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.
Lewis Hamilton confident Ferrari can fight for 2026 F1 title ahead of Hungarian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton says he believes Ferrari can challenge for the 2026 Formula 1 world championship after the team's strong progress during the opening half of the season.
The seven-time world champion has enjoyed a much stronger campaign after a difficult debut season with Ferrari in 2025.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton praised the work done by the Scuderia while insisting there is still more to come.
F1 news: Five key takeaways from Ferrari’s Belgian Grand Prix as optimism continues to grow
Scuderia Ferrari arrived at Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix looking to build on Charles Leclerc’s win at Silverstone in the first race of a doubleheader before the summer break.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer and Ferrari fan Luca Salmasi takes a look at five key takeaways from the Scuderia’s weekend.
F1 news: Five takeaways from Ferrari’s British GP as Charles Leclerc wins and optimism grows
Scuderia Ferrari arrived at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix looking to maximise on their recent upgrades after a disappointing Austrian GP.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer and Ferrari fan Luca Salmasi takes a look at five key takeaways from the Scuderia’s successful British GP.
F1 news: Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton heads to Silverstone with renewed belief as Jenson Button predicts British GP breakthrough
Lewis Hamilton arrives at Silverstone with growing confidence after a strong run of form in his early Ferrari career.
Former team-mate Jenson Button believes the seven-time world champion is well positioned to challenge for victory at his home Grand Prix.
With momentum building after recent podiums and a breakthrough win in Barcelona, Hamilton’s weekend carries real significance for his season, writes Sports News Blitz’s Noah Ngcobo.
F1 news: Five takeaways from Ferrari’s Austrian Grand Prix as progress tempered by frustration
Scuderia Ferrari arrived in the Styrian hills after the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix full of momentum and with the addition of a new, more powerful power unit. Whilst both Ferraris performed well across the first part of the race weekend, especially in qualifying, their Sunday was awful.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer and Ferrari fan Luca Salmasi takes a look at five key takeaways for Ferrari.
F1 2026 takeaways: Kimi Antonelli's dominance, Lewis Hamilton’s resurgence and more from the first seven races
Seven races have been run since the 2026 Formula 1 season got underway in Melbourne in March, the most recent being the Spanish Grand Prix.
In these seven races, we’ve witnessed the pinnacle of motorsport adjusting to brand new regulations, with many fans outraged with the ‘anti-racing’ rules.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Jack George takes a look at the key takeaways from this all-new Formula 1 2026 season.
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton refuses to rule out title challenge after emotional first Ferrari victory
Lewis Hamilton says he is not giving up on the possibility of winning an eighth Formula 1 world championship this season after claiming his long-awaited first race victory with Ferrari at the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion delivered a dominant performance in Spain to secure his first win since July 2024 and finally end Ferrari's wait for a victory with the British driver.
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton secures maiden Ferrari win at Barcelona GP as Kimi Antonelli forced to retire
Lewis Hamilton secured his maiden Ferrari win at the Barcelona Grand Prix on Sunday as Mercedes’ winning streak came to an end after Drivers’ Championship leader Kimi Antonelli retired and George Russell finished in P2.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Mosaddek Abu discusses the key takeaways from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
F1 news: Kimi Antonelli dominates Monaco GP as Lewis Hamilton achieves back-to-back podiums
Kimi Antonelli became the youngest driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix as he extended his lead in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Mosaddek Abu discusses the biggest takeaways from a chaotic Monaco GP.
F1 news: Four takeaways from Ferrari’s Monaco Grand Prix, a tale of mixed fortunes
Scuderia Ferrari arrived in the principality after a fairly successful Canadian Grand Prix. Whilst Lewis Hamilton kept up momentum with another P2 on the podium, Charles Leclerc continued to have poor luck at his home Grand Prix, crashing out in the final corner of the safety car restart.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer and Ferrari fan Luca Salmasi takes a look at four key talking points from their sixth race of the season.
F1 news: Five takeaways from Ferrari’s Canadian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton leads resurgence
Scuderia Ferrari arrived at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve and showcased vast improvement from their previous race weekend in Miami.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer and Ferrari fan Luca Salmasi takes a look at five key talking points from their fifth race of the season.
F1 returns in Miami after extended break as teams prepare major upgrades
After an unexpected month-long break, Formula 1 is back, with the Miami International Autodrome hosting the sixth edition of the Miami Grand Prix.
This weekend will see the second sprint race of the season, with plenty of action to usher F1 back in.
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton backed for Ferrari success as 2026 title race remains wide open
Former Formula One driver and analyst Martin Brundle has thrown his support behind Lewis Hamilton, insisting the seven time world champion still has what it takes to win races, and potentially fight for a title, with Ferrari.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Noah Ngcobo takes a closer look at Hamilton’s resurgence at Ferrari, the impact of the new regulations, and what to expect as the 2026 Formula One season heads into the Miami Grand Prix.
Ferrari firmly second best as Fred Vasseur outlines clear path for improvement
Three races into the 2026 Formula 1 season, and it’s almost clear where every team stands.
Ferrari have set the pace as the second fastest team behind Mercedes this year, although McLaren were in the mix in Japan.
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton questions Ferrari power after ‘barely holding on’ at Japanese GP
Lewis Hamilton has had a mixed second season at Ferrari so far, but he revealed that a mysterious power loss ruined his chances of back-to-back podiums in the closing stages of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Hamilton’s comments marked his latest criticism of Ferrari’s set-up, with the seven-time world champion admitting to struggling at Suzuka. Here, Sports News Blitz writer Luca Salmasi takes a closer look at what went wrong.
F1 news: Five talking points after the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix
The 2026 Formula 1 season continued with an action-packed race at the Shanghai International Circuit, with surprise winners and serious reliability concerns for several teams.
The Chinese Grand Prix delivered plenty of drama, and here Sports News Blitz’s Tyler Cooke looks at five key talking points following the race.
F1 news: Five takeaways from Ferrari’s Chinese Grand Prix; Lewis Hamilton on podium
Scuderia Ferrari arrived at the Shanghai International Circuit and showcased vast improvement since last weekend in Melbourne.
Whilst Ferrari couldn’t quite take the top spots away from Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, the weekend gave a much better indication of how competitive Ferrari can be in the battle at the top against Mercedes.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer and Ferrari fan Luca Salmasi takes a look at five key talking points from Ferrari’s second race of the season.
Takeaways from the 2026 Chinese GP - Kimi Antonelli’s maiden Grand Prix win, Lewis Hamilton’s first podium in red and a double McLaren DNS
Kimi Antonelli claimed his maiden Formula 1 victory after winning the Chinese Grand Prix as Mercedes showed blistering pace yet again.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Mosaddek Abu discusses the takeaways from the second race of the 2026 F1 season.
F1 News: Five talking points ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix
The 2026 Formula One season heads to Shanghai this weekend for the next chapter of what is already shaping up to be a fascinating title fight.
After a dramatic opening race in Melbourne, where George Russell led a dominant Mercedes one two, several storylines are beginning to emerge as teams prepare for the Chinese Grand Prix.