Antonelli guaranteed to lead standings at F1's halfway point - but these drivers still lost the title
Photo: Race Pictures
19:00, 28 Jul
1 Comments
Kieran Lynch
Kimi Antonelli is guaranteed to lead the Formula 1 drivers' championship at the halfway stage of the season, but history shows the Italian still has a long way to go to win his first title.
After it was announced that the Bahrain Grand Prix would return to the calendar, albeit in Malaysia, the halfway stage of the season was moved back from the Hungarian GP to the Dutch GP after the summer break.
Antonelli leads the standings by 50 points to Lewis Hamilton, but the Italian will be hoping to avoid joining the below drivers who lost the title, despite leading at the halfway stage.
Oscar Piastri - 2025
Photo: Race Pictures
ADVERTISEMENT
Oscar Piastri led the standings by eight points to Lando Norris at the halfway stage of the 2025 season. That gap would extend to 34 points three races later, when Piastri won the Dutch GP and Norris retired from the race.
However, after the summer break, Piastri endured a rotten run of form with just three podiums in nine races. He had six consecutive races without a win or even a podium, which included a crash in Azerbaijan, a fourth placed finish in Singapore, three consecutive fifth placed finishes, before he and Norris were both disqualified in Las Vegas. Piastri would drop from first to third in the standings, finishing 13 points behind Norris.
Piastri's form has not improved in 2026 and retired from the recent Hungarian GP despite leading a good chunk of the race.
Lewis Hamilton - 2021, 2016, 2010 and 2007
ADVERTISEMENT
Hamilton has on four occasions topped the standings at the halfway stage of the season, only to miss out on the championship.
The first time came in his very first season in F1, leading by 12 points after the 2007 British Grand Prix to teammate Fernando Alonso. Kimi Raikkonen who was 17 points behind Hamilton with two races to go, at a time when it was just 10 points for a win, took his one and only title after winning the final two races, as Hamilton could only score two points from China and Brazil.
Hamilton also had a 12 point lead over another teammate in Jenson Button after the 2010 British Grand Prix. Vettel, who was fourth, and 21 points behind Hamilton, would go on to win the title, while the Brit finished fourth in a very competitive championship - 16 points behind the Red Bull driver.
Meanwhile, in 2016, Hamilton led by six points to teammate Nico Rosberg after the Hungarian Grand Prix. A run of four wins in five races helped Rosberg jump back to the top of the standings, as an engine blow-up for Hamilton in Malaysia proved costly to his title aspirations.
In 2021, Hamilton topped the standings by eight points to Max Verstappen after the Hungarian Grand Prix. In a closely fought championship, Verstappen would take the lead five races later in Turkey and led from that point until the end of the season to win his first title.
ADVERTISEMENT
Although, Hamilton almost snatched back the lead at the final race, before the controversial safety car decision that led to Verstappen's last lap pass of the Brit in Abu Dhabi.
Sebastian Vettel - 2017
Photo: RacePictures
Four-time world champion Vettel looked like he could have won a fifth at the halfway stage of the 2017 season, as the former Ferrari driver led Hamilton by one point in the standings.
Vettel extended that lead with a win in Hungary, before Hamilton turned the title race on its head, winning five of the following six races. Retirements for Vettel in Singapore and Japan, allowed Hamilton to run away with the title, one he won with a ninth placed finish in Mexico with two races to spare.
ADVERTISEMENT
Nico Rosberg - 2014
Rosberg had a 14 point gap over Hamilton at the halfway stage of the 2014 season in the first season of domination for Mercedes. The German though could not live up with Hamilton's brilliance in the second half of the campaign, as the Brit finished the season with six wins in the final seven races to clinch his first title for Mercedes.
Fernando Alonso - 2012
Fernando Alonso's win at the 2012 German Grand Prix gave him a 34 point lead over Mark Webber at the top of the standings at the season's halfway stage. Vettel, who was a further 10 points back, enjoyed a much more consistent second half of the campaign after a mixed start to the season.
ADVERTISEMENT
Vettel's four consecutive wins between Singapore and India proved crucial as he won the title by three points despite having to fight his way back through the field in the final race after a tangle with Bruno Senna. Without unfortunate DNFs in Belgium and Japan, Alonso would have won his third title and his first for Ferrari in 2012, despite driving a far inferior car that campaign.
Other drivers who lost the F1 title despite leading at the halfway stage
Below are list of other drivers who failed to win a title despite leading at the halfway stage, with the driver in brackets going on to win the title.
- Michael Schumacher - 1997 (Jacques Villeneuve)
- Alain Prost - 1983 (Nelson Piquet) , 1984 (Niki Lauda), 1988 and 1990 (both Ayrton Senna)
- Michele Alboreto - 1985 (Alain Prost)
- John Watson - 1982 (Keke Rosberg)
- Carlos Reutemann - 1981 (Nelson Piquet)
- Niki Lauda - 1976 (James Hunt)
- Jim Clark - 1964 (John Surtees)
- Bruce McLaren - 1960 (Jack Brabham)
- Stirling Moss - 1958 (Mike Hawthorn
- Peter Collins - 1956 (Juan Manuel Fangio)
Read also
ADVERTISEMENT
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on GoogleRead more about:
latest news
Dutch Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 21.08.26
Practice 1
10:30 AM
Sprint Qualification
02:30 PM
Saturday 22.08.26
Sprint Race
10:00 AM
Qualification
02:00 PM
Sunday 23.08.26
Race
01:00 PM
Friday 21.08.26
Practice 1
Fri 10:30 AM
Sprint Qualification
Fri 02:30 PM
Saturday 22.08.26
Sprint Race
Sat 10:00 AM
Qualification
Sat 02:00 PM
Sunday 23.08.26
Race
Sun 01:00 PM
Times are in your local timezone
Rumors
Popular on GPBlog
1
'Red Bull makes proposal to Verstappen camp: longer contract, no exit clause'
2263 times read
2
Verstappen's private jet flies to Red Bull headquarters after Hungarian GP
2116 times read
3
F1 Today | Red Bull appoint Marko successor, as Mekies delivers key development update
963 times read
4
Hadjar infuriated with Red Bull's RB22 in sarcastic Hungarian GP takedown
910 times read
F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 219 | |
2 | FerrariFER | 169 | |
3 | MercedesMER | 160 | |
4 | FerrariFER | 138 | |
5 | McLarenMCL | 128 | |
6 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 109 | |
7 | McLarenMCL | 92 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 68 | |
9 | Racing BullsRCB | 43 | |
10 | AlpineALP | 42 |
Loading
