2026 Topps Lights Out F1 returns as an online-exclusive release aimed at European markets, and this year’s edition is noticeably larger than the previous run. The product grows in both checklist size and box configuration, giving Formula 1 card collectors more drivers, more themed subsets and a stronger range of autograph chases.
The release date is set for May 21, 2026. Each box contains 5 packs with 5 cards per pack for a total of 25 cards. That is an increase from the 20-card format used in 2025. Every box is also expected to deliver 2 numbered parallels, which keeps the rip straightforward while still giving collectors a clear reason to chase sealed product.
For anyone tracking the evolution of modern F1 cards, Lights Out continues to serve a different purpose than flagship chrome-style releases. It leans into visual presentation, stylized driver photography and themed subsets built around current teams, major season storylines and emerging talent from the F2 and F3 ladder.
2026 Topps Lights Out F1 at a Glance
- Release date: May 21, 2026
- Cards per pack: 5
- Packs per box: 5
- Cards per box: 25
- Base set size: 110 cards
- Numbered parallels per box: 2
- Distribution: Online-exclusive release for European markets
The most immediate change is scale. The base checklist jumps to 110 cards after sitting at 57 cards in 2025. That nearly doubles the scope of the product and gives Topps room to spread the content across several distinct sections instead of relying on a compact main set.
How the Base Set Is Structured
The 2026 Topps Lights Out F1 base lineup is split into multiple named subsets, each with a different visual or thematic identity. The first section is made up of standard driver cards, and after that the design branches into alternate looks, team-oriented cards and prospect content.
The base set is organized into these subsets:
- Lights Out: traditional driver cards
- Nero: alternate driver looks
- Powertrain: team trio cards
- Lumina: early 2026 race moments
- Halo: another alternate driver design
- Radiance: drivers paired with their cars
- Ignite: drivers who changed teams before 2026
- Next Gen: top F2 and F3 names
That structure makes the release more interesting than a basic driver-only set. Established F1 stars still anchor the product, but collectors also get cards tied to team leadership, car imagery and developmental series talent. The result is a release that can appeal to both present-day F1 collectors and prospect-driven buyers who want to get in early on future names.
Base Parallels
All base sections share the same serial-numbered parallel ladder:
- Green /99
- Purple /75
- Gold /50
- Orange /25
- Black /10
- Red /5
- Superfractor /1
This is a clean, familiar rainbow for Topps collectors. With only two numbered parallels per box, even the more accessible Green and Purple versions should matter to set builders and player collectors. At the top end, the Red and Superfractor cards are likely to become some of the most watched singles from the product.
Key Drivers and Teams in the Main Checklist
The 22-card Lights Out base driver section includes many of the biggest current Formula 1 names. McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari all have strong representation, while newer team combinations and 2026 lineup changes also play a major role.
Among the most notable names in the main Lights Out driver run are Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Collectors will also find newer-era names and marketable young talents such as Isack Hadjar, Franco Colapinto, Oliver Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad.
The product also reflects the evolving team landscape with cards for Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as members of Cadillac Formula 1 Team, plus Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto with Audi Revolut F1 Team. Those details give the release a strong time-capsule feel for the 2026 season.
Why the Subsets Matter
Some of the most interesting content in the set is outside the standard driver cards. Powertrain brings together team principals and drivers in triple-player cards, creating a format that is likely to stand out with team collectors. McLaren gets an Andrea Stella, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri card, Ferrari gets Frédéric Vasseur with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, and Cadillac gets Graeme Lowdon with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.
Lumina narrows the focus to standout moments from the opening stretch of the 2026 season. That subset is smaller at only six cards, which could make it one of the more appealing mini-runs for player collectors.
Radiance is also worth noting because it pairs drivers and their cars, a style many F1 collectors prefer over portrait-only cards. The eight-card checklist includes George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Arvid Lindblad, Gabriel Bortoleto, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Liam Lawson.
Ignite is built around drivers who switched teams before 2026, giving the product a useful checklist theme tied directly to offseason movement. That group includes Arvid Lindblad, Isack Hadjar, Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, Liam Lawson, Oliver Bearman, Nico Hulkenberg, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.
Then there is Next Gen, a nine-card prospect subset that should attract collectors who follow the road to Formula 1. Rafael Câmara, Nikola Tsolov, Gabriele Minì, Sebastián Montoya, Alexander Dunne, Emerson Fittipaldi, Freddie Slater, Fernando Barrichello and Ugo Ugochukwu all appear there.
Autographs Lead With Prospects and Select F1 Stars
Autographs are a major part of the product identity, but this is not a set that depends exclusively on current F1 superstar ink. Instead, Topps built the autograph content around a mix of future-facing names from F2 and F3 and a smaller, still attractive list of Formula 1 signers.
The largest autograph section is F2 & F3 Short Print Autographs with 47 cards. That gives the product a meaningful developmental-series angle and creates potential early-market interest around drivers whose card presence is still developing.
For current Formula 1 fans, autograph content is spread across three themed signers sets:
- Lights Out Autographs: 12 cards
- Nero Autographs: 9 cards
- Ignite Autographs: 4 cards
Autograph parallels include Gold /50, Orange /25, Black /10, Red /5 and Foilfractor 1/1. Topps also adds a presentation twist here. Red versions come with a silver frame, while Foilfractor 1/1 cards use a gold frame.
