Season Status: Round 2 of 22 Complete | Latest Race: Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai — March 15, 2026
Formula 1 entered 2026 with the formula 1 latest race results 2026 most significant regulation overhaul in the sport’s modern history — new power units, redesigned aerodynamics, active aerodynamic systems, and a host of new manufacturers joining the grid. After just two races, one thing is already crystal clear: Mercedes-AMG Petronas is the team to beat, and Kimi Antonelli is the name on everyone’s lips.
The 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship is the 77th running of the Formula One World Championship, recognised by the FIA as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. The championship is contested over twenty-two Grands Prix held around the world, having begun in March and scheduled to end in December. Lando Norris is the reigning World Drivers’ Champion, while McLaren-Mercedes are the reigning World Constructors’ Champions.
The 2026 season features a major set of regulation changes with a revised power unit configuration and new active aerodynamics. Audi, who acquired Sauber in 2024, entered as a works team with its own power unit, while Cadillac are making their debut in the championship using Ferrari power
Two races in, two Mercedes one-twos. The Silver Arrows are flying.
Round 1: Australian Grand Prix — Russell Opens the Season in Style
Date: March 6–8, 2026 | Circuit: Albert Park, Melbourne Result: 1st Russell, 2nd Antonelli, 3rd Leclerc
The opening round of the 2026 Formula 1 season took place at the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Australian Grand Prix. George Russell won the race in a time of 1:23:06.801, with Kimi Antonelli finishing second at +2.974 seconds and Charles Leclerc third at +15.519 seconds.
George Russell maintained his championship lead, mostly down to his victory and the 25 points he picked up in Australia. t was a statement of intent from the Briton and from Mercedes as a whole — a dominant one-two in Melbourne set the tone for what was to come in Shanghai.
In the opening race, formula 1 latest race results 2026 Antonelli dropped down the order in the opening laps, only to have his recovery to second place be thwarted by a penalty for causing a collision with Hadjar on the opening lap, ultimately finishing fifth. The podium was rounded out by Russell, Leclerc and Hamilton. Antonelli later became the youngest ever Formula One pole-sitter after taking pole position for the main race, while teammate Russell recovered from a mechanical issue to qualify second.
A chaotic opening race in Melbourne, then, but one which delivered a crystal-clear verdict: Mercedes had arrived with the fastest car in the field.
Round 2: Chinese Grand Prix — Antonelli Makes History in Shanghai
Date: March 13–15, 2026 | Circuit: Shanghai International Circuit Sprint Winner: George Russell | Grand Prix Winner: Kimi Antonelli
Saturday Sprint: Russell Extends His Lead
Russell extended his advantage in the F1 drivers’ standings to 11 points after taking victory in the sprint at the Shanghai International Circuit. Team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who started alongside the Briton on the front row, tumbled down the order at the start and received a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision with Isack Hadjar. He recovered to fourth and served his punishment during the safety car-triggered pit stops.
Charles Leclerc, who finished second in the one-third distance race at the Chinese Grand Prix, drew level with Antonelli on 22 points. Lewis Hamilton added six points to his tally, finishing third, behind his current team-mate and former team-mate.
Despite finishing fourth in the Sprint, Antonelli had shown extraordinary pace in qualifying — and the Sunday race would tell a completely different story.
Sunday Grand Prix: A Teenager Makes F1 History
The second round of the 2026 Formula 1 season delivered a dramatic weekend in Shanghai, as the sport’s new regulations continued to shape exciting racing across both the Sprint and Grand Prix. After George Russell claimed victory in the Sprint on Saturday, Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli stole the spotlight on Sunday, converting pole position into his maiden Grand Prix win at just 19 years of age.
Antonelli dominated most of the race to become the second youngest race-winner in F1 history at 19 years and 202 days — only Max Verstappen was younger at 18 years and 228 days when he won the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.
The youngest pole-sitters in F1 history, for reference, now reads:
- Max Verstappen: 18 years, 228 days (2016 Spanish GP)
- Kimi Antonelli: 19 years, 202 days (2026 Chinese GP)
- Sebastian Vettel: 21 years, 73 days (2008 Italian GP)
- Charles Leclerc: 21 years, 320 days (2019 Belgian GP)
- Fernando Alonso: 22 years, 26 days (2003 Hungarian GP)
Race Narrative: Hamilton’s Flying Start, Antonelli’s Calm Recovery
The Mercedes driver made headlines in Qualifying by becoming the youngest pole sitter in Formula 1 history, securing top spot by two tenths of a second. In the Grand Prix itself, although Lewis Hamilton snatched the lead at the start, Antonelli quickly regrouped. On Lap 2 he reclaimed the position down the long Shanghai back straight and began controlling the race from there.
The opening lap saw Hamilton reach the lead within the first few turns, while Leclerc overtook Russell to take second. Antonelli shortly regained the lead positions over Leclerc and Hamilton after two laps.
Following Stroll’s battery issue resulting in him being stranded at Turn 1, most of the grid initially on the medium compound moved to a one-stop strategy. A Safety Car on Lap 11 brought the leaders into the pits, with Antonelli switching from Medium to Hard tyres before leading the field away again at the restart.
From there he never looked seriously threatened. Aside from a brief moment when he ran wide at the hairpin late in the race, Antonelli controlled proceedings to take his first Grand Prix victory and lead a Mercedes 1-2 finish.
Russell, who had won Saturday’s Sprint, fought back to second having found himself behind the squabbling Ferraris at the mid-point of the race after struggling to generate tyre heat.
The Ferrari Battle: Hamilton vs Leclerc
The subplot of the Chinese Grand Prix was the intense, high-speed duel between Ferrari’s two drivers for the final podium position.
