Looking beyond the raw statistics, analysing race distance completed by teams, engine manufacturers (OEMs) and drivers provides valuable insight into reliability and overall consistency. By examining the total number of kilometres covered during races, it becomes possible to evaluate not only the technological robustness of each car but also the consistency shown by the drivers throughout the opening phase of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Among the teams, it comes as little surprise that Scuderia Ferrari sits at the top of this particular ranking. The Maranello outfit has impressed with the outstanding reliability of the SF-26, while both of its drivers have consistently brought the car to the finish, allowing Ferrari to accumulate more race kilometres than any of its rivals.
At the opposite end of the table is Aston Martin. The Silverstone-based squad has paid a heavy price for being the sole customer of Honda‘s power unit. The experience of Honda’s exclusive partnership with McLaren at the beginning of the turbo-hybrid era appears to have taught few lessons. Supplying just one team does not provide the Japanese manufacturer with the breadth of data needed to clearly distinguish between the shortcomings of the troubled AMR26 chassis and those related to the RA626H power unit.
It should also be noted that many of the engineers who once formed the backbone of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) have since joined Red Bull Powertrains, a natural consequence of the long and highly successful partnership between Red Bull and Honda.
Mercedes benefits from the largest pool of engine data
The situation is different for Cadillac. Despite using the highly competitive Ferrari 067/6 power unit, the American team is still paying the price of being a newcomer to Formula 1. A similar story applies to Audi, which is not only the championship’s newest power unit manufacturer but, like Honda, does not currently supply engines to any customer teams.
The manufacturer with access to the largest volume of race data is undoubtedly Mercedes. Alongside its factory team, the German manufacturer also powers the cars of customer teams McLaren, Alpine and Williams, giving it an enormous amount of information to analyse and use in developing its power unit throughout the season.
Lewis Hamilton leads the drivers for race consistency
Among the drivers, the award for the most consistent performer goes to Lewis Hamilton. Across the opening nine rounds of the championship, the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion has completed 100% of the available race distance, making him the only driver to achieve a perfect record so far this season.
Hamilton is followed by Kimi Antonelli and, perhaps surprisingly, Franco Colapinto, who has completed 98.93% of the scheduled race kilometres up to and including the British Grand Prix.
At the bottom of the drivers’ standings is not an Aston Martin driver, but Valtteri Bottas. The McLaren drivers also rank relatively low in this particular classification after both of the team’s cars failed to start the Chinese Grand Prix, significantly reducing their total race distance for the season.
With the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship proving to be far more closely contested than many had anticipated, both car reliability and driver consistency could ultimately become decisive factors in determining the outcome of the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship battles. In such a competitive season, every completed lap—and every kilometre covered—may prove invaluable when the titles are decided.
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