With the new 2026 regulations in effect from the start of the year, Mercedes have been dominating most of the season in terms of race wins. Ferrari have been right behind the silver arrows trying to put up a fight weekend after weekend. As it stands, Lewis Hamilton sits at 2nd place in the Championship, 50 points behind the championship leader, Kimi Antonelli. Although Mercedes seem to have a better chance in winning races, there is one key stat that could swing the Championship to Hamilton's side.
After the 2026 Hungarian GP, Mercedes have won every single Grand Prix, with 3 exceptions, at which both of the Ferrari drivers each taking a win and Lando Norris winning the last race in Hungary. While it seems as though Mercedes have this in the bag, there is an issue with the W11 that could favour Lewis Hamilton.
Consistency is key to winning a Championship
There is no doubt that Kimi Antonelli has been driving the wheels of his W11 every chance he gets. However, the car has not been reliable at all. Over the past 7 race weekends, Mercedes have had to retire their car 4 times during the race. Ferrari, on the other hand, have had to retire the car twice in the entire season, both in Charles Leclerc's side of the garage.
Lewis Hamilton is currently the only driver on the grid that has finished every race of the season in the top 6. This is what has placed him 2nd in the Championship, despite winning only 1 race this year. At the end of the year, the Championship doesn't go to the driver with the most race wins, but to the driver with the most points. With every reliability issue Mercedes faces this season, Hamilton inches closer and closer to getting his hands on the Drivers' trophy.
Let's not forget that Hamilton has won 7 Championship so far in his career. He know what it takes to win a title. Back in 2016, 2017, and 2018, Hamilton had found himself trailing in the Championship standings only to put in a dominant performance in the second half of the season to take the Championship.
In the last few races, the top 4 teams have almost caught up to Mercedes' qualifying and race pace. Car development has played a major contribution to this. At the last race in Budapest, McLaren brought an upgrade package that helped Lando Norris win the race by 15 seconds. Ferrari have also been bringing updates quite frequently, which has allowed them to compete for race wins with the Mercedes divers. After the summer break, we can expect the Italian team to bring some major updates to the SF-26.
The next big upgrade coming for Lewis Hamilton & Ferrari
The Italian Grand Prix has always been a special event for Ferrari, it being the team's home race. Over the years, we have seen Ferrari bring some major upgrades to achieve the best possible result in front of the Tifosi. There is a big chance that the Prancing Horse team will be looking to do the same this year.
2026 Drivers’ Standings
Full table →| # | Driver | Team | Wins | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kimi AntonelliANT | Mercedes | 9 | 390 |
| 2 |  Max VerstappenVER | Red Bull Racing | 3 | 279 |
| 3 |  George RussellRUS | Mercedes | 3 | 262 |
The Italian GP in Monza is set to take place on 31st August. The track is a extremely high speed circuit, that demands a lot from the power units. Given how fragile the Mercedes power units are, they could face some issues. This could open the door for Ferrari to win another Grand Prix this season. Depending on how effective the upgrades will be, we could see Lewis Hamilton make yet another Championship run.
With 12 more races to go this year, a lot can happen. There is also a possibility that the Mercedes drivers won't be the only competitors for the Championship along with Hamilton. McLaren have made some serious updates that have brought them back into the picture. So it will be interesting to see how the teams develop their cars going forward. Do you think Lewis Hamilton can win the Championship this season? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
