Lewis Hamilton Rates His Own First Half of F1 2026 Season

Lewis Hamilton has given a surprising rating for his performance in the first half of the 2026 Formula 1 season, where he sits second in the drivers' standings at the summer shutdown. Despite an impressive campaign, he feels there is still room for improvement.

The seven-time champion has faced criticism in recent years, with some questioning whether the British driver still has the pace to compete for consistent race wins or an elusive eighth title.

However, he has answered his critics in spectacular fashion this season. Lewis Hamilton claimed his first win with Ferrari at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, positioning himself as the main rival to Kimi Antonelli for the crown.

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When asked to judge his opening stanza for 2026, Hamilton was less complimentary than some might expect. "Slightly above average, maybe," he told Crash.net. He added, "I'm thinking about just one race at a time. I'm just trying to figure out how I can maximise each weekend, so I'm generally not thinking about 10 races from now."

With a maximum of 12 race weekends remaining in the season, potentially dropping to 11 due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, there is more than enough time to make up the 50-point deficit to Antonelli, especially with the field converging in recent weeks as Mercedes' early advantage has been slowly eroded.

The all-new regulations for 2026 saw F1 move away from the ground-effect philosophy of the previous generation, returning to smaller, lighter machinery. Asked about the adjustments he has needed to make, Hamilton said: "I don't think it's more particularly rewarding to anybody. I think we've all had to make adjustments, but I don't feel like I've had to make more adjustments than any other era of car."