Lewis Hamilton’s Canadian Grand Prix result vaults him from fourth to second in the 2026 ‘Most top-10 finishes’ ranking, creating a three-way tie at the top on five apiece. George Russell’s retirement drops him two places and loosens his early grip on the lead group.
By Julian Reyes
The biggest swing after Montreal is Lewis Hamilton climbing from fourth to second in the ‘Most top-10 finishes’ table, moving +2 places to sit on five from five races. That puts the Ferrari driver level on the headline number with both Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc, turning what had been a settled-looking top three into a compressed, tie-heavy fight where every finish now has disproportionate weight.
Hamilton’s rise is sharpened by what happened at Mercedes the other side of the garage. George Russell arrived in Canada as the ranking’s second-place holder, but a retirement (classified 19th) means his count stays at four and he slips from second to fourth. In a ranking that explicitly doesn’t reward retirements even if a driver is classified, Russell’s Montreal scoreline is doubly costly: it halts his consistency run and immediately reorders the pecking order around him.
Max Verstappen is the quieter beneficiary of that reshuffle, edging from sixth to fifth with four top-10 finishes. It’s a reminder that in a season five races old, the table isn’t only about who wins — Antonelli’s 68-lap victory from second on the grid keeps him perfect at five, but the broader story is the streak signal holding: the drivers who keep finishing keep rising, while a single non-finish can undo early momentum. With no new entrants or exits to the top 10 this week, the battle is increasingly about marginal gains in a tightly packed upper order.
| Driver | Team | Before | After | Δ | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 |
| George Russell | Mercedes | 2 | 4 | -2 | 4 |
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 |
With Antonelli, Hamilton and Leclerc all on five top-10 finishes after five rounds, the ranking is now defined by perfection at the top and fragility just behind: Russell and Verstappen sit on four, so one clean finish can swing positions quickly — while any retirement is instantly punished by the rules.