Top Autograph Chases
Two names stand out immediately in the autograph conversation.
First is Arvid Lindblad, whose first signed cards appear in the product. Any time a rising prospect gets an early certified autograph release, collector attention follows. Given his presence in the base set, Ignite subset and autograph checklist, Lindblad is one of the defining names in 2026 Topps Lights Out F1.
The other major chase is the one-card Only 1 Autograph featuring Alain Prost. The legendary driver signed the 1/1 card in gold ink, making it the clear centerpiece of the entire release. Modern F1 sets that combine current stars, emerging rookies and a historic icon on a true one-of-one always give high-end collectors a target, and this is the biggest card in the product by a comfortable margin.
Base Checklist Breakdown
Collectors building the full 110-card base set will be working through the following sections:
Lights Out
22 cards featuring Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Alexander Albon, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman, Nico Hulkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto, Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.
Nero
22 cards using the same driver lineup as the main Lights Out section, but with alternate visuals for Norris, Piastri, Russell, Antonelli, Verstappen, Hadjar, Leclerc, Hamilton, Albon, Sainz, Gasly, Colapinto, Alonso, Stroll, Ocon, Bearman, Hulkenberg, Bortoleto, Lawson, Lindblad, Perez and Bottas.
Powertrain
11 team trios: Andrea Stella, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri; Toto Wolff, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli; Laurent Mekies, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar; Frédéric Vasseur, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton; James Vowles, Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz; Steve Nielsen, Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto; Adrian Newey, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll; Ayao Komatsu, Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman; Mattia Binotto, Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto; Alan Permane, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad; Graeme Lowdon, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.
Lumina
6 cards: George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Arvid Lindblad and Oliver Bearman.
Halo
22 cards with the same driver lineup as Lights Out and Nero, presented through another alternate design style.
Radiance
8 cards: George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Arvid Lindblad, Gabriel Bortoleto, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Liam Lawson.
Ignite
10 cards: Arvid Lindblad, Isack Hadjar, Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, Liam Lawson, Oliver Bearman, Nico Hulkenberg, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.
Next Gen
9 cards: Rafael Câmara, Nikola Tsolov, Gabriele Minì, Sebastián Montoya, Alexander Dunne, Emerson Fittipaldi, Freddie Slater, Fernando Barrichello and Ugo Ugochukwu.
Autograph Checklist Highlights
The autograph content is broad enough that it is worth breaking out the main sections for quick reference.
F2 and F3 Short Print Autographs
47 cards including Rafael Câmara, Joshua Dürksen, Ritomo Miyata, Colton Herta, Noel León, Nikola Tsolov, Dino Beganovic, Roman Bilinski, Gabriele Minì, Oliver Goethe, Sebastián Montoya, Mari Boya, Martinius Stenshorne, Alexander Dunne, Kush Maini, Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, Emerson Fittipaldi, Cian Shields, Nico Varrone, Rafael Villagómez, Laurens Van Hoepen, John Bennett, Théophile Naël, Ugo Ugochukwu, Noah Strømsted, Freddie Slater, Matteo De Palo, Mattia Colnaghi, Tuukka Taponen, Alessandro Giusti, Taito Kato, Maciej Gładysz, Kanato Le, Hiyu Yamakoshi, Bruno Del Pino, Pedro Clerot, Brando Badoer, Christian Ho, Louis Sharp, James Wharton, Jin Nakamura, Brad Benavides, Yevan David, Fernando Barrichello, Nicola Lacorte, Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi and Gerrard Xie.
Lights Out Autographs
12 cards: Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, George Russell, Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar, Lewis Hamilton, Alexander Albon, Franco Colapinto, Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez.
Nero Autographs
9 cards: Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso, Gabriel Bortoleto and Valtteri Bottas.
Ignite Autographs
4 cards: Arvid Lindblad, Kimi Antonelli, Liam Lawson and Oliver Bearman.
Only 1 Autograph
Alain Prost 1/1.
What Collectors Should Watch
This release looks strongest in three areas. First, the expansion from 57 base cards to 110 gives it a much more complete feel. Second, the inclusion of multiple 2026-specific team and driver situations gives the set season relevance instead of generic star power. Third, the autograph checklist does a smart job balancing current F1 names with development-series talent.
Collectors focused on established stars will likely gravitate toward Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari colors, Max Verstappen cards across multiple subsets and the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Prospect-driven buyers may put more attention on Arvid Lindblad, Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman and the Next Gen names. Team collectors should find the Powertrain subset especially appealing because it captures management and driver combinations in one card.
Topps has also kept the box promise simple enough to be easy for casual buyers to understand. Twenty-five total cards and two numbered parallels is not a complicated format, and the expanded checklist adds enough variety that rips should feel less repetitive than a smaller online-exclusive product.
Print runs for non-serial-numbered cards have not been announced, so scarcity on standard base cards and unnumbered autographs remains something collectors will need to watch once product begins to break. What is already clear is that 2026 Topps Lights Out F1 is a much larger release than last year’s edition, with a deeper checklist, more meaningful subset design and a headline 1/1 Alain Prost autograph that should keep high-end interest on the product from day one.
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