RaceFans has reported:

George Russell and Charles Leclerc finished the 2026 Formula 1 season tied as the leading sprint race points-scorers, with 34 points apiece from the year’s six sprint events. Andrea Kimi Antonelli can secure the drivers’ championship at the next round, but three of his rivals earned more sprint points than he did over the season.

Russell’s chance to add to his total ended at the most recent race. He took the lead from Max Verstappen at the start and could have beaten him, but crashed at the end of the opening lap. The retirement ended Russell’s bid for a fourth sprint victory and left him level on points with Leclerc, who did not win a sprint race.

The close point gaps between sprint finishing positions helped produce the tie. Sprint races award points only to the top eight finishers, and the points awarded for each place are separated by smaller margins than in grand prix races.

Lando Norris was in line to finish as the season’s leading sprint points-scorer after Russell’s retirement. A last-lap collision with his team-mate cost Norris three points, however, leaving him third in the final tally.

Drivers from the top four teams generally took most of the available sprint points. Isack Hadjar was the exception among that group, scoring none in a sprint race. Liam Lawson earned sprint points for both Red Bull, when he substituted for Hadjar at Zandvoort, and Racing Bulls.

Lawson’s regular team-mate, Arvid Lindblad, also scored sprint points. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg were among the other drivers outside the top four teams to collect points. For almost half the grid, the sprint events brought no points.

Formula 1 will add four more sprint races next year. The increase could widen the points gap between the leading teams and the midfield, as the leading teams have generally dominated the limited points available in the format.

Russell’s season ended with a missed opportunity to win a fourth sprint, while Leclerc matched his points without taking a sprint victory. Their 34-point tie places both ahead of Norris, whose lost three points after the last-lap tangle left him third.