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Kimi Antonelli leads the 2026 championship with 179 points after ten rounds — six wins, pole-to-win at Spa, and a 25-point lead over George Russell. Every race result, current standings and championship analysis in one place.
Antonelli's Belgian win plus Russell's retirement produced a 25-point swing — the gap reopened to 25 from just 22 after Silverstone. Hamilton (147 pts) holds third. With 14 rounds remaining, Antonelli leads but the title fight is far from settled.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Kimi Antonelli
|
Mercedes | 179 | — |
| 2 |
George Russell
|
Mercedes | 154 | −25 |
| 3 |
Lewis Hamilton
|
Ferrari | 147 | −32 |
| 4 |
Charles Leclerc
|
Ferrari | 108 | −71 |
| 5 |
Lando Norris
|
McLaren | 97 | −82 |
| 6 |
Oscar Piastri
|
McLaren | 82 | −97 |
| 7 |
Max Verstappen
|
Red Bull | 76 | −103 |
Official standings at formula1.com →
The 2026 season marked the most significant regulatory overhaul in Formula 1 since 2022. Entirely new aerodynamic rules — designed to reduce wake turbulence and enable closer racing — combined with a new generation of power units featuring a 50/50 split between internal combustion and electrical energy. The result, at least in the opening rounds, was exactly what the FIA had promised: more overtakes, more wheel-to-wheel racing, and genuine unpredictability throughout the midfield.
The season opener at Albert Park produced 120 overtaking manoeuvres — a staggering figure that underlined the scale of the change. George Russell won from pole with Kimi Antonelli second, and Mercedes sent an immediate message: the Silver Arrows had nailed the new regulations in a way no other team had managed during winter testing.
If Australia suggested Mercedes dominance, China confirmed it — but with a new protagonist. Antonelli claimed his maiden victory in Shanghai, driving a flawless 56-lap race from pole to become the second-youngest grand prix winner in the sport's history. Four drivers, including both McLarens, failed to start due to power unit and hydraulic failures, but Antonelli's lap times were peerless regardless.
At Suzuka (Round 3), Antonelli recovered from a slow start and a Safety Car triggered by Oliver Bearman's heavy crash at Spoon to take his second consecutive win — and with it, the championship lead for the first time. He became the youngest driver in history to lead the Formula 1 standings at 19 years and 216 days. Miami (Round 4) brought his third straight victory, putting him in the company of Damon Hill and Mika Häkkinen as the only drivers to win their first three consecutive grands prix in the modern era. A thrilling battle with Lando Norris in the closing laps — Norris closing from a second behind with five to go — showed Antonelli had the race management skills to match his raw speed.
Canada (Round 5) was perhaps his luckiest win — George Russell had led every lap until a battery failure on lap 30 retired the Mercedes — but Antonelli made nothing of luck, managing his tyres flawlessly over the final 38 laps to take a fourth consecutive victory. Monaco (Round 6) completed the sequence: pole, victory, and seven retirements around him as the streets did their usual attrition work.
Lewis Hamilton's switch to Ferrari was the dominant off-season narrative, and at the Spanish Grand Prix (Round 7) he delivered the result the team signed him for — a race win. Starting P2, Hamilton ran a three-stop strategy and found the pace to beat Russell through the pit windows. Then on lap 41, Antonelli's Mercedes stopped with a power unit failure — his first DNF of the season. The combined swing cut the gap from 66 to just 41 points.
Austria (Round 8) was Russell's — pole to victory at the Red Bull Ring, with Verstappen second in a career-best result for 2026 and Antonelli third. The 10-point swing to Russell continued the momentum shift as the season headed to Silverstone. Britain (Round 9) delivered one of the most dramatic races of the year: Charles Leclerc won from pole at Silverstone by 0.427 seconds from Russell, with Lewis Hamilton third — a stunning Ferrari 1-3. Kimi Antonelli was penalized for track limit violations and finished fifteenth, scoring zero. The championship lead was almost gone entering Belgium.
But at Spa-Francorchamps (Round 10), Antonelli reminded everyone why he is the class of 2026. Pole position, a clean getaway, and 44 dominant laps. Leclerc second, Verstappen third. Russell retired — handing Antonelli a 25-point swing that reopened the gap. After ten rounds: Antonelli 179 pts, Russell 154, Hamilton 147. Six wins, the youngest championship leader in F1 history, and fourteen rounds still to go.
Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) leads the 2026 Drivers' Championship with 179 points after ten rounds — 25 ahead of George Russell (Mercedes, 154 pts) and 32 ahead of Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari, 147 pts). Antonelli won the Belgian Grand Prix from pole position at Spa on 19 July.
Kimi Antonelli has won six of the first ten races — China, Japan, Miami, Canada, Monaco and Belgium. George Russell won Australia and Austria. Lewis Hamilton won Spain. Charles Leclerc won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
The next race is the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring in Budapest — Round 11, 24–26 July 2026. Race start is Sunday 26 July at 15:00 CEST (09:00 ET / 06:00 PT).
Kimi Antonelli was born on 25 August 2006, making him 19 years old during the 2026 season. He drives for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team alongside George Russell. He joined Mercedes for 2026 after Lewis Hamilton moved to Ferrari. Antonelli is the youngest driver ever to lead the Formula 1 championship.
Max Verstappen has had a difficult 2026 with early-season reliability problems, but has shown improving form. His second place at the Austrian Grand Prix — at Red Bull's home circuit — was his best result of the season. He finished third at the Belgian Grand Prix. Verstappen sits seventh in the championship with 76 points, 103 behind Antonelli.
The 2026 regulations introduced the most significant aerodynamic overhaul since 2022, reducing downforce dependency and improving the ability of cars to follow closely in traffic. New power units feature a 50/50 internal combustion / electrical split. The changes were designed to create more overtaking opportunities — and the opening rounds, with 120-plus passes at Albert Park alone, suggested they had succeeded. The energy deployment system also created new strategic and safety considerations that the FIA have been reviewing mid-season.
F1 is broadcast in the USA on ESPN and ESPN2. UK commentary from Sky Sports F1 — featuring David Croft, Martin Brundle and Damon Hill — can be accessed in the US via the Sky Sports F1 channel on Apple TV. See our full guide: How to watch Sky Sports F1 in the USA on Apple TV →
The 2025 Topps Chrome F1 Diamond set features all the key drivers from the current championship battle — Antonelli, Hamilton, Russell, Leclerc, Norris and Verstappen all have base cards, autographs and coloured refractor variants. As Antonelli's season records have piled up, collector interest in his cards has intensified significantly.
