The 2026 F1 season so far: The chasing pack closes in on Antonelli
14 August 2026The first half of the 2026 F1 season has been one of utter dominance from Mercedes’ Italian protégé Kimi Antonelli, who has taken six of the 11 available Grand Prix victories. That has enabled him to open up a 50-point gap to his nearest challenger, the driver he replaced at the Silver Arrows, Lewis Hamilton, by the summer break.
But while Antonelli has stolen the spotlight for much of the season so far, others have had their moment to shine too. It has been a much more challenging campaign for stablemate George Russell, but he has still managed to notch two Grand Prix wins and two Sprint victories.
The Ferrari drivers of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have also tasted champagne, scoring seven podiums between them and taking a win apiece in Barcelona and at Silverstone respectively. Then, just before the paddock paused for the mid-season hiatus, Lando Norris and McLaren came alive at the Hungaroring, with the reigning champion taking his first win with the number one on his car.
With 11 Grands Prix now in the books, here’s how the story has unfolded so far...
A strong start for George in Australia
The opening race of the 2026 Formula 1 season got off to the start most people were expecting, with George Russell storming to victory in Melbourne. He didn’t have it all his own way, though, with Charles Leclerc deploying Ferrari’s spectacular getaway to overhaul Russell and take the early lead.
The pair battled through the opening stint, but it was Russell and Mercedes who ultimately got the better of Ferrari through well-timed strategy calls.
Kimi Antonelli was forced to recover from a poor start that saw him drop to seventh, but the young Italian charged back through the field to finish second, getting his season off to a strong start too.
Leclerc completed the podium for Ferrari, although the Scuderia were unable to capitalise fully on the opportunities presented by the Virtual Safety Car strategy.
Antonelli goes on a tear
The young Italian went on a remarkable streak of five consecutive Grand Prix victories in the races that followed, establishing himself as the driver to beat as the season gathered momentum.
While his Mercedes team-mate Russell found Grand Prix victories harder to come by, he still added two Sprint wins to his tally in China and Canada. However, a second-place finish in Shanghai was his only Grand Prix podium during that stint.
Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton was beginning to find his feet at Ferrari, with the seven-time World Champion taking third in China before following it up with back-to-back second-place finishes in Canada and Monaco.
Hamilton returns to the top step
After a gap of almost two years, Lewis Hamilton finally returned to the top step of the Formula 1 podium.
The victory came after a fascinating battle with his former Mercedes team-mate, George Russell, who started from pole position and held the lead through the opening stint.
Hamilton and Ferrari opted for an alternate two-stop strategy, and when they ducked into the pits early, Russell and Antonelli found themselves locking horns at the front.
After the first stops, Hamilton emerged in the lead. Then, when a Virtual Safety Car was deployed towards the end of the second third of the race, Ferrari were able to give Hamilton a relatively cheap second stop.
That left the Ferrari driver with fresher tyres and the lead, while the two Mercedes cars gave chase.
The Silver Arrows duo went to battle once again in the closing stages, with Antonelli eventually taking second place from Russell. But the young Italian's charge was cut short when he suffered mechanical trouble with the finish line in sight.
Hamilton held on to take his first Grand Prix victory in almost two years, with Russell and Lando Norris completing the podium.
Russell back to winning ways in Austria
George Russell responded to his faltering campaign in Austria, returning to the top step after a difficult run. The Mercedes driver launched from pole and duly disappeared up the road.
Behind him, Hamilton and Max Verstappen went wheel-to-wheel over second place, reigniting their old rivalry with spectacular wheel-to-wheel action, particularly as they ran side-by-side through the high-speed Turn 6.
Ferrari faded late in the race, while Russell controlled the gap at the front to take victory for Mercedes, ahead of Verstappen and team-mate Antonelli, with all three separated by just two seconds at the chequered flag.
Leclerc masters Silverstone
Starting from second, Leclerc got the better launch than Antonelli and swept into the lead, with Hamilton following him through into second to the delight of the sold-out Silverstone grandstands.
But the celebrations wouldn’t last long, as Hamilton was soon handed a five-second penalty for moving before the lights. Antonelli eventually found a way past Hamilton and began hunting down Leclerc.
As the pit-stop phase unfolded, Antonelli went long and eventually moved into the lead. Russell got ahead of Hamilton when both drivers pitted, and Hamilton served his five-second penalty.
In leaving the pits, the pair engaged in the most spectacular battle of the race, with Hamilton and Russell going wheel-to-wheel in front of the home crowd.
Russell was later forced to pit with a slow puncture, while Antonelli finally made his own stop and emerged ready to hunt down Leclerc.
The Mercedes driver was unable to complete his charge, however, suffering a wheel shield failure before he could reach the leading Ferrari.
Then came another twist in the closing laps. Max Verstappen spun at Stowe, elevating Russell into second and Hamilton into third, leaving Leclerc to take his first Silverstone victory.
READ MORE: Leclerc wins as Russell and Hamilton take home podiums
Antonelli extends his points lead in Belgium
Antonelli launched from pole into the lead at Spa, but Verstappen immediately seized the advantage into Eau Rouge. The Mercedes driver refused to let the Red Bull driver stay ahead for long, though, retaking the lead into Les Combes.
Behind them, Russell and Hamilton – who were second and third in the championship at the time – tangled at the chicane, with Russell retiring on the spot.
Verstappen and Leclerc fought it out over second place, but it was Antonelli who ultimately had the final word, with the Italian taking the chequered flag ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen, extending his advantage at the top of the 2026 F1 standings.
The reigning champion returns
Lando Norris and McLaren looked imperious from the outset at the Hungaroring, with the reigning World Champion taking pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
However, Norris' race got off to a difficult start when he ran wide on Lap 1, allowing team-mate Oscar Piastri to move into the lead.
Further back, Hamilton and Verstappen were once again involved in a dramatic battle, providing plenty of entertainment as the two champions added the next chapter to their rivalry.
When Piastri pitted, Norris took advantage of the clear air, putting his foot down and building an advantage. While lapping back markers, Piastri’s troubles compounded when he made contact with Carlos Sainz.
Norris emerged ahead of his team-mate and went on to win, the reigning champion crossing the line 15 seconds clear of Verstappen and Antonelli to claim his first Grand Prix victory with the number one on his McLaren.
