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Russell and Leclerc are the joint ‘sprint race champions’ of 2026 | Formula 1

The 2026 Formula 1 sprint race season has crowned two drivers as joint champions after a tightly contested year. George Russell dominated the format, securing three victories in Shanghai, Montreal, and Zandvoort, but a dramatic crash in Singapore’s sprint race cost him a fourth win and left him tied on points with Charles Leclerc.

Leclerc, who failed to win any sprint race, still accumulated 34 points—matching Russell’s total—thanks to the closer scoring gaps in sprints compared to full grands prix. Lando Norris finished third in the standings with 33 points, though a late collision with his teammate at the final sprint race dropped him three places in the final tally.

Meanwhile, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Russell’s teammate, claimed a single sprint win at Silverstone but finished fourth overall with 31 points, while Max Verstappen—despite winning the Singapore sprint—ended up sixth with just 20 points. The top four teams’ drivers dominated sprint points, with only a handful of midfield drivers, including Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg, and Pierre Gasly, scoring sporadically.

The season’s results highlight how sprint races favor the front-runners, with nearly half the grid failing to secure a single point across all six events.

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