Formula 1 2026 Season

Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) leads the Drivers' Championship on 340 points after 17 of 23 rounds, through the Singapore Grand Prix on October 11. He is 102 points clear of Mercedes teammate George Russell (238) and 111 clear of Lewis Hamilton (229, Ferrari). Then come Max Verstappen (221, Red Bull), Charles Leclerc (215, Ferrari), Lando Norris (201, McLaren), Oscar Piastri (138, McLaren), Isack Hadjar (97, Red Bull), Liam Lawson (75, Racing Bulls) and Pierre Gasly (41, Alpine). In the Constructors' Championship Mercedes lead on 578 points from Ferrari (444), McLaren (339), Red Bull (332) and Racing Bulls (100). Sources: formula1.com, Sky Sports.

The United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, on October 23-25, round 18 of 23. It is a standard weekend: Singapore hosted the last sprint of the year. It is also the first race where Kimi Antonelli can clinch the title. Mexico follows on October 30 to November 1. Sources: formula1.com, Sky Sports.

Six. Seventeen of the 23 rounds are done. What remains: United States (October 23-25), Mexico (October 30 to November 1), Brazil (November 6-8), Las Vegas (November 19-21), Qatar (November 27-29) and Abu Dhabi (December 4-6). There are no sprints left, so at most 150 points are still available (6 x 25). Source: formula1.com.

At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 4-6, 2026, round 23 at the Yas Marina Circuit, closing a calendar that ran from Melbourne in March to the Gulf in December. Source: formula1.com.

Max Verstappen (Red Bull), from pole on Sunday October 11, leading every lap despite a radio failure. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was second, 7.335s behind, and Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) third, ahead of Norris, Piastri and Hamilton. It was Verstappen's 73rd career win, his first in Singapore and came on his 250th start; he also won Saturday's sprint. George Russell recovered from the back of the grid to ninth. Sources: formula1.com, RaceFans.

Max Verstappen (Red Bull), on Sunday October 4 at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, where the race had been relocated. It was his first win of 2026 and his first since the 2025 season finale. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) was second, 2.307s behind, and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) third, ahead of Leclerc, Hadjar, Piastri, Lawson, Alonso, Norris and Lindblad. The rain-hit race had a delayed start, an aborted start, two safety cars and a virtual safety car. George Russell retired late with an engine failure, which let Antonelli stretch his lead to 84 points. Sources: GPFans, PlanetF1, Crash.net.

George Russell (Mercedes), from pole, on Saturday September 26 in Baku, his third win of 2026. He held off Max Verstappen (Red Bull) by 0.196 seconds after two safety car periods, with Isack Hadjar third for Red Bull's first double podium since April 2024. Charles Leclerc was fourth, Kimi Antonelli fifth from 16th on the grid after a qualifying crash, and Lewis Hamilton sixth. Lando Norris was taken out at a restart and McLaren scored nothing. Sources: formula1.com, The Race.

After Singapore there are six grands prix and no sprints left, so at most 150 points are available (there is no fastest-lap point). On that arithmetic six drivers are still mathematically alive: Antonelli (340), Russell (238, -102), Hamilton (229, -111), Verstappen (221, -119), Leclerc (215, -125) and Norris (201, -139). Piastri, 202 behind, is out, as is everyone below him. In practice only a collapse by Antonelli would reopen it. Sources: formula1.com (standings, calendar); calculation by stats-data.

At the next race, the United States Grand Prix in Austin (October 23-25), at the earliest. According to Sky Sports he is champion there if he outscores Russell by 23 points and Hamilton by 14. In practice that means winning in Austin with Russell ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower; Verstappen and Leclerc could then no longer catch him either, and a tie on points would go to Antonelli on wins. Otherwise the fight moves on to Mexico (October 30 to November 1). Sources: Sky Sports; calculation by stats-data.

The Bahrain Grand Prix was originally scheduled for April 12 at Sakhir, but it and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix were cancelled after the outbreak of the 2026 Iran war. Under an agreement between Formula 1, the FIA and the governments of Bahrain and Malaysia, the race was reinstated at Sepang on October 2-4 under the Bahrain Grand Prix name, with Bahrain funding the move. It was F1's first visit to Sepang since 2017, and Max Verstappen won it. Sources: formula1.com, Wikipedia.

