A photographer's eye on a season already full of drama

The 2026 Formula 1 season has only reached its halfway point, but every emotion has already been laid bare — the joy of a maiden victory, the frustration of an underwhelming weekend, the unbridled anger of watching points slip away. Few are better placed to capture it all than a trackside photographer. We asked F1 lensman Alex O'Connor to select his most striking shots from the opening 11 rounds and explain the process behind each, offering a unique perspective on the exhilarating action so far.

1. Leclerc threads the needle

Charles Leclerc has become synonymous with Ferrari since stepping up to the Scuderia in 2019. Having committed to a contract extension in June, the Monegasque began 2026 hopeful that Ferrari would make a hotly-anticipated return to the front — and so far it is the closest they have been for a while, gradually closing the gap to Mercedes with consistent upgrades.

O'Connor explained the thinking behind his portrait: “At the start of every Formula 1 season, I am given around five minutes to shoot with each driver, all during F1's pre-season content capture days. Throughout these years I've always tried to capture something different, whether that be a crazy fisheye lens, or capturing a macro shot of a driver's iris. This year, I posed a couple of drivers, including Leclerc, using their hand/glove as a prop, looking through the tight gaps in between their fingers. The job of an F1 driver is to thread the needle through the tiniest of gaps, eeking out performance, with often very limited vision. I intended these portraits to reflect exactly that. Charles is always a gent when it comes to photography, and he understood the assignment on this occasion!”

2. A vibrant Suzuka

Round 3 took the paddock to the picturesque Suzuka Circuit, with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli still riding high after his maiden Grand Prix win in China. He repeated the feat in Japan, beating Oscar Piastri and Leclerc to simultaneously take control of the Drivers' Championship.

“This is by far one of my favourite shots of the season so far,” O'Connor said. “For years I have stood under the vibrant blossom trees of Suzuka Circuit, attempting to capture the cars weaving between the branches. However this year, I put my camera on a long monopod, where my remote camera trigger would be able to fire off the shutter. And to make things harder, I put on a Canon FD lens, a beautiful vintage Japanese manual focus lens. This meant auto focus was out of the question, and I had to calculate my focus point with the speed of the car as well as the delay of the remote trigger. After multiple attempts, we got the shot.”

3. Russell back in the hunt

O'Connor took this image in parc ferme after George Russell won the Canada Sprint — his first time on the top step since the season opener at Albert Park. Antonelli had just about survived a resurgent McLaren at the previous round in Miami, but Russell's determined performance in Canada proved he was not giving up on the title fight.

“It really felt like a momentum swing back in George's favour, and I managed to capture this shot in parc ferme as George walked behind Kimi. For me, this encapsulated that George was back in the hunt, for now,” O'Connor summarised.

4. A bird's eye view of Monaco

Monaco delivered another classic, with Antonelli taking the honours in style, avoiding multiple crashes and retirements to cross the line ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.

“During FP2 in Monaco, I was extremely lucky to head up in the television helicopter above the circuit,” O'Connor said. “This was my first time shooting from a helicopter, and it was everything I wanted and more. As we dropped from the Tête de Chien, the pilot pointed the aircraft nose towards the circuit. At this point, you begin to fight the g-forces on descent as you try to maintain control and balance of your camera. We manoeuvred around the swimming pool section, and with my eye pressed as hard as possible against my viewfinder, I was able to capture this image.”

5. '12 is number one'

The excitement around Mercedes centred on Russell finally having a title-worthy car, but few anticipated such a remarkable leap from Antonelli. Mistake-prone as a rookie, the youngster's matured competitive edge shone in Miami, where he recovered from a disappointing Sprint to convert pole into a third straight Grand Prix win — becoming the youngest championship leader in 76 years of F1.

“Lift-off. After Antonelli wins in Miami, he launches himself off the car before sprinting to his team. This was an announcement and it felt significant. 12 is number one,” O'Connor said.

