Racing Labs Return to Defend. The Champions Are Not Done Yet

There is a particular kind of pressure that comes with being the team everyone is gunning for. Racing Labs enter the 2026 H1GP season carrying the weight of the reigning Constructors' Championship. And from the sound of it, they would not have it any other way.

The Malaysian outfit returns with the same core lineup that delivered the title in 2025, bringing with them a culture built around preparation, data, and an unambiguous will to win. The question is not whether Racing Labs belong at the front. But, it is whether anyone can stop them from staying there.

The Lineup

Racing Labs confirm a returning driver pairing for 2026, with both Jeremy Yeow and Neil Harris back in the fold. Together they finished 3rd and 4th respectively in the 2025 Drivers' Championship. A combined haul of 320 points that formed the backbone of the team's constructors' title.

Both drivers arrive with unfinished personal business alongside their collective ambitions. For a team of Racing Labs' calibre, a Constructors' crown without a Drivers' title leaves something on the table.

Neil Harris: Potential, Patience, and a Point to Prove

Neil Harris joined the Racing Labs setup mid-season in 2025 and still managed to finish fourth in the Drivers' Championship. It is the kind of result that turns heads. Not just for the points total, but for what it suggests about his ceiling when he has a full campaign to work with.

"I think, especially for me, being able to come in late during the season and still finish 4th, makes me believe that I have potential to fight for the championship provided that all the stars align. But for me the important thing is to do my best and that's all."

— Neil Harris, Racing Labs

There is a grounded quality to Harris that stands out. No sweeping proclamations, no manufactured confidence, just a clear-eyed recognition of what he is capable of and an honest acknowledgement that execution, not expectation, is what matters. A full season from race one changes the equation considerably, and Harris knows it.

The Racing Labs Way

For all the talent on the grid, what often separates championship-winning teams is not raw pace. But, it is the structures built around it. Racing Labs have made preparation and process central to their identity, and Harris speaks to that culture with the kind of specificity that suggests it is not just marketing language.

"Massive privilege to be part of a team that has championship ambitions, the ambition to win, for me it feels enjoyable to compete with a team like that. As mentioned, we have an ambition to win, so we make sure we prepare the best we can to get the best result possible, so that means giving and accepting feedback, and utilizing data from our training sessions to come up with effective strategies."

— Neil Harris, Racing Labs

Feedback loops. Data from training. Strategic planning. These are the habits of an operation that intends to stay at the front for a long time.

Arlen on the Defence

Team Principal Arlen is characteristically candid when asked what it will take to defend the Constructors' title in 2026. The new season brings with it a fresh set of technical variables, which means new challenges to overcome.

"Well, first, we need the car to decide which 'Mode' it wants to be in. With this new Active Aero, the car spent half of pre-season testing trying to turn into a plane on the straights and a brick in the corners. If we can get through a race without the rear wing rotating slowly like a kebab machine, I'd say we're favorites for the title."

— Arlen, Team Principal · Racing Labs

The humour is well-placed, but underneath it is a real point. Active aerodynamics introduce a layer of complexity that every team on the grid is wrestling with, and how quickly Racing Labs extract performance from the new regulations will shape their early season entirely. Arlen's confidence that they will get there is implicit. The kebab machine, presumably, has been noted.

The Target on Their Back

Defending a championship is a different kind of challenge to winning one. Every team on the 2026 grid has studied Racing Labs over the winter. Blue Steel Racing's Anson Yong has been explicit about where his focus lies. New entrants like Metadise Sim Racing arrive with something to prove. The grid is not standing still.

And yet, the ingredients that made Racing Labs champions in 2025 have not gone anywhere. The same drivers. The same process-driven culture.

The 2026 season begins at Suzuka on March 29th. Racing Labs will be there, title in hand, ready to make the case that holding on is just as hard as getting there.