F1 Standings: Verstappen Red Bull exit clause latest, Lewis Hamilton closes in

The F1 standings in the coming weeks are important not just for who leads the way at the top of the table as that Max Verstappen Red Bull exit clause comes very much into play.

The 28-year-old four-time world champion has a deal at Milton Keynes which runs through the 2028 season, but reportedly there is a clause which could change everything.

READ MORE: McLaren appear to be cursed - what do they do about it?

Should the mighty Dutchman be outside the top two in the Drivers' standings when the summer break arrives on Monday July 27, he would then be free to test the open market. That would likely trigger a massive race for his signature.

Heading into Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal everything appeared to be completely lost for Red Bull with Max some 60 points behind second-placed George Russell (Mercedes). But now things are just ever so slightly brighter.

A third-place finish for Verstappen, allied to Russell's shocking DNF with mechanical issues, means the gap is now down to 45 points.

While that gives Red Bull a glimmer of hope, it is literally only a glimmer with Mercedes continuing to dominate races at the front of the field. Young Italian Kimi Antonelli continues to lead the championship after yet another race win in Montreal.

The other big narrative coming out of Sunday's race in Canada was the renaissance of one Lewis Hamilton, with the 41-year-old now just three points behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc after a brilliant second place.

The British superstar looked to be back to something like his very best at one of his favourite circuits, while Leclerc endured a miserable weekend at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

McLaren meanwhile endured an absolutely shocking and pointless Sunday afternoon in Canada, with an early strategy blunder around tyre choice costing them dear. Oscar Piastri would eventually finish 11th with world champion Lando Norris a DNF.

READ MORE: Russell in FIA wrath after Canadian Grand Prix tantrum

Latest F1 Driver Standings after 2026 Canadian Grand Prix

Coming away from Montreal and heading now to Monaco, the standings look like this:

Latest Constructor Standings

When is the next F1 race?

The next race is the Monaco Grand Prix, with practice due to begin on Friday June 5 and the race taking place on Sunday June 7.

RESULTS: Canadian GP: Final classification after late penalties applied

Written by

Graham Shaw - Consultant Editor

Digital sports leader with 30 years of senior level experience running global brands. Built sportinglife.com to be a behemoth in the UK as well as being in charge of the Planet Sport network of sites including planetf1.com, football365.com, teamtalk.com and planetrugby.com. Then grew goal.com to be the world's biggest soccer website in 18 languages and 37 territories. Was GM of Portals for Perform Group (now DAZN) with overall responsibility for sportingnews.com, spox.de and voetbalzone.nl.

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