Formula 1 2026: Who will win the world title?

Mercedes pair George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have dominated the early part of the campaign, winning the first four races between them. That has convinced many bookmakers, including the betting experts BestBettingBonuses.co.uk – where you can also avail BetVictor betting offers - to recommend one of the duo as the favourites to top the standings at the end of the campaign.

However, with 18 races still remaining, there is plenty of time for the chasing pack to hunt them down. Read on as we assess who will win the world title.

1.       Kimi Antonelli – 100

2.       George Russell - 80

3.       Charles Leclerc - 59

4.       Lando Norris - 51

5.       Lewis Hamilton – 51

6.       Oscar Piastri - 43

7.       Max Verstappen - 26

8.       Oliver Bearman – 17

9.       Pierre Gasly - 16

10.   Liam Lawson - 10

11.   Franco Colapinto - 7

12.   Arvid Lindblad - 4

13.   Isack Hadjar - 4

14.   Carlos Sainz - 4

15.   Gabriel Bortoleto - 2

16.   Esteban Ocon - 1

17.   Alexander Albon - 1

18.   Nico Hulkenberg - 0

19.   Valtteri Bottas - 0

20.   Sergio Perez - 0

21.   Fernando Alonso - 0

22.   Lance Stroll - 0

·         Kimi Antonelli - 5/4

·         George Russell - 9/4

·         Lando Norris - 7/2

·         Charles Leclerc - 14/1

·         Oscar Piastri - 14/1

·         Max Verstappen - 14/1

·         Lewis Hamilton - 50/1

·         Isack Hadjar - 1000/1

·         Fernando Alonso - 1000/1

·         Esteban Ocon - 1000/1

·         Nico Hulkenberg - 1000/1

·         Carlos Sainz - 1000/1

·         Pierre Gasly - 1000/1

·         Liam Lawson - 1000/1

·         Arvid Lindblad - 1000/1

·         Alex Albon - 1000/1

·         Gabriel Bortoleto - 1000/1

·         Oliver Bearman - 1000/1

·         Franco Colapinto - 2000/1

·         Valtteri Bottas - 3000/1

·         Sergio Perez - 3000/1

·         Lance Stroll - 3000/1

Antonelli will head into the Canadian Grand Prix on May 24 with a useful 20-point advantage over Russell. Charles Leclerc is 21 points adrift of Russell in third place.

Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri are not too far behind the top three and will also fancy their chances of challenging for the title.

However, the value bet could be four-time world champion Max Verstappen. He is currently 74 points behind Antonelli after the first four races.

Despite the sizeable deficit, Verstappen and the Red Bull team took a significant leap forward in Miami, which will have given Mercedes some food for thought.

Verstappen was just 0.166s slower than Antonelli in qualifying on the Saturday and may have finished on the podium but for a spin on the opening lap.

He subsequently made an early pit spot before a 50-lap run to the line on the hard tyres, yet still finished the race in fifth place.

With further improvement to come from Red Bull’s upgraded vehicle, Verstappen could make a mockery of his odds of 14/1 to win the title.

"We were really not happy, of course, with what we were doing the previous races,” Verstappen recently told Dutch media.

“But you can see everyone was pushing flat out to try and understand the problems and they have come with solutions. And that's just amazing to see – it was an amazing team effort.

"Before, nothing really worked. I felt like a total passenger in the car. It could understeer. It could snap on me. It could feel different from one session to the other one without even touching parts.

“We're still not where we want to be in terms of understanding everything, but most of it. I can finally drive how I want to drive."

Verstappen’s final words may send a shiver down Antonelli’s spine. He has largely had things his own way during the early part of the season, but the landscape could be about to change.

If Verstappen gets on a roll, Antonelli and the rest of the championship contenders may find the pressure too hot to handle.