Antonelli's title push, Verstappen's next move and the return of Sepang - What to look forward to when F1 returns

The world of F1 is on a short hiatus, the teams enjoying a break from racing before the season resumes in the Netherlands later in August. Some drivers need a chance to get away after a tricky run of races but others would have liked to keep the momentum going.

George Russell might belong to the former camp, the Mercedes man enduring a difficult race in Hungary last weekend that saw him recover to finish seventh. But team mate Kimi Antonelli could have continued, such has been his form over the first half of the season.

Those two will renew their rivalry in Zandvoort, which is a Sprint weekend no less and thus will be jam-packed with action and an extra chance to score some points. But watching the two Mercedes drivers go head to head is not the only thing to look forward to in the second half of the season…

The title fight looks set to be a thriller

Antonelli leads Lewis Hamilton by 50 points, with plenty of racing still to come. He is 59 points ahead of his team mate too, but as Toto Wolff pointed out, reliability has not been perfect for Mercedes this season.

As such, this one is very much not done and dusted. Antonelli is in prime position to become the youngest ever World Champion, having won six of the first 11 Grands Prix. His lead in the Drivers' Championship standings is good, but not insurmountable.

Last year, Max Verstappen came close to hauling in Lando Norris for the title, despite being over 100 points behind then-Championship leader Oscar Piastri after Zandvoort. The Dutchman finished just two points behind Norris and ahead of Piastri after the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

That should give heart to Hamilton and Russell, who are nowhere near as far back. Russell knows he needs to get on top of his machinery, while Hamilton will be buoyed by the fact that Ferrari’s upgrades have been doing the business this year.

And if the seven-time World Champion really goes on the hunt, there are questions as to how much pressure a 19-year-old can absorb, even one as grounded as Antonelli.

The return of Sepang

The Bahrain Grand Prix returns to the calendar and will be hosted in Malaysia, with the event scheduled for October 2-4. It is the first time Sepang has hosted a race since 2017, and thus the track will be a new one for many in the field.

Fernando Alonso knows how to win around the Sepang International Circuit having done so three times for three different teams. Hamilton has won there too in his Mercedes days, while Verstappen won the last edition in 2017.

The race is often hot and humid, and the drivers might be tempted to put in some extra training into their summer break as a result. It can also throw up mixed weather conditions, with rain storms not unusual.

The Sepang track has had its fair share of dramatic moments too, with Hamilton’s reliability woes there in 2016 contributing to Nico Rosberg’s title bid, while it was also the scene of the “Multi 21” moment at Red Bull between Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.

But the return of a driver-favourite track also shows the agile nature of the sport, who have managed to find a good alternative following the postponement of the Bahrain Grand Prix from April earlier this year.

A development race for the ages

At the start of a new era of regulations, development is always key. The pecking order has already changed this year, both up front and in the midfield – and with so many races still to go, there is plenty of time for it to shake up yet again.

Antonelli has said Mercedes have been out-developed by their rivals, and certainly some of their early-season advantage seems to have been reduced. Russell was over 18 seconds clear of the next non-Mercedes car in the Australian Grand Prix, whereas Antonelli won in Belgium by less than two seconds from Charles Leclerc.

McLaren’s latest package looks good, and it helped take Norris to the win in Hungary. They have more parts coming after the summer break, to try and make sure Budapest was not an anomaly but a sign of things to come.

With Ferrari having won two races and Hamilton in the thick of the title fight, the Scuderia need to bring some more parts, and so do Red Bull who last bolted on a big package in Austria.

It is not just about developing for this year though – the choices the teams make will have an impact on the 2027 season too. Red Bull developed late into 2025 to aid Verstappen’s title fight, which cost them earlier this year.

So, while Ferrari might be tempted to throw everything at this season in a bid to get Hamilton to that record eighth title, if they do so, they might handicap themselves for next year. It is all a balancing act, and a fascinating one to see who rolls the dice in 2026 and who plays the long game.

Permutations in the driver market

The summer break used to be known as the start of ‘silly season’ when rumours abound as to who might be moving teams, who could be out of the sport and which rookies look a good option to jump into the pressurised world of F1.

Some years Alonso has held the key as to who goes where, while in 2024 it was all about Hamilton’s move to Ferrari that set in motion Carlos Sainz’s move to Williams. And this season it could all be about Verstappen.

Can Red Bull consistently provide him with a car able to win races? If the answer is yes, the Dutchman might be tempted to see out his contract, which is said to have performance-related clauses in it. But if Red Bull struggle after the break, could the Dutchman look elsewhere?

It is another thing to keep in mind when F1 returns, with so much in play behind the scenes.