Can Lewis Hamilton Still Win the 2026 F1 Championship?

Yes, Lewis Hamilton can still win the championship on paper. He finished second in the Singapore sprint on 10 October 2026 and now has 221 points, third in the standings and 104 behind Kimi Antonelli on 325, with 175 points left. If Hamilton wins all seven remaining Grands Prix, he finishes on 396, and Antonelli must score 70 or fewer.

What happened in the Singapore sprint?

Hamilton gained 2 points on the leader. He finished second, 2.591 seconds behind Max Verstappen, while Antonelli crossed the line fourth. The same coverage reports that stewards were investigating Hamilton for a yellow-flag infringement, so his 7 points could still change.

The gap fell from 106 to 104. Hamilton's best possible total slipped by a point, from 397 to 396, because second paid 7 rather than the 8 for a win, and the most Antonelli can score against a perfect Hamilton fell from 76 to 70.

How far behind Antonelli is Hamilton?

Lewis Hamilton is 104 points behind Kimi Antonelli. He is third in the 2026 standings on 221 points, while Antonelli leads on 325. These figures are the official standings after round 16 plus the provisional sprint result. The last column shows how many more points each rival could score and still finish behind Hamilton if he reaches his best possible total of 396.

If Hamilton wins everything, the best anyone else can do is second in all seven races, worth 126 points. That takes Russell to 362, 34 short of 396. Antonelli is the only driver who can stop Hamilton winning out.

Hamilton vs Antonelli: how do they compare?

Antonelli is ahead of Lewis Hamilton on points and on Grand Prix wins. Win and podium counts come from the 2026 race results and the official Sepang result.

How many points are left in the 2026 F1 season?

There are 175 points left in the 2026 F1 season: seven Grands Prix, each paying 25 for a win down to 1 for tenth, per Formula 1's guide to the Drivers' Championship. Singapore was the last of six sprint weekends on the sprint calendar, and the fastest-lap bonus point was scrapped from 2025, so no other points are on offer.

What does Hamilton need to win the 2026 title?

Lewis Hamilton needs to win nearly all of the last seven races, and Antonelli needs to score 70 points or fewer. Each win Hamilton gives up for a second place cuts what Antonelli can afford by 7 points.

In the lower rows another driver wins the races Hamilton does not, and those points count against that driver's own room in the standings table above. Antonelli has averaged about 19 points a weekend so far.

What happens if Hamilton and Antonelli finish level on points?

If Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli finish level on points, the driver with more Grand Prix wins is champion. If wins are level too, second places decide it, and so on down the order, according to Formula 1's championship guide.

A tie at 396 would go Antonelli's way: Hamilton would have 8 wins to Antonelli's 8, and Antonelli has more second places. That is why the table above says "no more than": each figure beats Antonelli outright.

When could Hamilton be knocked out of the title race?

The earliest Lewis Hamilton can be knocked out of the 2026 title race is the United States Grand Prix in Austin on 25 October. Hamilton is safe on Sunday: even if Antonelli wins and Hamilton scores nothing, the gap is 129 with 150 points still left.

After Austin only 125 points remain. Hamilton is out if Antonelli outscores him by 21 or more across Singapore and Austin, which pushes the gap to at least 125. At exactly 125 Hamilton could win only 6 races in total, fewer than Antonelli's 8, so the tie-break would go against him.

That is a low bar. Antonelli winning both races while Hamilton adds 29 points or fewer is enough, and so is a single Antonelli win on Sunday with Hamilton scoring 4 or fewer across the two races.

Which F1 races are left in 2026?

Seven races are left in the 2026 F1 season, from Singapore on 11 October to Abu Dhabi on 6 December, per the official 2026 calendar.

Going to one of these races? Open that race's guide for session times, transport to the circuit and the eSIM plan that fits the trip.

Who can still win the 2026 F1 title?

Six drivers can still win the 2026 F1 title on paper. Oscar Piastri cannot: his best possible total is below Antonelli's current points.

What does this maths leave out?

The numbers on this page count points and nothing else. They do not predict which car is fastest, and they carry no odds. Penalties, disqualifications and cancelled races would all move the numbers, and we would rerun them if one happened. The full method sits in the methodology note below.

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