 67-02 Automatic Extra Flat\u00a0<\/strong>
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.<\/p>\n

Ferrari and Richard Mille<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Scuderia Ferrari continues its partnership with driver favourite Richard Mille \/ \u00a9<\/strong>Scuderia Ferrari<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Driver\u2019s choice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Lewis Hamilton: RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph\u00a0<\/strong>
Enter Lewis Hamilton. His RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph unites two of haute horology\u2019s most revered complications in a single, sculptural form. Hamilton\u2019s version is the carbon TPT with flashes of Ferrari yellow seen on the hands \u2013 those wanting accents of the classic red can find that on the titanium edition of the chronograph.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Formula
Hamilton and Leclerc’s watches of choice show off Ferrari’s signature colors<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\/ \u00a9<\/strong>Scuderia Ferrari<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Charles Leclerc: RM 67-02 Automatic Extra Flat<\/strong>
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\u2019s signature red and white. While it’s believed Leclerc\u2019s 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.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With trackside action paused, we turn to F1 watches \u2013 because this season, the real movement is happening on the wrist.\u00a0 It\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3744,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","beyondwords_generate_audio":"","beyondwords_project_id":"","beyondwords_content_id":"","beyondwords_preview_token":"","beyondwords_player_content":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_delete_content":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_status":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3743"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3743\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}