The first month of summer in 2026 saw the running of the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix (7 June 2026), Barcelona-Catalunya Formula 1 Grand Prix (14 June 2026), and Austrian Formula 1 Grand Prix (28 June 2026). The Barcelona event was traditionally known as the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix, but the name has gone to the city of Madrid, which will also be hosting a Formula 1 event this year.
At the Catalunya circuit, the starting grid was led by George Russell (Mercedes), Sir Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), and Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes). Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar had a disastrous start to the race, falling back several places after getting off the line poorly, but he climbed back up the standings as each lap went by. Sir Lewis went for a three-stop strategy that saw him into the lead of the field in the latter part of the race. Mr. Antonelli retired from the race with technical problems, and Sir Lewis went on to take his first race victory as a Ferrari driver, followed by Mr. Russell and then Lando Norris (McLaren).
I still remember watching Sir Lewis’s rookie year in Formula 1 in 2007, when he was racing for McLaren, and the prodigious talent that he displayed as a racing driver. Over the years, he has won a record-equalling seven World Drivers’ Championships (tied with Michael Schumacher), but he appeared to have fallen on hard times in recent years. This year has seen a clear return to form for him.
At the Red Bull RIng in Austria, it was Mr. Russell on pole position for Mercedes, followed by Charles Leclerc and Sir Lewis for Ferrari. Mr. Russell took the unlikely prime starting position under yellow flag conditions just after Max Verstappen (Red Bull) crashed late in the final round of qualifying. Messrs. Leclerc and Hamilton had seemed assured of the first two starting positions, but Mr. Russell coasted under the yellow flag and still managed to surpass the two Ferrari drivers’ qualifying lap times.
In the opening lap of the race, Messrs. Leclerc and Hamilton fought for second place as Mr. Russell pulled away in the lead. Mr. Leclerc then seemed to suffer from ongoing degradation in his car’s performance, ultimately finishing well down the order from where his excellent qualifying position would have suggested he would finish. Mr. Verstappen then battled Sir Lewis in a fierce competition that I do not think we have seen the likes of in the last couple of years. In the end, it was a relatively close finish, with Mr. Russell taking the chequered flag just 1.6 s ahead of Mr. Verstappen and, just behind him, Mr. Antonelli.
We are now more than a third of the way through a revised season (owing to the Middle East conflict), and the World Drivers’ Championship standings have Mr. Antonelli comfortably in the lead (171 points), his teammate Mr. Russell in second (131 points), Sir Lewis a close third (125 points), and then the McLaren drivers. The World Constructors’ Championship standings have Mercedes well on its way to this year’s title (302 points), followed by Ferrari (204 points), McLaren (159 points) and Red Bull (115 points), and then the rest of the field well behind.