The early stages of the 2026 Formula 1 season suggest that the battle for the championship could be led by Mercedes and Ferrari. After the opening race in Australia and the sprint weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix, Mercedes F1 Team drivers occupy the top two positions in the standings.

Russell leads the championship with 51 points after two strong weekends. The Briton started the season with victory in Melbourne and continued to collect valuable points during the sprint event and the Grand Prix in Shanghai.

Just four points behind him is his team-mate Antonelli with 47 points. The Italian celebrated his first Formula 1 Grand Prix victory in China, confirming the pace that Mercedes has shown under the new regulations. The result also tightened the fight at the top of the standings, leaving only a small gap between the two Silver Arrows drivers.

Ferrari drivers occupy third and fourth places in the championship. Leclerc currently has 34 points, while Hamilton follows closely with 33. The seven-time world champion secured his first podium for Ferrari in Shanghai, showing that the Italian team could remain a serious challenger to Mercedes as the season progresses.

Further back, Oliver Bearman has made an impressive start to the season for Haas F1 Team and sits fifth with 17 points. The young Briton has consistently finished inside the top positions and currently leads the midfield battle.

Defending world champion Lando Norris is sixth with 15 points after a difficult Chinese weekend in which neither McLaren driver started the race due to technical problems before the formation lap. The team therefore missed a major opportunity to score points.

Pierre Gasly is seventh with nine points for Alpine F1 Team, while Max Verstappen currently sits eighth with eight points after a challenging start to the season for Red Bull Racing.

Drivers’ Championship standings after Round 2 (China):

1st — George Russell (Mercedes) — 51 pts
2nd — Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) — 47 pts
3rd — Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) — 34 pts
4th — Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) — 33 pts
5th — Oliver Bearman (Haas) — 17 pts
6th — Lando Norris (McLaren) — 15 pts
7th — Pierre Gasly (Alpine) — 9 pts
8th — Max Verstappen (Red Bull) — 8 pts
9th — Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) — 8 pts
10th — Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) — 4 pts
11th — Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) — 4 pts
12th — Oscar Piastri (McLaren) — 3 pts
13th — Carlos Sainz (Williams) — 2 pts
14th — Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) — 2 pts
15th — Franco Colapinto (Alpine) — 1 pt
16th — Esteban Ocon (Haas) — 0 pts
17th — Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) — 0 pts
18th — Alexander Albon (Williams) — 0 pts
19th — Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) — 0 pts
20th — Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) — 0 pts
21st — Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) — 0 pts
22nd — Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) — 0 pts