The bizarre F1 streak that survived every race of the 2026 season so far

The 2026 season has produced a curious statistic heading into the summer break: no podium combination has been repeated across the opening 11 races, with a different trio of drivers finishing in the top three at every Grand Prix. The trend began immediately in Australia, where George Russell won ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc, before Antonelli took victory in China with Russell second and Lewis Hamilton third. The championship leader then shared the podium with Oscar Piastri and Leclerc in Japan, before Norris and Piastri joined him in the top three in Miami. Antonelli continued his winning run in Canada and Monaco, but once again with different drivers alongside him on each occasion: Hamilton and Max Verstappen in Montreal, followed by Hamilton and Pierre Gasly in Monte Carlo, with the Frenchman inheriting third place from compatriot Isack Hadjar after the latter was stripped of his podium finish. The sequence has continued even as different winners have emerged. Hamilton led Russell and Norris home in Spain, while Russell won in Austria ahead of Verstappen and Antonelli. Silverstone produced yet another new trio as Leclerc claimed victory from Russell and Hamilton, before Antonelli returned to the top step in Belgium with Leclerc and Verstappen completing the podium. Most recently, Norris' breakthrough victory in Hungary saw Verstappen finish second and Antonelli third, extending the run to 11 completely different podium combinations from 11 races. The text continues below the image. Photo: Race Pictures Photo: Race Pictures F1 summer break almost over: Full schedule for Dutch GP's final farewell Formula 1 is almost ready to fire back into life after the summer break, with Zandvoort hosting the opening round of the second half of the 2026 season. It will also be a significant weekend for the Dutch Grand Prix, as the event prepares to make its final appearance on the F1 calendar before dropping off the schedule next year. There will be little time for the drivers to settle back into action, with the Sprint format returning for the fifth and penultimate time this season. The only remaining Sprint weekend after Zandvoort will take place in Singapore in October. The weekend gets underway on Friday with the sole free practice session at 12:30 local time (11:30 UK time), before Sprint Qualifying takes place at 16:30 (15:30 UK time). Saturday begins with the Sprint at 12:00 (11:00 UK time), followed by qualifying for the Grand Prix at 16:00 (15:00 UK time). The final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort will bring the weekend to a close on Sunday, with lights out scheduled for 15:00 local time and 14:00 in the UK.