The story behind these 12 striking images from the 2026 season

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The 2026 season has only just reached its halfway point, but every emotion has already been showcased – the joy of a maiden victory, frustration of an underwhelming weekend, unbridled anger at watching points slip out of a driver’s hands. No one is better placed to capture all of that than a photographer. It’s a cliche that a picture speaks a thousand words, but motorsport photographers like Alex O’Connor convey thoughts and feelings through their work that are impossible to express in any other medium. For that reason, we asked O’Connor to select his most striking shots from the opening 11 rounds of the year and explain the process behind each photograph, offering a unique perspective on the exhilarating action we’ve witnessed so far. Charles Leclerc has become synonymous with Ferrari in recent years, having first stepped up to the iconic team for the 2019 campaign. Although he’s clinched victories here and there over time, he began 2026 with the hope that the Scuderia would make a hotly-anticipated return to the front of the field – and so far, it’s the closest they’ve been for a while, having gradually closed the gap to Mercedes with consistent upgrades. Outlining this shot of the Monegasque, who also committed to a contract extension in June, O’Connor explained: “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, eking 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!” Round 3 saw the teams and drivers take on the picturesque Suzuka Circuit, with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli still riding the high of his maiden Grand Prix win in China. He would go on to repeat the achievement in Japan by beating Oscar Piastri and Leclerc, simultaneously taking control of the Drivers’ Championship. “This is by far one of my favourite shots of the season so far,” our photographer said. “For years I have stood under the vibrant blossom trees of Suzuka Circuit, attempting to capture the cars weaving between the branches (often on tippy-toes). “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 with the camera shutter. After multiple attempts, we got the shot.” O’Connor took this shot in parc ferme after George Russell won the Canada Sprint – his first time on the top step of the podium since the season opener at Albert Park. Antonelli had just about survived the threat of a resurgent McLaren at the previous round in Miami, but his team mate’s determined performance in Canada – ultimately thrown off course by his retirement from the Grand Prix – proved that he wasn’t going to give up on the title fight easily. O’Connor summarised: “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.” Arguably F1’s most renowned venue, Monaco has been a steadfast fixture on the calendar since the inaugural season in 1950 and possesses a motorsport history stretching back even further. Its luxurious setting, memorable layout and unique driving challenge have made it a Grand Prix that every driver dreams of winning. This year, Antonelli took that honour 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 Monaco Grand Prix 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, Monaco’s towering rock, 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.” The excitement around the Silver Arrows heading into this year was largely focused on Russell finally having a car worthy of a championship fight, with very few anticipating such a remarkable improvement from Antonelli. He made practically every mistake he could as a rookie, paving the way for his matured competitive nature to shine in 2026. This was key in Miami, where he recovered from a disappointing Sprint to convert pole position into a third consecutive Grand Prix win, affirming his status as the youngest championship leader in 76 years of F1. O’Connor summed it up: “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.” Away from the frontrunners, it’s been a rollercoaster first half of the season for many midfield outfits, including Haas. They started out with some incredible drives from sophomore competitor Ollie Bearman, who claimed valuable points with P7 and P5 finishes in Australia and China respectively. From then on, their pace fell away and rivals like Racing Bulls and Alpine edged ahead in the development race, leaving the Briton and his experienced team mate Esteban Ocon to suffer a point-less drought of five races leading up to the summer break. “This is another of my favourite shots of the season so far,” O’Connor stated. “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.” If the talent shown by 19-year-old Antonelli sits at one end of the scale, the other must be Hamilton’s revival off the back of his frustrating maiden campaign with Ferrari. With seven Drivers’ Championships and a record 106 race wins to his name, the Briton has built a phenomenal legacy, but he’s not done yet. He took his first victory since 2024 at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix in an emotional display of skill and passion before qualifying on pole position for the Sprint at the British Grand Prix. While he didn’t add to his tally of wins at Silverstone, a pair of podiums over the weekend was more than enough to reignite the faith in a potentially groundbreaking season for Hamilton, which O’Connor labelled “Lewis resurgence”. “Following his first win in red in Barcelona this year, Hamilton followed it up quickly with an emphatic Sprint pole,” he continued. “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.” “Back-to-back Hamilton (not sorry),” 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.” Hamilton holds an awe-inspiring number of records, including the most triumphs at a single circuit. It’s apt that he achieved his nine wins at Silverstone, the host of his home race and a venue where he always receives an outpouring of love and support from the fans packing out the grandstands. The photographer added: “Often, the lap to grid provides photographers with the opportunity to capture a car alone on track, as if you were taking the photo during a race. “You only have a few seconds before the car drives towards you and often you are swallowed by a team of mechanics collecting the car. On this occasion, Lewis approached slowly as he waved to the fans, so I was able to get my shot with seconds to spare.” Teams and drivers have spent this season learning about the latest generation of cars which, among many other differences, feature new power units and are smaller compared to the 2025 challengers. Every circuit has therefore offered a new test for them to optimise the cars, with one of the most difficult tracks so far being the Hungaroring. While the demanding conditions and lack of overtaking opportunities took time for everyone to adapt to, Lando Norris thrived, securing his first Grand Prix win as the 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!” One individual we haven’t yet mentioned – and has demonstrated time and again that he should never be written off – is Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who has faced his fair share of hurdles to overcome this year. Reliability and a pace deficiency in the early races severely dented the team’s results, with the Dutchman waiting until Round 5 to stand on the podium. However, upgrade packages have allowed them to close up to the leading pack and regularly be in contention for more points, just in time for Verstappen’s upcoming home race in the Netherlands. “I took this on the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix after Max had gotten out of his car before heading to his garage,” O’Connor stated. “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.” Williams have had a tough time of it thanks to production delays, an overweight FW48 and upgrades that largely haven’t provided the boost they need, with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon openly sharing the struggles they’ve endured so far. Nevertheless, Albon took advantage of the chaotic Monaco Grand Prix to obtain his highest finish of 2026 in P8. But neither he nor Sainz scored in the following races, leaving the historic team with just 11 points from an equal number of rounds. Detailing this image, O’Connor said: “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, and getting too close can leave you in danger of getting hit by sparks of rubber from the tyres. “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.” Despite all of Antonelli’s eye-catching weekends, he hasn’t avoided falling victim to Mercedes’ concerning reliability issues as he was forced to retire from the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix and placed outside of the top 10 at Silverstone. He still holds a commanding 50-point lead over Hamilton in the standings, with Russell an additional nine points behind, and continues to show poise beyond his years when it comes to his attitude and racing prowess – any pressure he feels from defending his position is hidden well. “This was Antonelli getting ready on the grid in Hungary,” O’Connor concluded. “Kimi is always so calm on the grid, taking his time to get ready, which is great as a photographer as it gives you time to compose your shots! “It’s quite incredible that a teenager has this level of composure, which for me correlates with his incredible performances so far this year.” ExclusiveWhy Audi's driver programme is about more than their next F1 starBettingWhy Verstappen fans are rushing to back him againHow Cadillac’s 2026 season has played out so farOUR PARTNERSView allDownload the Official F1 AppYour ultimate companion into
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