Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton believes his first grand prix victory for Ferrari is imminent after securing consecutive second-place finishes to move up to second in the 2026 Drivers’ Championship.

The 41-year-old endured a difficult debut campaign with the Scuderia in 2025 but has experienced a remarkable resurgence this season.

Following a maiden podium in red in China, the British driver has claimed back-to-back runner-up spots in Canada and Monaco.

These impressive results leave the Formula 1 veteran trailing championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 66 points.

“I mean, it couldn’t be closer,” he admitted following the Monaco Grand Prix.

“But it’s still 66 points. I can’t believe that I’m second in the championship and I’m really happy and thankful for that.”

Praise for Mercedes successor Antonelli

Antonelli replaced the sport’s most successful driver at Mercedes last year and has dominated the early stages of the current campaign.

The 19-year-old Italian has secured victory in the last five consecutive races for the Silver Arrows.

He is currently thriving under the guidance of Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and former race engineer Peter Bonnington.

“He is doing a phenomenal job,” stated Hamilton.

“He’s got an amazing team around him with Bono, with Toto and the whole team. And I’m really happy to see them doing what they do best.”

Chasing down the championship leader

Despite the significant points deficit, the record-breaking centurion remains highly motivated by his younger rival.

“It just encourages me to want to level up, and I think encourages everybody wanting to level up,” he explained.

“I’m going to do my best to try and chase him down for the rest of the year.”

The former McLaren star likened Antonelli’s meteoric rise to his own breakout rookie season in 2007.

“It’s a real privilege to witness it, be on the podium with two of the youngest guys here,” he added.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted his discomfort at celebrating Kimi Antonelli’s Monaco Grand Prix victory on the podium following another difficult race for George Russell.

World championship leader Antonelli converted his pole position into a dominant fifth successive victory on the streets of Monte Carlo.

However, his British team-mate suffered a miserable afternoon and finished outside the points after a contentious pit-lane speeding penalty was incorrectly served.

The differing fortunes of the two drivers have seen the championship gap between the pair widen to 68 points.

A rare rostrum appearance

Formula 1 regulations dictate that the winning constructor must send a representative to collect a trophy during the post-race ceremony.

The Austrian executive made a highly unusual appearance to accept the award in his home city after a scheduled board member had to leave early for a flight.

“I haven’t gone to a podium for 10 years because it’s always difficult to balance between one side of the garage being happy, the other one not.”
“Today I couldn’t avoid it because the board member that I wanted to go to has said he needs to catch a flight, and then the team said, you’ve got to go, it’s the home place.”
“While standing there, I’m always with mixed feelings.”

Misfortune strikes again

While the Italian driver has enjoyed an incredible run of form, his garage-mate has now endured four consecutive races without a top-three finish.

That barren streak has seen him lose second place in the drivers’ standings to his former colleague, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.

The British racer was previously leading the Montreal event in May before a devastating power unit failure forced his retirement.

“The Montreal race was his to win. We let him down.”
“In Monaco, probably we could have had a podium if not for the penalty mistake.”

Drawing on past title battles

The Mercedes chief suggested that his struggling driver should look to the previous season’s title race for motivation.

During that campaign, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri initially looked destined for championship glory before a poor run saw him finish behind both Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.

“I’ve talked with him on Saturday and Sunday – this is a long championship.”
“Last year, I remember people saying, well, Piastri has won that.”

Formula 1’s governing body has rated Red Bull as having the best power unit for the 2026 season, triggering engine upgrades for their rivals under a new development system.

The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) evaluated the pecking order of the sport’s five engine manufacturers as part of the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) scheme.

Every manufacturer apart from the Milton Keynes-based outfit will be permitted to improve their powertrains after performance findings were shared with the grid.

Mercedes and Ferrari handed development lifelines

Documents reveal that Mercedes are currently more than two per cent behind the benchmark set by the Austrian constructors.

The Silver Arrows will subsequently receive one upgrade allowance for this year and another for the 2027 campaign.

Ferrari, Audi and Honda are deemed to be trailing by over four per cent and will be granted two upgrade tokens across both seasons.

The verdict arrives as a notable triumph for Red Bull, who are producing their own bespoke engines for the very first time.

Hamilton acknowledges significant deficit

The findings have generated surprise in the paddock, particularly given that Mercedes have boasted the most competitive overall package across the opening six rounds.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton revealed that teams were formally notified of the ADUO results during the recent Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

“Red Bull have the most powerful engine, Mercedes second, and then we are behind,” the Ferrari driver stated.