6. Ocon on the pace

Away from the front, Haas endured a rollercoaster first half. Ollie Bearman claimed valuable points with P7 and P5 finishes in Australia and China, but their pace fell away as Racing Bulls and Alpine edged ahead, leaving Bearman and Esteban Ocon in a five-race point-less drought before the summer break.

“I actually captured this photograph of Ocon while he was on the pace during the Barcelona Shakedown earlier this year. I really enjoy playing with shutter speed and panning techniques, to accentuate the speed and design of the cars,” O'Connor stated.

7. Lewis resurgence

If Antonelli's talent sits at one end of the scale, the other is Hamilton's revival after a frustrating maiden Ferrari campaign. The seven-time champion took his first win since 2024 at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, then qualified on pole for the British Grand Prix Sprint. A pair of Silverstone podiums reignited belief in a potentially groundbreaking season.

“Following his first win in red in Barcelona this year, Hamilton followed it up quickly with an emphatic Sprint pole,” O'Connor said. “As I waited for Lewis to pull into parc ferme, I noticed that all of the British photographers were absolutely ecstatic. People were high fiving and chatting, 'Could he do it this weekend?'. This felt special. Lewis got out of the car to a rapturous applause, and he deserved it.”

8. Hamilton's lap to the Sprint grid

“Back-to-back Hamilton,” O'Connor confessed. “This is definitely up there as one of my favourite shots of my career. This was Lewis pulling onto the Sprint grid.” With a record nine wins at Silverstone, Hamilton approached slowly waving to the fans, giving O'Connor seconds to spare.

“Often, the lap to grid provides photographers with the opportunity to capture a car alone on track. You only have a few seconds before the car drives towards you and often you are swallowed by a team of mechanics. On this occasion, Lewis approached slowly as he waved to the fans, so I was able to get my shot with seconds to spare.”

9. Sparks fly in Hungary

The 2026 cars — smaller and featuring new power units — have tested every team. At the Hungaroring, Lando Norris thrived, securing his first Grand Prix win as reigning World Champion.

“This photo of an exploding spark was captured during the Hungarian Grand Prix at Turn 4,” said O'Connor. “I would be lying if I said I spotted it at the moment, however I was confident I had some nice sparks. It's a great section of track that yields many sparks, and this was a nice surprise!”

10. Verstappen's determination

Max Verstappen faced his share of hurdles, with reliability and pace issues leaving him off the podium until Round 5. Upgrades have since hauled Red Bull back into contention ahead of his home race in the Netherlands.

“I took this on the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix after Max had gotten out of his car. Walking towards me, I managed to get some nice close ups of his eyes through his visor, which is always the aim when shooting through helmets. What I love about this image is how determined yet focused his eyes are, which just sums him up so well,” O'Connor stated.

11. Monaco tunnel vision

Williams have struggled with production delays, an overweight FW48 and underwhelming upgrades, with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon openly sharing their frustrations. Albon nonetheless took P8 at a chaotic Monaco — his best of 2026 — though the team sat on just 11 points after 11 rounds.

“The Monaco tunnel is one of the most famous tunnels in the world, and this is where the cars hit their highest speed on the circuit. From a photographer's perspective, it can be extremely difficult to shoot, as the gaps between the barriers are extremely small. That said, I did manage to get this shot of Albon during Qualifying, using a star filter on the front of my lens to get the starburst light effect I wanted,” O'Connor said.

12. Antonelli's composure

Despite Mercedes' reliability woes — including a Barcelona retirement — Antonelli holds a commanding 50-point lead over Hamilton, with Russell a further nine back. His poise beyond his years has defined his campaign.

“This was Antonelli getting ready on the grid in Hungary. Kimi is always so calm on the grid, taking his time to get ready, which is great as a photographer. It's quite incredible that a teenager has this level of composure, which for me correlates with his incredible performances so far this year,” O'Connor concluded.