F1 legend Martin Brundle has revealed the specific moment in this year’s championship that he felt blew the title race wide open.
When the season opened with the Australian Grand Prix back in March, it showed us that Mercedes had come the closest to mastering the brand new chassis and power unit regulations and that McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was going to have his work cut out to catch up to defending champion and team-mate Lando Norris.
Piastri crashed out of his home race before it had even technically begun before George Russell secured a statement win 58 laps later, signalling the Silver Arrows were the ones to watch.
Article continues under video
For the first time since 2019, Mercedes brought home a 1-2 result at the opening round of the championship and they failed to falter across the next five rounds.
Norris on the other hand began to fade into the background as the papaya F1 squad suffered a double DNS at the following round in China and back-to-back DNFs at the races in Canada and Monaco.
But finally, after 10 rounds without a win, Norris picked up his first grand prix victory as reigning champion at last month’s Hungarian Grand Prix, perhaps signalling a shift in the title fight.
F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen to Aston Martin, Mercedes cost cap fears and Sky F1’s uncertain future
Brundle: ‘F1 2026 championship is far from over’
In his review of the final race prior to the summer shutdown for Sky Sports F1, Brundle wrote after Norris’ win: “If McLaren have made a decent upgrade step which translates well to other circuits, this was the team’s 14th Hungaroring victory, and with the top four are ever closer, this championship is far from over.
“There are still 291 points available assuming all the remaining races take place given the Middle East conflict.”
Luckily for Norris, the previously cancelled Bahrain GP has now been rescheduled for October of this year, where the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia will host the event.
This gives the Brit another chance to pick up a maximum of 25 points, something which could help him and his team greatly as they attempt to chip off the lead that Mercedes and Ferrari currently hold over them.
F1 2026 standings before summer break
Drivers’ Championship
F1 standings after 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
1
Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
219
2
Lewis Hamilton
Scuderia Ferrari HP
169
3
George Russell
Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
160
4
Charles Leclerc
Scuderia Ferrari HP
138
5
Lando Norris
McLaren Mastercard F1 Team
128
6
Max Verstappen
Oracle Red Bull Racing
109
7
Oscar Piastri
McLaren Mastercard F1 Team
92
8
Isack Hadjar
Oracle Red Bull Racing
68
9
Liam Lawson
Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team
43
10
Pierre Gasly
BWT Alpine F1 Team
42
11
Arvid Lindblad
Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team
23
12
Franco Colapinto
BWT Alpine F1 Team
19
13
Oliver Bearman
TGR Haas F1 Team
18
14
Gabriel Bortoleto
Audi Revolut F1 Team
10
15
Carlos Sainz
Atlassian Williams F1 Team
6
16
Alex Albon
Atlassian Williams F1 Team
5
17
Esteban Ocon
TGR Haas F1 Team
3
18
Nico Hulkenberg
Audi Revolut F1 Team
2
19
Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team
1
20
Sergio Perez
Cadillac F1 Team
0
21
Valtteri Bottas
Cadillac F1 Team
0
22
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team
0
Constructors’ Championship
Pos
Team
Points
1
Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
379
2
Scuderia Ferrari HP
307
3
McLaren Mastercard F1 Team
220
4
Oracle Red Bull Racing
177
5
Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team
66
6
BWT Alpine F1 Team
61
7
TGR Haas F1 Team
21
8
Audi Revolut F1 Team
12
9
Atlassian Williams F1 Team
11
10
Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team
1
11
Cadillac F1 Team
0
READ MORE: Danica Patrick and the new American team granted entry to F1
READ MORE: FIA hits out at F1 manufacturers over 2026 rules after bombshell Lewis Hamilton comment
Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.
Related