Mercedes staff don’t see George Russell as 2026 title favourite with Kimi Antonelli change
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images Mercedes are not convinced George Russell is more likely than Andrea Kimi Antonelli to win the 2026 F1 drivers’ title after seeing where the Italian could have an edge. Russell entered the season as the popular pick to come out on top, with many expecting Mercedes to lead the way under the new rules. He’s now in his ninth year in F1 and his fifth with Mercedes, while Antonelli is only in his second season.
McLaren star and reigning champion Lando Norris also picked Russell as his early title favourite, expecting him to make full use of Mercedes’ engine advantage and build on his experience from last year. But it’s Antonelli who leads the standings after three rounds, holding a nine-point gap over Russell. While Russell opened with a win in Australia and took victory in the Chinese Sprint from pole, Antonelli responded by claiming back-to-back wins in China and Japan.
Kimi Antonelli may have an edge over George Russell on F1’s hardest 2026 tyres Antonelli made the most of a safety car in China to clinch his first Grand Prix win, then followed up with another victory at Suzuka despite falling five places at the start. Both races highlighted how well he’s adapted to Pirelli’s tougher tyre compounds compared to Russell. “It is still early days but it looks like Kimi can make the difference over George when racing on Pirelli’s hardest tyre compounds,” Formula Technica reported.
Pirelli had shifted from their softest tyres (C3 to C5) used in Australia to medium (C2 to C4) in China and then harder options (C1 to C3) for Japan. Antonelli managed both weekends well, using a smooth driving style that helped him get the most out of the tyres without pushing them beyond their limits. Russell, by contrast, found the W17 less reliable and struggled with grip.
The team isn’t picking sides yet, but they no longer see Russell as the clear favourite either. As F1 heads into its April break before returning in Miami from 1-3 May, all eyes will be on how Antonelli copes with leading the title race and whether Russell can bounce back after falling behind his young teammate, something that wasn’t helped by a poorly timed safety car in Japan. Antonelli has said he’s not focusing too much on championship talk this early into a 22-round season, though he admits he feels “confident” about his chances.