Bernie Ecclestone says George Russell needs ‘killer instinct’ as he names him as 2026 favourite

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Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has named George Russell as his favourite to win the 2026 championship.

The Mercedes driver enjoyed his best season in F1 in 2025, finishing fourth in the standings behind McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. With two wins, he was the only driver outside the top three to claim victory last year.

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Heading into 2026, many are placing their bets on Russell winning the championship, given the rumours surrounding Mercedes’ power unit amid the FIA compression ratio controversy. They are believed to have the fastest engine.

Jenson Button thinks Russell will fight Norris for the title in 2026, giving fans an all-British battle. This year, the Mercedes driver could be in a good position to make a challenge.

Bernie Ecclestone says George Russell needs ‘killer instinct’ to win 2026 F1 title

Speaking to sport.de, former F1 CEO Ecclestone named Russell and Mercedes as his favourites to win the 2026 title. However, while he thinks the team have the edge, he believes that the Brit needs to show the ‘killer instinct’ to clinch the crown.

He said: “Mercedes has the edge. Russell has the ability, but he needs to show that killer instinct throughout the entire season.”

Has Bernie Ecclestone just pinpointed why George Russell WON’T win the title this season?

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Ecclestone then added: “A team with Mercedes engines has a good chance of winning the World Championship.” He thinks the Brackley outfit have the advantage with their power unit, which could favour McLaren, Alpine and Williams.

Agreeing with Ecclestone, Max Verstappen says a ‘good team’ with Mercedes engines will do well in 2026. It is up to the teams themselves to build the complete package.

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George Russell has ‘serious’ issue to worry about at Mercedes ahead of 2026 season

It is not hard to see why so many people are predicting Russell to fight for the championship in 2026. ‘Everyone’ said Mercedes are the fastest team heading into the season after seeing their car in pre-season.

The Silver Arrows have certainly built a competitive package, with the data showing Mercedes were fastest in the practice starts during Bahrain testing.

The team racked up more laps than any other team during the second week at Sakhir, but while the power unit is quick, reliability is a huge problem.

Mercedes suffered a ‘serious’ power unit failure in Bahrain, which hampered Kimi Antonelli’s run on Friday. Whether it will get in the way of the Italian and his teammate’s charge in Melbourne is another question.