Five things we've learned from first half of F1 season

Five things we've learned from first half of F1 seasonImage source, Getty ImagesByAndrew BensonF1 CorrespondentPublished3 minutes agoFormula 1 teams head off on their summer break this week after a hectic 11 races to start a new era of the sport.F1 2026 has been full of storylines - controversy over new rules, a new star emerging, the rebirth of an old one, and calendar disruption caused by a war.Even now, as they head off on holiday for a couple of weeks, the teams still don't know how many races are left this season.But those so far have revealed plenty. Here are five things we have learned so far in F1 2026.1. Antonelli is the real dealTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, Title race would be 'done and dusted' without Mercedes reliability issuesKimi Antonelli started his Formula 1 career in 2025 hyped as the next generational talent - but did not live up to that billing in his maiden season.How that has changed in 2026.This was supposed to be his team-mate George Russell's year.Mercedes have delivered on the expectation they would be the team to beat with eight wins and 10 pole positions in the first 11 grands prix, and Russell dominated his rookie team-mate in 2025.But Antonelli took a gargantuan step in development over the winter and, while Russell started the season strongly with a win, the Italian soon took control.Initially, the competitive picture between the two was slightly clouded by some poor luck for Russell in the opening races of the season.But, as time has passed, it has become increasingly clear that Antonelli is dominating his team-mate so far this season in the best car.While Russell has floundered a little, less comfortable with the car, and is still afflicted by bad luck, pace seems to flow from Antonelli so easily. Along with devastating pace, his driving is decisive, committed and cool.The 19-year-old will be tough to stop in the second half of th...