Lewis Hamilton took his first Ferrari podium after an exciting fight with team-mate Charles Leclerc in China. George Russell finished second to make it two Mercedes one-twos to start the new F1 season.
Russell was involved in an exciting fight for the podium positions with Hamilton and Leclerc throughout the race, where F1’s new racing tactics and energy deployment modes delivered plenty of drama.
Hamilton, in his 26th race start for Ferrari, finally stood on the podium in red. After a largely difficult 2025 debut season with the Scuderia that many had expected to be triumphant, the seven-time world champion’s first Ferrari podium was greeted with enormous emotion from the tifosi.
Lewis Hamilton secured his first podium as a Ferrari driver and narrowed the gap to Charles Leclerc to just one point.
McLaren’s Nightmare Weekend
While Mercedes celebrated and Ferrari fought for honour, McLaren endured a weekend to forget.
Several cars failed to make the finish, including the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who were both unable to start the race due to separate car issues.
A failure to start with either car saw McLaren fall well behind the top two teams. Stuck on 18 points — 15 from Lando Norris and 3 from Oscar Piastri — McLaren is already 70 points behind Mercedes.
For the reigning Constructors’ Champions, this was a calamity. Both cars stranded on the grid, zero points scored, and a 70-point gap to Mercedes already by Round 2.
Red Bull and Verstappen Struggling
Verstappen and the two Aston Martins of Alonso and Stroll failed to finish the race.
The continued brilliance of Ollie Bearman saw Haas leapfrog Red Bull in the constructors’ battle, with Max Verstappen retiring and an early crash for Isack Hadjar putting the Frenchman on the back foot.
Four-time champion Verstappen, who has dominated much of the 2023–2025 era, is finding the new regulations deeply unfriendly. His Red Bull, powered by Ford’s returned engine programme, has lacked the pace of Mercedes or Ferrari through the opening two rounds.
Full Official Race Result — 2026 Chinese Grand Prix
The full top 10 classification from the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix:
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Oliver Bearman (Haas)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
Antonelli’s Reaction: “I’m About to Cry”
“I’m speechless. I’m about to cry, to be honest. Thank you so much to my team, because they helped me to achieve this dream,” said Antonelli. “I’m super happy. I said yesterday I really wanted to bring Italy back on top and we did today, even though I gave myself a little bit of a heart attack towards the end with the flat-spot. It was a good race.”
Antonelli is the first Italian race-winner since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006. “We are just at the beginning, we keep pushing. George is an incredible driver, very strong on all aspects, so it’s going to take a lot to beat him,” he added.
2026 Drivers’ Championship Standings — After Round 2
The full drivers’ standings after the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix:
- George Russell (Mercedes) — 51 points
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) — 47 points
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) — 34 points
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) — 33 points
- Oliver Bearman (Haas) — 17 points
- Lando Norris (McLaren) — 15 points
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine) — 9 points
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) — 8 points
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) — 8 points
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) — 4 points
George Russell’s lead in the 2026 F1 drivers’ championship has reduced to four points after Kimi Antonelli secured victory in the Chinese Grand Prix.
Seven out of 22 pilots are still at zero points after China: Esteban Ocon (Haas), Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), Alexander Albon (Williams), Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez (Cadillac), and Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin).
2026 Constructors’ Championship Standings — After Round 2
Mercedes leads the Constructors’ Championship with 98 points after two races, having secured victories in both Australia and China. Ferrari is second, 31 points behind.
| Position | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 98 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 67 |
| 3 | Haas | 17 |
| 4 | McLaren | 18 |
| 5 | Red Bull | 12 |
| 6 | Alpine | 10 |
| 7 | Racing Bulls | 12 |
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs: Cancelled Due to Iran War
In a sombre reminder that Formula 1 does not exist in isolation from the real world, two races on the 2026 calendar have already been lost.
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were included on the original calendar published by the World Motor Sport Council and were contracted for the 2026 season, but were postponed following the outbreak of the Iran war. Concerns revolving around safety following the breakout of the war were taken into consideration, with the FIA monitoring the situation as it unfolded. Ultimately, the FIA chose to cancel both races. The cancellations also extended to the three feeder series races that were intended to be held at those venues.
This means the 2026 championship will now be decided over 20 rounds rather than the originally planned 22.
New Regulations: What’s Different in 2026?
Three new engine manufacturers entered Formula One, coinciding with the engine regulation changes. Audi entered the sport for the first time, having purchased the existing Sauber team in 2024. Ford returned to Formula One as an engine supplier for the first time since it provided engines for the Jordan team in 2004, forming a partnership with Red Bull Powertrains, which supplies Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls. Honda, which partially withdrew from Formula One in 2021, split from the two Red Bull-owned teams and relaunched a fully independent engine programme supplying Aston Martin.
The active aerodynamics system — which allows cars to automatically adjust drag levels at high speed — has produced a dramatic change in racing style. Energy deployment, battery management, and “Overtake modes” have created genuinely new strategic and tactical dimensions that drivers are still learning to master.
What’s Next: Round 3 Japanese Grand Prix
The next race on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar is the Formula 1 Aramco Japanese Grand Prix 2026, scheduled for March 27–29, 2026.
The Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka represents the first true examination of how teams have developed their cars after the opening double-header. For Russell, the goal is to extend his lead. For Antonelli, fresh off his maiden win, the goal is his first championship lead. For Hamilton and Ferrari, it is their first podium upgrade. And for Verstappen and Red Bull, Suzuka — historically one of their strongest circuits — may be the venue where they finally begin to find their feet in 2026.
Formula 1’s new era has started with a bang. The question now is whether anyone can stop Mercedes — or whether this is the beginning of a new dynasty.
