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George Russell heads into 2026 not knowing where he’ll be in 12 months or whether he has a shot at becoming world champion.
That’s the beauty of a regulation change. While Mercedes have been tipped to be the fastest out of the blocks, there are no guarantees.
Because they have the same engine, McLaren will be quite close, as well. Oscar Piastri is gunning for revenge, and Russell is thirsty for his first taste of a title battle.
Max Verstappen is another factor. He’s always hungry, and it could help create an all-time spectacle. It’s one that would have Mercedes boss Toto Wolff on the edge of his seat.
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Kimi Antonelli is fully focused on Mercedes, and they seem quite committed to him, too. It means that if Verstappen were to join them in the future, it’s likely that Russell would be under threat.
That’s despite Wolff calling Russell the most underrated driver for his exploits in 2025. At times, they went unnoticed.
READ MORE: Toto Wolff tells George Russell he shouldn’t expect to be Mercedes’ number one driver
Karun Chandhok thinks George Russell has realised Toto Wolff prefers Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli
Speaking on the F1 Show Podcast, Karun Chandhok believes that Wolff now prefers Verstappen and Antonelli to Russell.
“Look at it from his point of view, right,” he said. “They brought in the wonderkid and he has done everything right from his perspective. He’s delivering results, he’s staying focused, he has grown to that team leader status, he’s beating his teammate.
“And yet his job is being put in question. It must’ve been a difficult place to be. I felt like he didn’t let it affect his on-track performance. Yeah, I mean I think that’s true [Wolff loves Antonelli and Verstappen more].”
Damon Hill has backed Russell to win in 2026 and finally get across the line for his very first title. In the junior categories, he was almost always a title contender.
He joined Mercedes just as their decline started. Valtteri Bottas was their second driver alongside Lewis Hamilton throughout their dominant seasons.
And now he might get some reward for his loyalty. It all depends on what has been going on behind the scenes at Brackley over the last few months.
What was George Russell’s form like at the end of the 2025 Formula 1 season?
Russell ended off the campaign in marginally worse fashion than he ended 2024. In two of the last four events, he had the same result.
In the other (Las Vegas), he finished one place worse off, and two places worse off in Qatar. His sprint race results were better, though.
Russell is now ‘frustrated’ by Antonelli, and he has been demonstrating a solid rate of improvement. For a 19-year-old, he recovered well from a mid-season slump.
Expect him to get stronger throughout his second season and pose more of a challenge to his teammate, who is under some pressure to earn a new contract.
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