F1 2026: Who Remains in Championship Contention After the US Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc are already out of championship contention this year. Oh, and the reigning World Champion Lando Norris? Also out.

Despite winning back-to-back races in Hungary and Zandvoort, Norris’s early-season troubles bit him hard and ultimately took him out of a real shot at defending his championship.

So, with Norris out of the picture, we’re going to crown a new Formula 1 champion this season. But before we discuss the remaining championship contenders, let’s first have a quick look at the Drivers’ Standings, particularly those in front.

Drivers’ Championship after the 2026 United States Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes: 365 points
George Antonelli, Mercedes: 242 (123-point gap to the leader)
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari: 241 (124-point gap)
Max Verstappen, Red Bull: 236 (129)
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari: 236 (132)
Lando Norris, McLaren: 211 (154)
Oscar Piastri, McLaren: 144 (221)
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull: 105 (260)

Who are the remaining championship contenders this season?

Only three drivers mathematically remain in contention for the F1 World Drivers’ Championship in 2026. Of course, there is one obvious choice among the three.

But hey, if you’re the other two, you never say never. Right?

Kimi Antonelli

After his dominant win in Austin, Antonelli just needs to finish at least P9 in Mexico to clinch the championship this year. That’s a tremendous feat for a young 20-year-old driver who is just in his second year in motorsport’s most coveted series.

From trailing his teammate George Russell and finishing seventh in 2025, Antonelli has grown into the more adaptable Mercedes driver this year. The Italian quickly accustomed himself to the new regulations, winning five straight races early on.

He went through a tough spell of three weekends that included a DNF in Barcelona and a 15th-place finish in Silverstone, but Antonelli bounced back in more consistent form.

Antonelli now has nine Grand Prix wins to his name, matching the total of Leclerc and Oscar Piastri, and exceeding those of George Russell and Sergio Perez’s. That’s how incredible Antonelli has been this season.

George Russell

Russell, the other driver in the Mercedes garage, is still mathematically alive in the championship. However, he needs his teammate to score almost nothing over the final five rounds while he wins consistently. That’s almost an impossible scenario for the two Mercedes drivers.

The British driver looked like the early favorite for the championship, especially after he convincingly won the season opener in Australia. But a combination of car reliability issues and driver errors hounded Russell’s campaign.

Lewis Hamilton

After winning his first race as a Ferrari driver in Barcelona, Hamilton spruced up talks of a potential championship run this season. He could’ve been chasing and battling with Mercedes, the same team that gave him a championship car for six seasons.

But Ferrari’s pace seemed to turn on and off each weekend, and Hamilton failed to win again. In the next 11 races after Barcelona, Hamilton could only muster two podium finishes.

Same with Russell’s situation, Hamilton’s championship climb is mathematically alive but very much insurmountable now.

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