Who will take the 2026 F1 Drivers’ title? Our writers have their say

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Generational talent will be rewarded — Peter Johnson

It seems a little too obvious, but I would be shocked if Kimi Antonelli didn’t take the title from here. The young Italian had never previously won a race or taken a Grand Prix pole position prior to 2026, but has claimed six victories — when nobody else has more than two — and six pole positions in the first half of the season. He is displaying levels of mercurial talent we see perhaps once a decade in Formula One and has been the star of the season so far.

Antonelli’s development over the last 18 months reminds me a lot of 2018 Max Verstappen. In his constant pursuit to find the limit last year, he went beyond it all too often. It is worth remembering that he even started this season with a crash during qualifying in Melbourne.

However, he now seems to have found exactly where that limit is, so he can extract maximum speed and performance without paying the price with an accident.

I would love nothing more than to see Lewis Hamilton win his eighth title in red, in what would be without question the greatest story in the sport’s history, but I think only George Russell can realistically deny the Italian. Even so, Antonelli would have to suffer some misfortune of epic proportions — rather like his teammate has done so far this season.

Antonelli is doing everything he needs to do — Jason Sharp

I think Antonelli will comfortably win the driver’s title this year. He won five races in a row from China to Monaco; and every driver who has won five races in a row has gone on to win the championship that year. This stat looks set to continue as he leads the championship by 50 points, which is two race wins worth, and he’s only finished off the podium twice this year — both through no fault of his own. 

His development has been truly exceptional, and he looks the most comfortable behind the wheel and is able to extract the most compared to all of his rivals. Russell, who was the clear favourite going into this season, just hasn’t been able to adapt to this generation of cars and has endured terrible luck on numerous occasions. 

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Hamilton has an outside chance at securing his eighth title, but I still don’t believe that Ferrari have the pace or can execute their race weekends to outscore Mercedes sufficiently enough. Hungary showed us that McLaren will challenge for wins for the remainder of the season, but it just seems far too late for a realistic title challenge. 

All of the numbers suggest that the 19-year-old Antonelli is going to do it. More impressively, the pressure doesn’t seem to have gotten to him — but it may later in the season. Even if it does, I think he currently has the points advantage to have it covered. 

A new name for the history books — Maham Mir

Realistically, I would expect Antonelli to be celebrating at the end of the season having clinched his maiden title. At the start of the 2026 season, Antonelli had a single sprint pole position and two podium finishes but with no other driver taking to this generation of car the way that he has, the Italian driver has entirely changed the narrative surrounding him. 

With six pole positions and six race wins in the first half of the season alone, Antonelli has proven that he is the once-in-a-generation talent that his team boss Toto Wolff has been heralding him to be. 

Even with mechanical issues which have seen him fail to score points on two occasions in Barcelona and Silverstone, the Italian has shown that he has learned from the mistakes of his rookie season and is ready to lead his team to championship glory for the first time since 2020.

As it currently stands, I think only Antonelli’s teammate Russell is the one true threat to his championship chances. However, with the Briton struggling to adapt to the new cars, I expect that it’ll be smooth sailing from now until the end of the season for Antonelli. 

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With a healthy championship lead of 50 points to Ferrari’s Hamilton, it is also safe to say that Antonelli has learned how to hold the Ferraris, as well as the resurgent McLaren pair, at bay. 

Even with last year’s Constructors’ Champions and the most successful team in the sport’s history proving to be consistent contenders for race wins, I think they will struggle to shake the teenager at the front. Currently the youngest ever championship leader, there is every reason to believe that Antonelli will go on to become the youngest champion in the history of F1. 

The race for the eighth — Chloe Buckley

It may be bold to say anyone but Antonelli will take the 2026 World Drivers’ Championship, but for the sake of discussion, I think Hamilton could have the edge in the race for the title. 

We are living in a world where it is finally possible for Hamilton to take his eighth Drivers’ championship. In machinery that has proven more reliable than last season’s, Hamilton has adjusted well to the SF-26 given the new regulations. So far this year, Hamilton has taken his first Grand Prix victory in red, winning at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit.

He has proven to be the most consistent driver on the grid this year having scored points on every race weekend, including podium finishes in China, Canada, Monaco and Great Britain.

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There is, of course, a gap that needs closing between Antonelli and Hamilton, with Antonelli leading by 50 points. However, there is still plenty of racing to go with 12 rounds remaining, and Hamilton’s experience could prove crucial as the pressure builds for the Mercedes youngster.

Mercedes have shown that they are not immune to losing out on major points, with Antonelli suffering a late retirement and Hamilton converting it into 25 points for his campaign. If Ferrari can continue to improve their car and Hamilton can maintain his top 10 streak with a few more wins along the way, the points deficit could start to appear less intimidating.

Hamilton may not be the favourite to win this season, but if anyone knows how to manage a championship comeback, it’s the seven-time World Champion. His eighth world title might still be a long shot, but it certainly isn’t impossible.

Experience may prevail in the second half of the season — Caitlyn Gordon

Mercedes has excelled during the new era of F1, much like 2014-2021, when the team perfected the turbo-hybrid regulations. In only his second season, Antonelli has stepped up, with six pole positions and six wins to his name, the type of talent that is only seen once in a generation. 

The young Italian headed into the summer break with a comfortable 50-point gap to second place, but if Max Verstappen’s comeback last season is to be a lesson, it’s to never count out other drivers until the very last race. 

While a sneaky part of me hopes that Hamilton can carry the momentum and clinch the elusive eighth championship title in red overalls, I believe Russell could turn his season around and lift the trophy in Abu Dhabi.

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The Briton has always been highly regarded as a smart and consistent driver, and the start of this season seemed to cement that reputation as he took a composed victory in Australia. 

However, several cases of bad luck have hindered his first half of 2026, such as in Canada, from running in second to being forced to retire with a mechanical issue or in Monaco, when a communication problem meant the team hadn’t served Russell’s initial five-second penalty properly and was punished with a drive-through penalty, dropping him to 12th.

The gap between Antonelli and Russell is at 59 points, a large deficit compared to the McLaren teammates heading into summer last season. But Antonelli is only in his second season and doesn’t have the wealth of experience around the tracks that the Briton does, which I think may play a part in the championship. 

Of course, that’s only one aspect; I believe it would take a lot of luck. Especially now as more teams are integrating their new upgrade packages, it will be important for the Brackley-based team to have fixed their reliability niggles to re-place Russell back in the championship fight, because stranger things have happened in this sport.

Edited by Meghana Sree