Lewis Hamilton has turned a difficult first year at Ferrari into a genuine opportunity to fight near the front of the 2026 Formula 1 championship. After 11 races, the seven-time world champion sits second in the drivers’ standings on 169 points, 50 behind Mercedes leader Kimi Antonelli, having already claimed one victory and five podium finishes.
The scale of the turnaround is considerable. Hamilton failed to reach a Grand Prix podium throughout 2025 and eventually finished sixth in the championship, 86 points behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc. This season, however, the 41-year-old has scored points at every round and has established himself as Antonelli’s closest challenger heading towards the second half of the campaign.
Lewis Hamilton’s 2026 F1 title challenge built on consistency
Hamilton began the season with fourth place in Australia before securing his first podium for Ferrari in China. His progress continued with consecutive second-place finishes in Canada and Monaco, providing further evidence that he was becoming increasingly comfortable with the SF-26.
The decisive breakthrough then arrived at the Spanish Grand Prix. Hamilton won in Barcelona to deliver Ferrari’s first victory of the season, securing the 106th Grand Prix triumph of his Formula 1 career and his first since joining the Maranello team.
That result transformed the championship picture. Rather than simply attempting to recover from a difficult debut season in red, the seven-time world champion suddenly had a victory alongside a sequence of strong finishes that kept him within reach of Antonelli.
His performance level has also remained consistent across very different circuits. Results in China, Canada, Monaco and Silverstone have helped prevent the Mercedes driver from establishing an insurmountable lead, while Hamilton’s focus on the 2026 title fight after the summer break reflects how much his position has changed compared with 12 months earlier.
Ferrari turnaround contrasts sharply with Hamilton’s difficult 2025
The current campaign bears little resemblance to the Briton’s first season at Maranello. In 2025, his best Grand Prix result was fourth place, and he completed the year without standing on the podium. Leclerc ultimately finished 86 points ahead of his new team-mate.
Hamilton has already reversed much of that picture in 2026. One victory and five podiums from the opening 11 races have placed him second in the championship, while his ability to score in every race has limited the damage even on weekends when Ferrari has not been able to challenge for victory.
The SF-26’s consistency has consequently become an important part of Ferrari’s championship prospects. The team’s ability to keep both drivers competitive has provided Hamilton and Charles Leclerc with a route back into the title picture, even though Mercedes retains the advantage at the summer break.
Can Lewis Hamilton close a 50-point gap to Kimi Antonelli?
The central question for the remainder of the season is whether Hamilton can convert his strong first half into a sustained championship challenge. Antonelli has accumulated 219 points compared with Hamilton’s 169, leaving a 50-point deficit with more than half of the planned campaign still to be completed.
That is a substantial margin, but Hamilton’s current form ensures the contest remains open. His post-break record has also become relevant to Ferrari’s wider championship strategy, with his historical performances in the second half of seasons adding another dimension to the team-order debate.
Ferrari’s ability to maintain its development rate will be equally important. Leclerc has already called on the team to remain aggressive in the upgrade race, with the Scuderia facing a crucial development phase as it attempts to close the remaining gap to Mercedes.
Hamilton has put an eighth world championship back into the conversation
Lewis Hamilton’s position does not guarantee that he will be able to catch Antonelli, but the comparison with 2025 illustrates why the possibility of an eighth drivers’ championship can no longer be dismissed. Twelve months after a season without a Grand Prix podium, he is now Ferrari’s highest-placed driver in the standings and the closest challenger to the championship leader.
The next phase will determine whether the Barcelona victory and his run of podiums represented the foundation of a genuine title campaign or whether Antonelli can maintain control of the championship. With Lewis Hamilton 50 points behind and the second half of the season still to come, Ferrari remains firmly involved in the fight.
Can Lewis Hamilton challenge for the 2026 F1 drivers' championship?
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