RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesThe 2026 Formula 1 season has reached its midway point.
One driver has been dominating this year, and his name is not Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton. The two drivers, who have 11 championships between them, have had their shining moments so far, but 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli has stolen the show.
This year, Cadillac F1 joined the grid. The team made a big splash branding themselves as "America's Team." Cadillac isn't the only outfit based in the United States. Haas, which launched in 2016, is based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, but the General Motors-backed outfit has been pedal to the metal in attempting to connect with the United States audience.
Here in the U.S., the Las Vegas Grand Prix and United States Grand Prix in Austin are still to come.
The FIA canceled the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grand Prix competitions , which were set to be raced in April, due to the violent conflict in Iran .
A major storyline heading into the 2026 season was extensive new technical regulations for the first time since 2022. Hamilton said the updates "will be the most challenging it's ever been in the sport" and other drivers were not happy one race in with Charles Leclerc commenting that the new hybrid car felt like "Mario Kart." Red Bull Racing was the quickest to figure out those previous regulations. Verstappen had a historic 2023 campaign with 10 straight wins as he captured the Drivers' Championship and the team won the Constructors' Championship taking the trophy in every race but one that year.
Who is at the top of their class so far this season? And who has been struggling?
Here are grades for every F1 team heading into the 2026 summer break, ranked from worst to best:
Aston Martin: F
Unlike other low-performing teams, there are few excuses for Aston Martin. They have been on the grid for several years now and have two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso. Granted, the Spaniard is getting toward the twilight of his career, but the team is giving him far less than a hero's farewell tour. In what was most likely his final home race at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix , Alonso qualified dead last and then, after starting from the pit lane due to parts replacements, he had to retire from the race early. And Lance Stroll, the son of team owner Lawrence Stroll, once again has done absolutely nothing.
Points: 1 (Fernando Alonso 1, Lance Stroll 0)
Williams: D
Williams seemed to be on the up-and-up, finishing fifth in the Constructors' Championship last season with 137 points. Carlos Sainz had two podium finishes in his first year with the English outfit and captured hearts by embracing Sparkles, a unicorn sticker that a young fan gave him .
But all of that magic is nowhere to be seen in the 2026 campaign. Sainz and Alex Albon have been mediocre at best. Yes, it's always hard adjusting to new regulations, but continuing to flounder toward the bottom of the pack midway through the season is not acceptable for a historic team like Williams.
Points: 11 (Carlos Sainz 6, Alex Albon 5)
Haas: C-
Haas has never been a title contender and the team isn't exactly failing, but they've kind of drifted into obscurity this season. It's hard to even remember who their drivers are. Surprisingly, young driver Oliver Bearman is doing better than Esteban Ocon, who has a few years on the British driver. Beloved team principal Guenther Steiner left ahead of the 2024 season after scoring only 12 points for a last-place finish in 2023. The team actually has been performing better on the track under Ayao Komatsu's leadership and scored 58 and 79 points, respectively, in the last two campaigns. At the summer break, they are a little behind that pace, but what's really lacking on this team is star power.
Points: 21 (Oliver Bearman 18, Esteban Ocon 3)
Cadillac: C
Cadillac has yet to score a point in its first Formula 1 season. Veteran drivers Sergio "Checo" Pérez and Valtteri Bottas have nine DNFs between the two of them in 11 races. Their best performance so far was at the Chinese Grand Prix early in the season where Bottas finished 13th and Pérez was 15th.
The thing about Formula 1 is that it isn't ALL about winning. For its first campaign on the grid, Cadillac has done an excellent job building buzz while they're figuring out the technical aspects of the sport. They revealed their livery during a Super Bowl commercial and had billboards in Los Angeles during NBA All-Star Weekend . They made a bold choice to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States with a stars and stripes livery ironically at the British Grand Prix. Even if the team is quite horrendous on the track, they definitely get bonus points for its marketing game off of it.
Points: 0 (Sergio "Checo" Pérez 0, Valtteri Bottas 0)
Alpine: C
Similar to Haas, Alpine hasn't exactly failed expectations, but hasn't exactly excelled, either. At least they've given us something to pay attention to. Their dramatic highlight of the season was at the famed Monaco Grand Prix. Pierre Gasly finished third for his first podium of the season. He was given two penalties for speeding in the pit lane, which knocked him down to seventh place. But the FIA overturned the penalties and he was given third place again. Too bad the ruling came after the podium celebration, which would have been a big morale booster for the team.
Points: 61 (Pierre Gasly 42, Franco Colapinto 19)
McLaren: C
McLaren has struggled to adjust to the new regulations and have been inconsistent this season so far as it hopes to win its third straight team title. Both Lando Norris, the defending champion , and Oscar Piastri didn't even start the Chinese Grand Prix. But two races later, they excelled at the Miami Grand Prix , where Norris got his maiden F1 win two seasons ago. Norris won the sprint with Piastri finishing just behind him. Then they finished second...
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