George Russell claims unofficial 2026 F1 sprint title

George Russell would have been crowned sprint champion in 2026, if F1 had awarded such a title, after Lando Norris’s last-lap clash with his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in Singapore.

While Russell is currently watching his championship title hopes slip away as his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli continues to extend his lead in the standings, the Briton has come out on top in the sprint races.

There is no official sprint championship, but with all six sprints completed, the unofficial results are in.

Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc both scored 34 points across the six sprint races in China, Miami, Canada, Britain, the Netherlands and Singapore. Russell claimed it on countback because he won three of them and Leclerc collected 34 points without a sprint win.

Norris finished one point behind on 33 with his win in Miami. Behind the leading three, Antonelli scored 31 points, Lewis Hamilton 27, Piastri 21 and Max Verstappen 20.

Points are awarded to the top eight finishers in sprint races from eight points for the winner to one point for eighth place.

As for the main championship, six rounds remain, assuming the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix go ahead as planned. Antonelli currently leads with 340 points. Russell and Hamilton follow in second and third with 238 and 229 points respectively.

Verstappen sits fourth with 221 points and will arrive at the upcoming United States Grand Prix on the back of two consecutive wins at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and the Singapore Grand Prix.

Rounding out the top five is Leclerc with 215 points.

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