(Motorsport-Total.com) – Kimi Antonelli leads the Formula 1 drivers’ standings clearly at the 2026 summer break. But was the Italian also the best driver of the first half of the season for the editors of Motorsport-Total.com? We clarify exactly this question in our interim reports after the first eleven Grands Prix of the year.
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After each race, our editorial team grades the 22 Formula 1 drivers for their performance on the respective weekend. Based on this, we have formed an average grade (rounded to two decimal places) at the summer break and thus determined the best driver of the first half of the season for us.
In our photo gallery, the grades of all 22 drivers are listed. There are quite a few surprises, because although Charles Leclerc, for example, is in fourth place in the real world championship, the average grade from the editors only brought him to ninth place in our ranking.
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The Monegasque, who was too often in the shadow of teammate Lewis Hamilton, did not receive the best grade from us in any race in the first half of the season. Instead, for his botched weekend including a crash in Barcelona, he even received a 5 once.
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A positive surprise, on the other hand, is Pierre Gasly in eighth place. He always ranged between 2 and 4 with us, so he never got the best grade, but also never a 5. This consistency is exactly what is decisive for a good placement in our ranking.
This is also shown by the fact that two of the drivers in the top 3 never received a worse grade than a 3 from us throughout the entire first half of the season. Meanwhile, the editors have been very sparing with a 1. No driver has so far received the best grade in more than a maximum of two races.
On the other side of the spectrum, we gave Lance Stroll a 5 most often (five times). The editors have not yet given a 6 in the current season.
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