Could we have an old fashioned title scrap on our hands in F1 this year?
F1 legend Martin Brundle has revealed the specific moment in this year’s championship that he felt blew the title race wide open.
When the season opened with the Australian Grand Prix back in March, it showed us that Mercedes had come the closest to mastering the brand new chassis and power unit regulations and that McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was going to have his work cut out to catch up to defending champion and team-mate Lando Norris.
Piastri crashed out of his home race before it had even technically begun before George Russell secured a statement win 58 laps later, signalling the Silver Arrows were the ones to watch.
For the first time since 2019, Mercedes brought home a 1-2 result at the opening round of the championship and they failed to falter across the next five rounds.
Norris on the other hand began to fade into the background as the papaya F1 squad suffered a double DNS at the following round in China and back-to-back DNFs at the races in Canada and Monaco.
But finally, after 10 rounds without a win, Norris picked up his first grand prix victory as reigning champion at last month’s Hungarian Grand Prix, perhaps signalling a shift in the title fight.
Brundle: ‘F1 2026 championship is far from over’
In his review of the final race prior to the summer shutdown for Sky Sports F1, Brundle wrote after Norris’ win: “If McLaren have made a decent upgrade step which translates well to other circuits, this was the team’s 14th Hungaroring victory, and with the top four are ever closer, this championship is far from over.
Danica Patrick and the new American team granted entry to join F1
“There are still 291 points available assuming all the remaining races take place given the Middle East conflict.”
Luckily for Norris, the previously cancelled Bahrain GP has now been rescheduled for October of this year, where the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia will host the event.
This gives the Brit another chance to pick up a maximum of 25 points, something which could help him and his team greatly as they attempt to chip off the lead that Mercedes and Ferrari currently hold over them.
F1 2026 standings before summer break
Drivers’ Championship
| Pos | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 219 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 169 |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 160 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 138 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team | 128 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 109 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team | 92 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 68 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | 43 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 42 |
| 11 | Arvid Lindblad | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | 23 |
| 12 | Franco Colapinto | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 19 |
| 13 | Oliver Bearman | TGR Haas F1 Team | 18 |
| 14 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi Revolut F1 Team | 10 |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | Atlassian Williams F1 Team | 6 |
| 16 | Alex Albon | Atlassian Williams F1 Team | 5 |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | TGR Haas F1 Team | 3 |
| 18 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi Revolut F1 Team | 2 |
| 19 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 1 |
| 20 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac F1 Team | 0 |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac F1 Team | 0 |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 0 |
Constructors’ Championship
| Pos | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 379 |
| 2 | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 307 |
| 3 | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team | 220 |
| 4 | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 177 |
| 5 | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | 66 |
| 6 | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 61 |
| 7 | TGR Haas F1 Team | 21 |
| 8 | Audi Revolut F1 Team | 12 |
| 9 | Atlassian Williams F1 Team | 11 |
| 10 | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 1 |
| 11 | Cadillac F1 Team | 0 |
