26 Takeaways from F1 2026 So Far

26 Takeaways from F1 2026 So Far Hearst Owned Formula 1 is on an enforced spring break due to the abandonment of planned grands prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, but what have we learned so far this season? Here are 26 takeaways from F1 2026 so far… Antonelli has stepped up Kimi Antonelli has had the fair share of fortune on his side this year, but the 19-year-old has stepped up. There were glimpses towards the end of last season—particularly his pace in São Paulo and Las Vegas—but he is now stringing together a weekend far more assuredly.

Once up front in China and Japan, Antonelli was unstoppable, and he now knows how to win grands prix. So that’s a big confidence boost. There will be tougher weekends ahead, after all, Antonelli is only in season two, but 2026 couldn’t have started much better.

NurPhoto - Getty Images Russell faces a challenge When George Russell won in Australia, it was a case of the pre-season favorite delivering on expectations. He’d done the hard work after three years at Williams, and then joined Mercedes just as the one-time dominant outfit floundered, so 2026 was finally his time. The last two races have been less successful, amid set-up issues, bad luck, and a few technical gremlins, and that has kicked open the door that a rising Antonelli has surged through.

Russell isn’t going to have it all his own way this year. NurPhoto - Getty Images Verstappen is in a bind Max Verstappen has long been loathing of the 2026 ruleset, and he is delivering a barbed headline after nearly every session, in a poke-the-bear “Say the line, Bart! ” kind of way.