“We’ve got now these tokens to try to develop and close the gap, but that’s like an eight-to-10-month project so it’s not something we can just do next week,” the British veteran added.

FIA insists system is not a magic bullet

The governing body has deliberately kept its measurement metrics secret to prevent manufacturers from manipulating their performance data to secure favourable allowances.

FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis emphasised that the ADUO framework functions strictly as a financial relief mechanism.

“A team or manufacturer will not suddenly get greater fuel flow rate or more or less ballast. It simply provides them with leeway to develop.”

The chief motorsport regulator clarified that manufacturers meeting the criteria still need to engineer a winning power unit.

“It’s not a magic bullet, or like the FIA is handing out brownie points to somebody who’s behind,” Tombazis concluded.

Denny Hamlin secured an emotional NASCAR Cup Series victory at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, tying his late teammate Kyle Busch on the all-time wins list.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver dominated the final stages of the 400-mile event to claim the 63rd victory of his illustrious career.

Waving a black flag bearing the number 18 out of his window, the veteran performed a poignant burnout down the straightaway to honour his former colleague.

An emotional tribute to a fallen teammate

Busch, who drove alongside the race winner for a record 523 races, tragically passed away last month.

The wider motorsport community has endured a devastating period, also grieving the recent losses of Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett and former driver Greg Biffle.

“Truthfully, I had to outlive him to tie him. He was an amazing teammate. He taught me so much at tracks like this. I just can’t say enough.”

Denny Hamlin

Surging from the back of the grid

Despite qualifying on pole position, Hamlin was forced to start from the rear of the field following a penalty for unapproved adjustments to his Toyota.

He patiently navigated through the pack, eventually seizing control with a daring three-wide pass on a restart with just 38 laps remaining.

Sweeping past Spire Racing duo Daniel Suarez and Carson Hocevar, the number 11 car never looked back.

He crossed the finish line 11.110 seconds ahead of the competition, marking the largest margin of victory at the Brooklyn circuit since June 1991.

“This Joe Gibbs team just keeps giving me amazing race cars. And at the last run there, it just hammered down.”

Denny Hamlin

Back-to-back triumphs

The commanding performance secures a second consecutive triumph for Hamlin, following a similar penalty-defying win at Nashville Superspeedway last week.

Fellow Michigan native Erik Jones claimed the runner-up spot after also overcoming a pre-race grid penalty.

“I don’t think anyone was going to contend with Denny at the end. He was flying.”

Kyle Larson

Michigan race top five

George Russell saw his Formula 1 championship hopes severely dented after a costly pit-lane penalty relegated him to 12th at Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, while Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli secured victory.

The British driver has slipped to third in the driver standings and now trails 19-year-old Antonelli by 68 points.

Russell had climbed as high as third on the iconic street circuit before a drive-through penalty abruptly ended his podium challenge.

The Mercedes driver was penalised for crossing the solid white line upon pit-lane entry, shortening the timing loop and triggering a speeding infringement.

A season of relentless frustration

Speaking after the race in Monte Carlo, the 26-year-old admitted his title campaign has been derailed by circumstances outside of his control.

He recently retired from the lead of the Canadian Grand Prix due to a mechanical failure and suffered terrible safety car timing while leading in Japan.

“I’m beyond frustration now,” Russell told the media.

“I’m just struggling to comprehend how this season has panned out.”

“I wish I could take some responsibility for the car breaking down in Canada or the penalties today, but it’s been completely outside of my control, and that is an incredibly difficult pill to swallow.”

Antonelli dominates in opposite garage

While the senior driver struggles with misfortune, his teenage stablemate is making life at the summit of motorsport look incredibly straightforward.

Antonelli’s triumph in the principality marked his fifth consecutive race win of the 2026 campaign.

The Italian prodigy comprehensively outperformed his more experienced garage neighbour across the weekend.

Despite the mounting deficit, 16 rounds still remain on the calendar for the championship momentum to potentially swing back.

However, overtaking on the narrow streets of Monaco proved near-impossible after an early delay trapped the number 63 car behind Isack Hadjar’s ailing vehicle.

“I don’t ever really believe in good luck or bad luck, but when I look at the season as a whole… there’s not a lot I can do.” George Russell

Seven-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has claimed the 100th victory of his career by winning the Hungarian Grand Prix at Balaton Park.

The 33-year-old fought off fierce pressure from KTM rider Pedro Acosta to cross the line 1.5 seconds ahead of his younger compatriot.

Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia completed the podium by securing a solid third-place finish in an action-packed race.

This historic triumph marks the veteran Spaniard’s first Grand Prix win since his success at San Marino in September.

