George Russell asserts his claim to the unofficial 2026 F1 sprint championship.

In 2026, George Russell would have been recognized as the sprint champion had F1 introduced such an accolade, particularly after Lando Norris’s last-minute incident with his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in Singapore.

While Russell currently observes his hopes for the championship title dwindling as his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli continues to build his advantage in the standings, he has excelled in the sprint events.

Although there is no formal sprint championship, the results from all six sprint races have been unofficially tallied.

Both Russell and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc accrued 34 points from the six sprint races held in China, Miami, Canada, Britain, the Netherlands, and Singapore. Russell takes the lead on countback due to his three victories, while Leclerc amassed his 34 points without a sprint win.

Norris is just one point behind with 33, thanks to his victory in Miami. Following the top three, Antonelli secured 31 points, with Lewis Hamilton at 27, Piastri at 21, and Max Verstappen at 20.

George Russell, Mercedes

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

As for the main championship, there are still six rounds left, provided the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix proceed as scheduled. Antonelli currently holds the lead with 340 points, followed by Russell and Hamilton in second and third with 238 and 229 points respectively.

Verstappen is in fourth with 221 points and comes into the upcoming United States Grand Prix following two consecutive victories at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and the Singapore Grand Prix.

Leclerc rounds out the top five with 215 points.