Formula 1's summer break offers a natural moment to take stock of the 2026 season, and the picture that emerges is one of a grid in dramatic flux. Mercedes may lead both championships, but it is Racing Bulls — not the Silver Arrows — who earned the top grade in The Athletic's midseason team report cards.

Team grades: Racing Bulls surprise, Aston Martin disappoints

Racing Bulls (A) — Twenty years on from becoming Red Bull-owned, the team finally looks capable of achieving its long-standing goal of fifth in the constructors' championship. The car has been reliable and quick, with back-to-back upgrade packages in Miami and Canada lifting performance and overhauling Alpine as the midfield front-runner. Points in all but one race is an impressive feat when the big four teams typically take the top eight positions. Liam Lawson has rediscovered his confidence, while 18-year-old rookie Arvid Lindblad has justified Red Bull's excitement.

Mercedes — Six straight wins to start the season pointed to a return to peak domination, but cracks have appeared. Reliability issues have plagued George Russell, while Kimi Antonelli has been the standout. Mercedes remains the team to beat despite not developing its car as aggressively as rivals, but it cannot leave the door open.

Ferrari — Ferrari switched its focus to the 2026 car early in 2025, and the move paid off. It has dominated the in-season development battle, declaring over 30 upgrades including major packages at Miami and Barcelona. Lewis Hamilton won at Barcelona and Charles Leclerc triumphed at Silverstone. Operational execution has improved, though mistakes in Hungary proved costly.

Alpine — After sacrificing 2025 to concentrate on designing this year's car, Alpine's gamble has largely paid off. Pierre Gasly scored an impressive podium in Monaco, and both drivers are capable of fighting for points. But a mid-season plateau has seen Racing Bulls overtake them for fifth.

McLaren — The reigning constructors' champions have performed below expectations. Their late-season focus on 2025's title bid meant they shifted to 2026 development later than rivals. Andrea Stella revealed the initial aerodynamic concept needed "redirecting." But the Hungary upgrade package was a breakthrough, with Norris's victory proving the team is back in the fight.

Red Bull — A strange first half. The anticipated weak spot — its first in-house engine — turned out to be one of the strongest parts of the package. But the RB22 chassis hasn't given Max Verstappen a chance at a fifth title. Rear wing failures in Austria and Britain were concerning. Isack Hadjar, however, appears to have ended the team's longstanding second-seat curse.

Audi — The chassis has been solid even if the engine has been the primary weak point. Nico Hülkenberg scored his first points in Budapest, and Gabriel Bortoleto has consistently been on the fringes of the top 10. Audi appears to have leapfrogged Williams and Haas for outright performance.

Haas — After a promising start, Haas has slipped from Q3 contender to regular Q1 candidate. Consistency issues with car parts have plagued both drivers. The outlook for the rest of the year is hardly encouraging.

Cadillac — F1's newest team earns grace for building everything from scratch. It remains the only team without points, but the numbers are trending in the right direction, and operational mistakes are growing less frequent. The foundation for a competitive future is being laid.

Williams — After all the focus on 2026, this year has been a big disappointment. Production delays, a missed first test, and an overweight, slow car have taken the momentum out of the team's recovery plan. The next major upgrade arrives in Baku, but Albon has already cast doubt on its effectiveness.

Aston Martin (F) — The sole F grade. Despite vast investment, new facilities, Adrian Newey and Honda, Aston tumbled into backmarker status. The car arrived late to testing, suffered a severe vibration problem, and at Spa the slowest Cadillac was over two seconds quicker than the fastest Aston. The Hungary upgrade was a step forward, but it comes too late for the first half.

Driver rankings: Antonelli arrives

1. Kimi Antonelli — Twelve months after failing to make the top-10 midseason rankings, the 19-year-old is a comfortable number one. His consistency has been remarkable, and when he needs to turn up the pace, he delivers in blistering fashion. Toto Wolff described it as a "serenity."

2. Lando Norris — Not the title defence he wanted, sitting more than 100 points adrift, but McLaren's car development lag limited what was possible. When the car has been on-song, Norris has flourished, with his dominant Hungary victory a deserved way to enter the summer break.

3. Max Verstappen — The four-time champion continues to shine in inferior machinery. A first win eludes him as he battles a car with a narrow operating window. But his execution remains strong, with driving errors rare, and he's outqualified teammate Hadjar 8-3.

4. George Russell — Antonelli has the edge, but Russell has endured significant bad luck — reliability failures and issues outside his control. He won the season-opener in Australia and added victory in Austria, but the gap to his teammate has grown. Without the issues, the gap would be closer.

5. Lewis Hamilton — A revival that has changed the narrative of his Ferrari move. Barcelona was his golden moment — rapid all weekend and he duly converted for his first Ferrari victory. But a handful of mistakes and four penalties in three race weekends have cost him.

6. Charles Leclerc — A tale of two halves. Hamilton outshone him early, but Leclerc's confidence grew after Ferrari changed his brakes from Barcelona onwards. His British GP victory snapped a 37-race losing streak. "I'm confident in saying that I made a step forward," he said. "Whether I'm at the level where I want to perform, not yet."

7. Oscar Piastri — Expectations were high after challenging for the 2025 title, but 2026 has started disappointingly. Norris has had the edge, and Piastri's smooth driving style hasn't suited the new cars. Reliability has also been an issue, including a DNS in Australia and a gearbox failure in Hungary.

8. Isack Hadjar — Filling the Red Bull second seat alongside Verstappen was a tall order, but Hadjar has done it. He's consistently got plenty out of the car, even outqualifying Verstappen at times. His Spa drive from 21st to sixth was arguably his finest F1 performance.

9. Pierre Gasly — An underrated driver spending his prime contending in the upper-midfield. His Monaco podium from ninth on the grid was the standout. He narrowly holds a 6-5 lead over teammate Franco Colapinto in race results.

10. Liam Lawson — Rediscovered his form and confidence after his Red Bull demotion. With team stability and a solid car, he has regularly been the Racing Bulls driver there to take opportunities, with two sixths, two sevenths and two eighths to his name.

Head-to-head: How teammates stack up

The qualifying and race head-to-heads reveal some fascinating battles. At Mercedes, Antonelli leads Russell 7-4 in both qualifying and races. At Ferrari, Leclerc edges Hamilton 6-5 in qualifying, but Hamilton leads 6-5 in races. Norris holds a 7-4 qualifying advantage over Piastri, though they are level 5-5 in races. Verstappen dominates Hadjar 8-3 across both metrics. At Williams, Sainz surprisingly leads Albon 9-2 in qualifying, and Aston Martin's Alonso outqualifies Stroll 9-2.