Two, both in October: the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang on October 4 and the Singapore Grand Prix on October 11, where he also won the sprint. Before that he had gone 15 rounds without a win under the new rules, with several second places. The Singapore victory was the 73rd of his career. He is fourth in the standings on 221 points. Sources: formula1.com, GPFans, RaceFans.

Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), on September 13 at the Madring in Madrid, round 14 of the season and his eighth win of 2026. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) finished second and Lando Norris (McLaren) third, in a race decided on strategy. Charles Leclerc was fourth and George Russell fifth. Note that 2026 has two races in Spain: the Madrid round in September and the Barcelona round in June. Sources: formula1.com, GPFans.

Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), on September 6, and it was the drive of his season: he started 19th on the grid and won. George Russell made it a Mercedes one-two and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) took third. It was Antonelli's seventh win of 2026 and a heavy blow to everyone still trying to reach him in the standings. Sources: formula1.com, PlanetF1, The Race.

Lando Norris (McLaren), at Zandvoort on August 23, taking back-to-back wins for McLaren. Kimi Antonelli finished second after being waved past teammate George Russell, who held third. Lewis Hamilton was fourth. Max Verstappen crashed out at the end of the opening lap in slippery conditions, a brutal end to his home weekend. It was Zandvoort's first Sprint weekend and its farewell F1 race for now, as the Dutch GP leaves the calendar after 2026. Sources: formula1.com, RacingNews365, The Race.

He is now overwhelming favourite. With six rounds left he leads George Russell by 102 points, up from 66 after Baku, and Lewis Hamilton by 111. He has won eight races this season and finished second at Sepang and third in Singapore while Russell scored just 2 points in those two rounds. At most 150 points remain, and he can be champion as early as the United States Grand Prix in Austin (October 23-25). Sources: formula1.com, Sky Sports.

2026 brings one of F1's biggest rule resets in years. The cars are shorter, lighter and nimbler; the power units split roughly 50/50 between combustion and electric power and run on Advanced Sustainable Fuels; DRS is replaced by Overtake Mode; and active aerodynamics adjust the wings between corners and straights.

Overtake Mode replaces DRS. When a driver is within one second of the car ahead, they can deploy a burst of extra electrical power to help attack, used all at once or spread across a lap. It is designed to make overtaking more skill-based than the old rear-wing flap.

Two. Audi enters as a works team after taking over Sauber, with its own power unit and the same drivers as before, Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. Cadillac debuts as an 11th team using Ferrari power units, the first eleventh team on the grid since 2016, with Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.

Active aerodynamics let cars change the front and rear wing between a high-downforce Corner Mode and a low-drag Straight Mode depending on where they are on track. It replaces the fixed-wing philosophy and works alongside Overtake Mode to shape the racing.

Eleven, up from ten, thanks to Cadillac's arrival. That is the largest grid in years and the first time an eleventh team has raced since 2016, meaning 22 full-time cars.

Not fully. The 2026 power units are hybrids that draw about half their power from electricity and half from the internal combustion engine, which runs on 100% sustainable fuel. So they are far more electrified than before, but still hybrids, not pure EVs.

It combines a sweeping technical rule change, new-look cars and racing mechanics, with the arrival of two major manufacturers (Audi and Cadillac). That mix scrambles the competitive order, which teams nail the new rules first is the season's central question.

Lando Norris (McLaren) won the 2026 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring (Round 11, July 26), his first victory of the season, the twelfth of his career and his first since becoming World Champion. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) finished second and championship leader Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) third after fighting back through the 70-lap race. Lewis Hamilton crossed the line fourth but a five-second penalty for pit-lane speeding dropped him to fifth, behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc. It was the last race before the summer break. Sources: formula1.com, GPFans, The Race.

Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) won the 2026 F1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on July 19, his sixth win of the season. He overtook early leader Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in the closing laps. Full podium: 1. Antonelli (Mercedes), 2. Leclerc (Ferrari, +1.9s), 3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull, +11.5s), 4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari, +17.2s). George Russell (Mercedes) retired from lap 1 after contact with Hamilton. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) finished 8th, a strong result for the new team. Sources: formula1.com, The Race, Bleacher Report.

Yes. He took his first win in Ferrari colours at the Barcelona round in June, the 106th Grand Prix victory of his career, leading home George Russell and Lando Norris. Since then he finished third at Sepang and second in the Singapore sprint, but slipped to sixth in the Singapore Grand Prix after a strategy call he apologised for. He is third on 229 points. Sources: The Race, formula1.com, RaceFans.