Round 15 of the 2026 season at Baku City Circuit reshaped the narrative across Measure’s rankings, even as the top of the Drivers’ Championship stayed in the same order. George Russell’s Baku result and qualifying momentum contrasted with swings in the Momentum ranking and notable movement in improvement vs qualifying.
By Camille Fontaine
The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend at Baku City Circuit (Baku, Azerbaijan) delivered a mixed picture: stability at the very top of the championship table, but meaningful shifts across Measure’s performance indicators.
On points, the front three remained unchanged after round 15, yet the weekend still mattered—George Russell banked a strong points haul, Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s tally was more modest, and Lewis Hamilton added to his total. Elsewhere, the Momentum ranking saw sharp rises and falls, and the “Biggest improvement vs qualifying” list had a new surge into the top 10.
After Baku, Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) continues to lead the 2026 Drivers’ Championship on 302 points. George Russell (Mercedes) remains second on 236, with Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) third on 199.
Among the top five, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) sits fifth on 179, while Lando Norris (McLaren) is fourth on 186. In terms of round 15 scoring within that group: Russell recorded a P1 worth 25 points, Leclerc took P4 for 12, Antonelli finished P5 for 10, Hamilton was P6 for 8, and Norris recorded a retirement for 0.
The biggest swings in Measure’s rankings were led by the Momentum ranking. Lando Norris (McLaren) dropped 18 places to 19th (−1.58), while Liam Lawson (RB F1 Team) fell 10 to 18th (−1.33) and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) also dropped 10 to 20th (−2.42).
Going the other way, Arvid Lindblad (RB F1 Team) climbed nine places to fifth in the Momentum ranking (+2.00), and Esteban Ocon (Haas F1 Team) gained eight to seventh (+1.08). In “Biggest improvement vs qualifying,” Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) rose six places to sixth (+2.20).
For deeper dives from Baku: Russell’s weekend also fed into the “Best qualifying average” picture, while the “Best average race finish” story kept Antonelli in clear air and noted Leclerc edging ahead of Norris. Ocon’s season-long lead in “Biggest improvement vs qualifying” remained intact as Hülkenberg surged into the top 10.
With 15 rounds counted, Antonelli still has a substantial points cushion at the top, but Russell’s Baku boost shows how quickly the gap can shift when the leader doesn’t maximize a weekend. The contrasting Momentum moves—major drops for Norris and gains for Lindblad and Ocon—suggest the competitive picture is still volatile beneath the headline standings, making the next races a key test of whether these ranking swings settle into a trend.