Antonelli may stall on final straight

Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the 2026 Formula One standings as the season reached the summer break. But will he still be there at the end?

Antonelli has largely escaped any second year problems, except for the occasional reliability issue, to stamp his claim for the F1 drivers’ championship. The Mercedes ace has amassed 219 points, as well as six wins in 11 rounds.

Incredibly, the Italian teenager took his first five career Grand Prix wins in a row between rounds two and six. A battery failure in Barcelona put an end to Antonelli’s early dominance, as Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton instead scored his first win after Antonelli’s threat fell away.

Ferrari have seen a reborn Hamilton hit the grid thanks to the end of F1’s ground-effect era, with the 2026 regulations far more in line with his preferred driving style. Hamilton may yet return to the summit in 2026, too, although 50 points behind as Antonelli’s main title rival.

So far Antonelli, Hamilton and possibly McLaren’s Lando Norris – who won the last Grand Prix in Hungary – have been the best drivers.

F1’s 2026 regulations have also suited Antonelli’s driving style far more than his teammate, George Russell, which has played a key role in the disparity between the Silver Arrows stars this season. Norris falls into a similar pattern in his battle with Oscar Piastri at McLaren.

Piastri has struggled to adapt to the 2026 regulations, whereas Norris is able to extract the performance from his car when the rear end slides. The big issue for Norris is that McLaren did not adapt to the regulations as well as the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and even Red Bull.

Still, while McLaren have often gone from having the third or fourth-fastest car on the grid, which has meant Norris’ chance to retain the F1 title has been non-existent, he is driving at an extremely high level and is in control of his battle with Piastri.

Even before McLaren’s upgrades helped Norris win the Hungarian GP from pole, partly helped by Carlos Sainz impeding Piastri, he has shone. Norris scored Sprint pole in Miami and could have also won the Miami GP if Antonelli had not undercut him. So Antonelli still looks likely to win it, but inexperience and pressure may affect him. Norris looks the better candidate to last the course.