Kimi Antonelli is assured to steer the Formulation 1 drivers’ championship on the midway stage of the season, however historical past reveals the Italian nonetheless has a protracted option to go to win his first title.
After it was introduced that the Bahrain Grand Prix would return to the calendar, albeit in Malaysia, the midway stage of the season was moved again from the Hungarian GP to the Dutch GP after the summer time break.
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Antonelli leads the standings by 50 factors to Lewis Hamilton, however the Italian can be hoping to keep away from becoming a member of the beneath drivers who misplaced the title, regardless of main on the midway stage.
Oscar Piastri – 2025
Photograph: Race Photos
Oscar Piastri led the standings by eight factors to Lando Norris on the midway stage of the 2025 season. That hole would prolong to 34 factors three races later, when Piastri received the Dutch GP and Norris retired from the race.
Nonetheless, after the summer time break, Piastri endured a rotten run of kind with simply three podiums in 9 races. He had six consecutive races with no win or perhaps a podium, which included a crash in Azerbaijan, a fourth positioned end in Singapore, three consecutive fifth positioned finishes, earlier than he and Norris have been each disqualified in Las Vegas. Piastri would drop from first to 3rd within the standings, ending 13 factors behind Norris.
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Piastri’s kind has not improved in 2026 and retired from the current Hungarian GP regardless of main a great chunk of the race.
Lewis Hamilton – 2021, 2016, 2010 and 2007
Hamilton has on 4 events topped the standings on the midway stage of the season, solely to overlook out on the championship.
The primary time got here in his very first season in F1, main by 12 factors after the 2007 British Grand Prix to teammate Fernando Alonso. Kimi Raikkonen who was 17 factors behind Hamilton with two races to go, at a time when it was simply 10 factors for a win, took his one and solely title after profitable the ultimate two races, as Hamilton might solely rating two factors from China and Brazil.
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Hamilton additionally had a 12 level lead over one other teammate in Jenson Button after the 2010 British Grand Prix. Vettel, who was fourth, and 21 factors behind Hamilton, would go on to win the title, whereas the Brit completed fourth in a really aggressive championship – 16 factors behind the Pink Bull driver.
In the meantime, in 2016, Hamilton led by six factors to teammate Nico Rosberg after the Hungarian Grand Prix. A run of 4 wins in 5 races helped Rosberg bounce again to the highest of the standings, as an engine blow-up for Hamilton in Malaysia proved expensive to his title aspirations.
In 2021, Hamilton topped the standings by eight factors to Max Verstappen after the Hungarian Grand Prix. In a carefully fought championship, Verstappen would take the lead 5 races later in Turkey and led from that time till the tip of the season to win his first title.
Though, Hamilton virtually snatched again the lead on the ultimate race, earlier than the controversial security automotive choice that led to Verstappen’s final lap go of the Brit in Abu Dhabi.
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Sebastian Vettel – 2017
Photograph: RacePictures
4-time world champion Vettel regarded like he might have received a fifth on the midway stage of the 2017 season, as the previous Ferrari driver led Hamilton by one level within the standings.
Vettel prolonged that lead with a win in Hungary, earlier than Hamilton turned the title race on its head, profitable 5 of the next six races. Retirements for Vettel in Singapore and Japan, allowed Hamilton to run away with the title, one he received with a ninth positioned end in Mexico with two races to spare.
Nico Rosberg – 2014
Rosberg had a 14 level hole over Hamilton on the midway stage of the 2014 season within the first season of domination for Mercedes. The German although couldn’t stay up with Hamilton’s brilliance within the second half of the marketing campaign, because the Brit completed the season with six wins within the ultimate seven races to clinch his first title for Mercedes.
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Fernando Alonso – 2012
Fernando Alonso’s win on the 2012 German Grand Prix gave him a 34 level lead over Mark Webber on the prime of the standings on the season’s midway stage. Vettel, who was an extra 10 factors again, loved a way more constant second half of the marketing campaign after a blended begin to the season.
Vettel’s 4 consecutive wins between Singapore and India proved essential as he received the title by three factors regardless of having to struggle his manner again by means of the sector within the ultimate race after a tangle with Bruno Senna. With out unlucky DNFs in Belgium and Japan, Alonso would have received his third title and his first for Ferrari in 2012, regardless of driving a far inferior automotive that marketing campaign.
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Different drivers who misplaced the F1 title regardless of main on the midway stage
Beneath are record of different drivers who didn’t win a title regardless of main on the midway stage, with the driving force in brackets occurring to win the title.
Michael Schumacher – 1997 (Jacques Villeneuve)
Alain Prost – 1983 (Nelson Piquet) , 1984 (Niki Lauda), 1988 and 1990 (each Ayrton Senna)
Michele Alboreto – 1985 (Alain Prost)
John Watson – 1982 (Keke Rosberg)
Carlos Reutemann – 1981 (Nelson Piquet)
Niki Lauda – 1976 (James Hunt)
Jim Clark – 1964 (John Surtees)
Bruce McLaren – 1960 (Jack Brabham)
Stirling Moss – 1958 (Mike Hawthorn
Peter Collins – 1956 (Juan Manuel Fangio)
