F1 standings: What the World Drivers’ Championship looks like after the Hungarian Grand Prix
Lando Norris made history by becoming the first driver since 2020 to turn his pole position in qualifying into a Grand Prix win on Sunday at the Hungaroring. The British driver took home his first win of the season and his 12th overall in Formula 1. This victory builds on his great performance last weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix, where he finished second at Spa.
Max Verstappen came in second, marking his second podium finish of the season, while world championship leader Kimi Antonelli secured third place. This podium finish helped Antonelli extend his lead in the drivers’ championship, as his closest challengers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, finished only fifth and seventh, respectively.
Hamilton originally finished fourth but dropped to fifth after a five-second penalty for speeding in the pits was confirmed.
Here’s the current top of the drivers’ championship standings:
1. Kimi Antonelli – 219 points (Mercedes)
2. Lewis Hamilton – 169 points (Ferrari)
3. George Russell – 160 points (Mercedes)
4. Charles Leclerc – 138 points (Ferrari)
5. Lando Norris – 128 points (McLaren)
6. Max Verstappen – 106 points (Red Bull)
7. Oscar Piastri – 92 points (McLaren)
8. Isack Hadjar – 68 points (Red Bull)
9. Liam Lawson – 43 points (Racing Bulls)
10. Pierre Gasly – 42 points (Alpine)
Some drivers moved up in the rankings this week: Max Verstappen (Red Bull) moved from 7th to 6th, Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) went from 10th to 9th, and Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) climbed from 19th to 18th. On the other hand, Oscar Piastri (McLaren) dropped from 6th to 7th, Pierre Gasly (Alpine) from 9th to 10th, and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) from 18th to 19th.
Drivers earn points in both sprint races and the main Grand Prix. Winning a sprint race gives 8 points, with points going to the top 8 finishers. There are only six sprint events in the 2026 calendar. For the main race, first place earns 25 points, second gets 18, and third earns 15, with points awarded to the top 10 finishers.
Sprint Race points:
1st – 8 points
2nd – 7 points
3rd – 6 points
4th – 5 points
5th – 4 points
6th – 3 points
7th – 2 points
8th – 1 point
Main Race points:
1st – 25 points
2nd – 18 points
3rd – 15 points
4th – 12 points
5th – 10 points
6th – 8 points
7th – 6 points
8th – 4 points
9th – 2 points
10th – 1 point
With 11 of the 22 races done, we’re at the halfway mark of the 2026 World Championship. While technically anyone could still win, realistically, only Lando Norris, who is currently fifth, has a real outsider chance. It would be a surprise, but with 91 points behind the leader and 11 races left, a comeback is still possible.
Right now, Kimi Antonelli is the favorite, leading with 219 points, 59 points ahead of his Mercedes teammate George Russell. Together, they’ve dominated the season, winning eight out of 11 races—Antonelli with six wins and Russell with two.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc believe they can still fight for the title thanks to recent upgrades. Hamilton is 50 points behind Antonelli, and Leclerc is just 31 points behind Hamilton, so both are eager to close the gap and keep the championship battle exciting.
If points are tied at the end, the champion will be decided by who has the most race wins. Sprint race results don’t count in this tiebreaker. If there’s still a tie, second-place finishes will be compared, then third-place finishes, and so on until a difference is found.