2026 Formula 1 Season

The 2026 season opened a brand-new chapter for Formula 1, ushered in by the biggest regulation overhaul in a generation. Sweeping new rules brought a fresh generation of power units with a far greater share of electrical power and fully sustainable fuels, alongside active aerodynamics and cars that were shorter, narrower, lighter and more nimble. As with any major reset, the new regulations reshuffled the competitive order, and the early rounds revealed a dramatically different pecking order from the McLaren-dominated season that preceded it.

Mercedes seized the new era emphatically. George Russell won the season-opening race to lay down an early marker, but it was rookie sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli who stole the show, reeling off a stunning streak of five consecutive victories through the opening rounds to surge to the top of the championship as an unexpected early title favourite. His run of dominance, built on pole positions and commanding race pace, established Mercedes as the team that had best understood the new rules and turned the young Italian into the breakout story of the campaign.

Antonelli's streak was finally broken at Round 7, where Lewis Hamilton delivered a milestone victory for Ferrari, his first win for the Scuderia and a timely sign that the established order was beginning to respond to Mercedes' fast start. At Round 8 Mercedes struck back on Red Bull's home ground: George Russell converted pole into a commanding win at the Red Bull Ring, with Max Verstappen second and Antonelli recovering from his Barcelona retirement to complete the podium and extend his championship lead. With the season still in its early stages and the new machinery rapidly evolving, the championship picture remains wide open, but the story so far is one of a bold technical reset rewarding Mercedes and announcing Antonelli as a genuine contender for the sport's biggest prize.

Round 9 brought a sprint weekend at Silverstone, and a new twist in the title fight. Antonelli converted Saturday's sprint into his first career sprint victory, but Sunday belonged to Ferrari: Charles Leclerc ended a winless run stretching back to 2024, taking the British Grand Prix under a late safety car ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton after Max Verstappen spun out of contention at Stowe with four laps remaining. A five-second track-limits penalty, triggered by a wheel-shield failure, left Antonelli only 16th in the Grand Prix, trimming his championship advantage over Russell to 25 points as Ferrari consolidated second in the constructors' standings.

Round 10 at Spa-Francorchamps saw Antonelli reassert his authority with a dominant pole-to-flag victory — his sixth win of the season and arguably his most commanding display yet. The race was disrupted on the opening lap when George Russell and Lewis Hamilton collided at Raidillon, retiring Russell on the spot and earning Hamilton a five-second time penalty. Hamilton crossed the line third on the road but was classified fourth behind Max Verstappen after the penalty was applied, with Charles Leclerc a composed second for Ferrari. Lando Norris added the fastest-lap bonus point for McLaren. The result reshuffled the championship: Hamilton's 12 points lifted him above the penalised Russell into second in the drivers' standings, while Antonelli extended his lead to 45 points over Hamilton with 204 points to his name.

Round 11 at the Hungaroring delivered a breakthrough. Lando Norris took his and McLaren's first win of the 2026 season, controlling the race to finish 15.1 seconds clear of Max Verstappen, with championship leader Kimi Antonelli completing the podium for Mercedes. Charles Leclerc came home fourth and set the fastest lap of the race — a 1:22.000 — ahead of Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton in fifth, while Oscar Piastri's strong run ended with a gearbox failure on lap 56. Antonelli's third place stretched his advantage at the top of the drivers' standings to 219 points, 50 clear of Hamilton, who held second ahead of George Russell. Mercedes moved to 379 points in the constructors' championship, 72 ahead of Ferrari, as McLaren opened its win account for the new era.