It’s time to check in on the F1 circus, three months after I did so in May and with 11 races left of the 2026 season after today’s Zandvoort GP. Before we go there though, we need to quickly touch on the following incredible piece of news from earlier this week, because there’s a new name topping the list called “more money than is good for you”.
The new leader, pictured below, is the 87-year old American billionaire Herbie Wertheim, who paid no less than 40 million USD for the first Ferrari Luce produced at the Monterey car auction on 14 August. Apparently Wertheim is a big philanthropist, but you have to wonder how that philanthropy is defined. I could think of a very long list of good causes that would have enjoyed a 40 million contribution, but the ugly duck from Maranello is not one of them.
With that out of the way, let’s get back to F1, where the trend that was distinguishable back in May has since been confirmed. The current F1 season has certainly become far more competitive than I thought would be the case initially, seeing how Mercedes dominated the first part of it. Until and including the Monaco GP early June, the sixth race of the season, Mercedes won all of them. However only the first in Australia was won by George Russell, with Kimi Antonelli taking the following five.
After Monaco, the picture has changed quite a bit. The five races from Barcelona to Hungary, the last race before the summer break, had five different winners, with Hamilton, Leclerc and Norris winning a race each, next to Antonelli and Russell. And if you’re a Brit, the race in Barcelona certainly stands out. Hamilton won it ahead of Russell and Norris, making it the first all-British podium since 1968!
In the second third of the season, Ferrari and especially Lewis Hamilton really came alive. The win in Barcelona was Lewis’s first in no less than 35 races, and he’s complemented it with lots of other podiums, currently placing him second in the championship, 59 points behind Antonelli and even with Russell.
The two of them remain the only true competitors to Kimi Antonelli this year. The Mercedes domination from earlier in the season may be gone, but Antonelli continues to impress and certainly does so more than George Russell. So far Antonelli seems very resistant to pressure, which doesn’t mean he doesn’t show a bit of Italian temper here and there. It’s truly difficult to believe that such an accomplished driver is only 19 years old.
Next to Ferrari, Red Bull has also improved considerably. The car saw a major update before Austria in June, and since then, Max Verstappen has been on the podium, albeit not as the winner, in three of five races. The team is certainly on an upwards trajectory, although they haven’t won a race so far this year. As we head into the last part of the season, the same may be true for McLaren, judging by the last three races, although it’s a bit too early to say.
Behind the top teams, Red Bull’s junior team Racing Bulls have certainly surprised positively, with both Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad regularly scoring points. The team is more or less on par with Alpine. That Audi has done so well in their first year with both Gabriele Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg finishing in the top 10 more than once is certainly somewhat unexpected. Unexpected, however in the negative sense, goes for Aston Martin’s complete lack of results as well, in spite of a Honda engine, a very rich budget, and a certain Adrian Newey as head designer.
In the week before the Dutch GP, any speculation of Max Verstappen either leaving F1 or moving to Mercedes was also laid to rest, as he extended his contract with the teaml until 2030. Red Bull should take that as a good sign, as that nod of approval from Max (and his father Jos) reasonably confirms that the team is heading in the right direction. Mercedes have also confirmed Russell and Antonelli as drivers for next year, as has Williams with Sainz and Albon.
With 11 races left after today’s Zandvoort GP that Lando Norries won ahead of the two Mercedes and the two Ferraris, where does that leave us? The most realistic scenario is certainly that Mercedes wins the Constructors’ (that’s a quasi-certainty), and that Antonelli takes the title.
Antonelli’s lead over Hamilton is a big one at 59 points, especially as there doesn’t seem to be any major differences between the cars. Also, Antonelli in spite of his young age seems to be able to handle the pressure far better than Oscar Piastri did in the second half of last year, when he was in a similar position.
Then again, if Hamilton wins a couple of races over the coming weeks and Antonelli runs into mechanical or other issues, we could be in for an exciting end of the season. And with the cars now being more or less even, the showdown for the Driver’s title may even come down to driver skill rather than mega joule deployment. That would be a first for F1 2026, and perhaps a sign that everything is not lost, even in modern F1!
The Thrill of Driving 