Lewis Hamilton gives himself surprising rating for first half of F1 2026

Lewis Hamilton has graded his efforts for the first half of the 2026 Formula 1 season, a campaign in which he sits second in the drivers' standings at the summer shutdown.

Seven-time champion Hamilton has faced his critics in recent years, with some questioning whether the Briton still had the pace to battle for consistent race wins or an elusive eighth title.

However, he has answered these critics in spectacular fashion this term, claiming his first win in Ferrari Rosso at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, and positioning himself as the chief rival to Kimi Antonelli for the crown.

However, when asked to judge his opening stanza for 2026, Hamilton was less complimentary than some might be, saying: "Slightly above average, maybe."

On his title chances, 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 number of 12 race weekends remaining in the season, this number 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 away.

The all-new regulations for 2026 saw F1 move away from the ground-effect philosophy of the previous generation, and return to smaller, lighter machinery. 

Asked of the adjustments he has needed to make to get up to speed in this latest era and how rewarding the new cars are to drive, Hamilton said: "I don't think it's more particularly more 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, any other era of car.