Milestone victory follows injury struggles

Starting from pole position, the legendary rider achieved this feat just weeks after recovering from complex surgeries on his foot and shoulder.

His 2025 campaign was ended prematurely following a severe shoulder injury sustained in a prior collision with Marco Bezzecchi.

“Expensive win because after last year it changed everything,” said the emotional race winner, who celebrated by standing on his bike while flying a red flag bearing the number 100.

A hard-fought road to redemption

“But the sport is like this,” the seven-time world champion continued.

“From one day to the other, one can change everything.”

He noted that he previously learned this harsh lesson in 2020, referring to a devastating broken arm that forced his withdrawal from that season’s opening round.

First-lap chaos impacts title race

While the Hungarian Grand Prix victor celebrated at the front, severe drama unfolded behind him affecting the overall standings.

Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi was forced to retire on lap one after Aprilia team-mate Jorge Martin triggered a massive crash involving four riders.

Despite Sunday’s devastating early exit, the championship leader still managed to extend his overall advantage to 20 points over Martin.

This critical points gap was heavily influenced by Saturday’s sprint, where the eventual race winner led from flag to flag ahead of Acosta, leaving Martin to settle for sixth.

The Monaco Grand Prix was suspended with five laps remaining after Charles Leclerc crashed his Ferrari due to a deteriorating track surface.

The historic street circuit was brought to an abrupt standstill following fears that sections of the asphalt were rapidly breaking apart.

The Monegasque driver was on course for a podium finish at his home race before ploughing into the barriers at the final corner.

Unexpected pothole hazard

Race control initially deployed the safety car before swiftly upgrading the intervention to a full red flag.

Replays quickly highlighted a fresh pothole at turn 19, which the local hero had driven directly over prior to his heavy impact.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll had suffered a remarkably similar accident in the identical location just a few laps earlier.

Former driver and co-commentator Martin Brundle described the bizarre sequence of events as “highly unusual” during the live broadcast.

Track inspection and repairs

Fragments of the road surface were visibly tearing away and adhering to the tyres of passing vehicles.

An FIA spokesperson confirmed the stoppage was “for inspection of track break-up at turn 19”.

Race director Rui Marques immediately travelled to the final corner to personally assess the compromised tarmac.

Track marshals equipped with sweeping brushes were deployed to clear chunks of loose debris from the racing line.

Monaco’s tight confines and unforgiving barriers already make it one of the most perilous fixtures on the Formula 1 calendar, leaving zero margin for sudden surface failures.

Governing body officials are currently deliberating whether it is physically safe to resume the final stages of the event.

Richard Childress Racing owner Richard Childress has revealed he was preparing to announce a contract extension for Kyle Busch at Michigan International Speedway before the two-time Cup Series champion’s sudden death in May.

Childress addressed the media on Saturday for the first time since the 41-year-old died on 21 May.

The legendary driver passed away after severe pneumonia rapidly progressed into sepsis.

His death certificate later cited hemorrhagic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation as the official causes.

Echoes of a past tragedy

For the 80-year-old team owner, the loss brings back devastating memories of the 2001 Daytona 500.

Childress previously had to navigate his NASCAR organisation through the fatal crash of seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt.

“You lose two of the greatest drivers that’s ever driven a car in NASCAR and to have to go through it again,” Childress said.
“I just feel so bad for the family and the employees and everybody. But yeah, I mean, I haven’t slept very good lately.”

Final conversations and future plans

The veteran motorsport boss explained he had spoken to the experienced driver the night before his sudden hospitalisation.

The American had become unresponsive while testing in a Chevrolet racing simulator in North Carolina.

Despite enduring a 105-race winless streak in the Cup Series, the former champion was highly optimistic about his racing future.

A recent crew chief change had sparked an upturn in form, culminating in a season-best eighth-place finish at Watkins Glen.

“He said, ‘You give me cars like you gave me the last three weeks, I will make The Chase this year,'” Childress noted.

Safeguarding a family legacy

In the wake of the tragedy, RCR has switched to using the number 33 car.

Austin Hill has taken over driving duties for the past two events and will retain the seat for the remainder of the campaign.

“We don’t want to put a burden back on everybody trying to go from one driver to the other,” Childress explained.

The iconic number eight has been respectfully set aside for the potential future Cup career of the late driver’s 11-year-old son, Brexton.

Childress has recently spent time with the grieving family, reflecting on the hunting trips and dirt track racing they all shared.

“The many things that we all could have done together, that was probably the toughest part of this whole thing,” he added.

The heartbroken team owner concluded by calling for his former driver to be immediately inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.