NOW Sky Sports Live: Formula One European Summer Tour Standings and Driver Standings Updates

The Formula 1 European Summer Tour kicks off with a reshuffled driver standings, as 2026’s early-season races set the stage for a title fight that now centers on a surprise leader.

As of June 21, 2026, the championship table has been upended by a 66-point gap between the new leader and the defending champion. Charles Antonelli (Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber) tops the standings with 156 points after a dominant start to the European leg, while Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) sits second on 90 points—just 11 ahead of third-placed Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) on 79. The top three have combined for 335 points, nearly double the 175 held by fourth-placed Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing), whose early-season struggles have handed Antonelli an unexpected advantage.

The shift comes after Antonelli’s back-to-back wins in Monaco and Azerbaijan, where he became the first rookie to claim two victories in the same season since Max Verstappen in 2015. His 156 points—earned in just six races—surpass Hamilton’s 2025 season total at the same stage, according to F1’s official standings tracker. Mercedes team principal James Allison called Antonelli’s form “ahead of schedule” in a post-race press conference, noting that the Swiss driver had “closed the gap faster than any new recruit in the hybrid era.”

Hamilton’s 90-point total reflects a slower start to the season, with two DNFs (Did Not Finish) in the opening four races and a best result of third in Spain. His Mercedes teammate, George Russell, trails on 68 points after a collision with Esteban Ocon (Alpine) in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Ferrari’s Sainz, meanwhile, has been consistent but unable to capitalize on Hamilton’s setbacks, finishing no higher than second in any race so far.

The European Summer Tour—featuring races in Germany, Belgium, and Italy—will be critical for determining whether Antonelli can extend his lead or if Hamilton and Verstappen can mount a late-season challenge. Red Bull’s technical director, Adrian Newey, told Autosport that Verstappen’s RB22 car “isn’t where it needs to be yet,” citing reliability issues in the first half of the season. “We’re not happy with the pace in qualifying,” Newey added, though he refused to speculate on whether Red Bull would introduce major upgrades before the Belgian GP.

What happens next?
The next three races—Germany (July 7), Belgium (July 21), and Italy (September 1)—will test Antonelli’s ability to defend his lead. Mercedes has already signaled a mid-season package update for Hamilton ahead of the Spa-Francorchamps round, while Ferrari is expected to push Sainz for a podium finish in Monza. Verstappen’s form will be the wild card: if he can string together two top-five results, the gap to Antonelli could shrink to single digits by the Hungarian GP.

How the top teams stack up
Antonelli’s 156 points lead over Hamilton’s 90 marks the largest championship gap at this stage since Sebastian Vettel’s 100-point advantage over Fernando Alonso in 2013. That year, Alonso closed the gap to win the title. Whether history repeats itself depends on whether Hamilton can replicate his 2020 comeback or if Antonelli’s early dominance signals a new era of rookie resilience.

Key questions remain:

• Can Antonelli’s Stake F1 car maintain its pace against Mercedes’ upgrades?
• Will Verstappen’s RB22 find its rhythm before the Italian GP?
• How will Ferrari respond if Sainz fails to challenge for a win in the next three races?

The next race, the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring, begins on July 7. Tickets for the event are sold out, with over 150,000 fans expected to attend, according to the Deutsche Tourismus-Zentrale. The track’s long straights and high-speed corners favor Mercedes’ power unit, giving Hamilton a potential advantage—though Antonelli’s qualifying speed in Baku suggests he may not cede ground easily.

For now, the championship remains wide open. But with just 14 races left, every point will matter.