Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen hand Kimi Antonelli major title boost

Kimi Antonelli’s rivals could hand him the world title, with James Hinchliffe highlighting how the top four teams have taken points away from one another as the field bunched up in the run-in to the summer break.

Race wins for George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Antonelli and Lando Norris, as well as podium results for Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, meant that if the championship only started in Austria, the top six would be separated by just nine points. Instead, Antonelli holds a 50-point lead.

Kimi Antonelli’s rivals are taking points off each other

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Although Mercedes came out of the blocks firing this season, with the Brackley squad winning the opening six Grands Prix, rivals have closed the gap on the track.

Mercedes is by no means running away with the Drivers’ Championship; the Brackley squad doesn’t even sit 1-2 in the Drivers’ standings with Hamilton nine points ahead of Russell.

Hamilton was the first non-Mercedes driver to win a race, taking victory at the Barcelona Grand Prix, before Leclerc won at Silverstone and Norris in Budapest.

Verstappen, meanwhile, has bagged more podiums than any driver except Antonelli in the last four races, with both standing on the rostrum on three occasions.

Such has been the momentum shift that Hinchcliffe noted the top six in the standings, from Antonelli to Verstappen, have been separated by only nine points over the last four races.

“I thought it was really fascinating,” the former IndyCar driver said on the F1 Nation podcast.

“Had the championship started four races ago, and everybody was where they are with their cars, the top six in the championship would be covered by nine points. That is how even it has been over the last four races.

“It is truly impressive how much it has kind of come back-and-forth over that stretch that nine points would be the difference.”

“That’s a good stat,” replied his fellow pundit Jolyon Palmer, “and it bodes really well for the rest of the year even if you’ve got the Mercedes drivers and Lewis with the advantage.

“That’s the threat, isn’t it?

“Max can beat them. Both McLarens can get in front. Charles and Lewis can be there. It’s not just a Mercedes walkover.”

However, Hinchcliffe says the nine-point spread should bring a smile to the face of championship leader Antonelli given the Italian holds a 50-point lead over the chasing pack.

“I think it is really great news for Kimi Antonelli,” Hinchcliffe explained, “because with that many cars being competitive, they are taking points from each other.

“And that buffer he has now is just so much more valuable when you’re not just racing one or maybe two other guys.”

F1 2026: The season’s winners and losers

The results of the F1 2026 championship

The F1 2026 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship standings

Palmer has predicted Verstappen and Red Bull could play a bigger role in the championship in the second half of the season.

Although the Dutchman trails Antonelli by 110 points, last season he closed a 104-point deficit to Oscar Piastri to beat him to second in the championship by 11 points.

“The car is not where they want it to be, but Max is now finding his feet under the regs I think,” Palmer said.

“Red Bull is obviously upgrading and he’s able to keep getting points. I think he will have victory chances as some circuits will suit them more than others.

“Budapest, he was horrible there last year, it was a terrible race. And this year he’s up in second place. It shows actually the steps they are making.”

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