Formula 1 2026 mid-season review: The biggest winners, losers and surprises so far
The 2026 Formula 1 season has reached its halfway point, and the first campaign under the sport's new regulations has already delivered plenty of storylines.
Mercedes have emerged as the class of the field after getting the new rules right from the start, while 19-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli has established himself as the championship favourite in just his second season in Formula 1.
Ferrari have also taken a significant step forward, Red Bull have struggled to keep pace with their rivals and Aston Martin have endured a disappointing first half of the year despite high expectations.
With 11 races complete and 12 still to come, here's a look at the biggest talking points from the 2026 season so far.
Antonelli has become Formula 1's new benchmark
If there was any doubt that Antonelli belonged at the front of the grid after an impressive but inconsistent rookie season, he has erased it in 2026.
The Italian heads into the summer break with six victories and a healthy lead in the Drivers' championship after producing a string of composed, mature performances.
While his raw speed has never been questioned, it is his consistency that has impressed most this season.
Mistakes have been few and far between, while his ability to manage races has developed remarkably quickly for a 19-year-old.
Week after week, he has looked like the driver everyone else has to beat.
The young Italian has claimed six victories and has consistently delivered when it matters most.
Five of those victories came consecutively, setting a new Formula 1 record for the most successive wins from a maiden victory.
His performances have also highlighted the strength of Mercedes' driver lineup.
While George Russell has shown flashes of his usual pace, reliability problems and costly setbacks have prevented him from mounting a sustained title challenge alongside his team-mate.
Mercedes nailed the new regulations
Whenever Formula 1 introduces a major regulation change, one team usually gets it right before everyone else.
This year, that team has been Mercedes.
The Silver Arrows have won eight of the opening 11 races and have established themselves as clear favourites in the Constructors' championship.
Their car has been quick across a variety of circuits, while its consistency has allowed both drivers to fight near the front throughout the opening half of the season.
Although Russell has suffered more than his fair share of bad luck, Mercedes have rarely looked vulnerable.
Even when rivals have challenged on outright pace, the team has generally executed cleaner race weekends than its competitors.
Unless another team finds significant performance after the summer break, Mercedes remains firmly in control of both championship battles.
Ferrari has taken a major step forward
After a difficult 2025 campaign, Ferrari have rediscovered their competitiveness in Lewis Hamilton's second full season with the Scuderia.
Hamilton has looked increasingly comfortable in the SF26 and claimed an emotional victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, and has added four more podium finishes this season.
Charles Leclerc has also delivered a number of strong performances, giving Ferrari one of the most competitive driver pairings on the grid.
For the first time since Hamilton and Leclerc have become team-mates, Ferrari have gotten a double podium, which came at the British GP, where the Monegasque won his first race since 2024.
The Italian team still have work to do if they want to overhaul Mercedes, but they have established themselves as the Silver Arrows' closest challenger.
With further developments expected later in the season, Ferrari will believe it still has a chance to make the championship fight more competitive.
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Red Bull and McLaren have shown promise but lacked consistency
Neither Red Bull nor McLaren have quite managed to put together a sustained challenge.
Max Verstappen has once again carried much of Red Bull's hopes, producing several standout performances despite not always having the quickest car underneath him.
For the first time since Daniel Ricciardo left the team, though, Red Bull have arguably found a genuine second driver in Isack Hadjar, who has produced several impressive performances alongside Verstappen.
However, the Austrian team have lacked the consistency that defined their recent title-winning seasons.
McLaren have enjoyed encouraging moments throughout the year, with Lando Norris finally returning to the top step of the podium in Hungary before the summer break after several frustrating races.
Oscar Piastri has also demonstrated impressive pace, although reliability issues and missed opportunities have prevented the team from regularly fighting Mercedes and Ferrari.
Both teams remain capable of winning races, but neither have consistently produced the complete package needed to challenge for the championships.
Aston Martin has fallen well short of expectations
Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the season has been Aston Martin.
The arrival of Adrian Newey and the team's new Honda partnership created optimism that Aston Martin could become a genuine contender under the new regulations.
Instead, the team has spent much of the season battling reliability issues, aerodynamic problems and a lack of outright pace.
Earlier in the season, simply reaching the chequered flag often felt like an achievement in itself.
A B-spec car introduced in Hungary offered some encouragement before the summer break, but Aston Martin remain well adrift of where many expected them to be at this stage of the season.
The second half of the year will be crucial if the Silverstone-based outfit wants to build momentum heading into 2027.
Plenty still to play for
While Mercedes heads into the summer break as the clear benchmark, the season is far from over.
Ferrari will hope further upgrades can close the gap, McLaren and Red Bull will be looking to rediscover consistency, and Aston Martin will be desperate to salvage something from a difficult campaign.
But the biggest story of 2026 has undoubtedly been Antonelli's rise.
After just a season and a half in F1, the Mercedes driver has become the man everyone is chasing.
If he can maintain his current form over the remaining 12 races, he looks well on course to secure the first world championship of what could be an extraordinary career.
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Current championship standings
With 11 rounds completed, here is how the Drivers' and Constructors' championships stand heading into Formula 1's summer break.
Drivers' championship
1 - Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes - 219
2 - Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari - 169
3 - George Russell -Mercedes - 160
4 - Charles Leclerc - Ferrari - 138
5 - Lando Norris - McLaren - 128
6 - Max Verstappen - Red Bull Racing - 109
7 - Oscar Piastri - McLaren - 92
8 - Isack Hadjar - Red Bull Racing - 68
9 - Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls - 43
10 - Pierre Gasly - Alpine - 42
11 - Arvid Lindblad - Racing Bulls - 23
12 - Franco Colapinto - Alpine - 19
13 - Oliver Bearman - Haas F1 Team - 18
14 - Gabriel Bortoleto - Audi - 10
15 - Carlos Sainz - Williams - 6
16 - Alexander Albon - Williams - 5
17 - Esteban Ocon - Haas F1 Team - 3
18 - Nico Hulkenberg - Audi - 2
19 - Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin - 1
20 - Lance Stroll - Aston Martin - 0
21 - Valtteri Bottas - Cadillac - 0
22 - Sergio Perez - Cadillac - 0
Constructors’ championship
1 - Mercedes - 379
2 - Ferrari - 307
3 - McLaren - 220
4 - Red Bull Racing - 177
5 - Racing Bulls - 66
6 - Alpine - 61
7 - Haas F1 Team - 21
8 - Audi - 12
9 - Williams - 11
10 - Aston Martin - 1
11 - Cadillac - 0
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