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Jolyon Palmer thinks Mercedes driver George Russell can still win the 2026 F1 title by pulling off a “big run of races” like McLaren’s Lando Norris did to get the 2025 crown.
Norris won his maiden F1 drivers’ championship last year after overturning a 34-point deficit to his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, after 15 of the 24 rounds. The Briton outscored the Australian at each event from rounds 16 to 21 and ultimately ended the year 13 points clear.
Russell is already starting to face a similar scenario in 2026 to what Norris faced in 2025, as his Mercedes teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, is already 20 points ahead after only four of this year’s 22 scheduled rounds. Russell had led Antonelli by four points after two rounds.
Antonelli has flipped the script on Russell by scoring three consecutive Grand Prix poles and wins, which saw the Italian break and set new records. He is the youngest driver to lead the standings, and the first to get their first three wins from their first three poles consecutively.
Which driver’s podium streak will end in 2026? And whose will last the longest? 🏆
Lando Norris reached seven seasons in a row with his P2 in Miami!
George Russell can still win the 2026 F1 title if he mimics Lando Norris’ 2025 title charge
Palmer feels Russell will be “soul searching” after seeing Antonelli win the Miami Grand Prix on the back of his wins in China and Japan, as he adds that the former has got worse “every passing weekend”. Russell won the Australian GP and the F1 Sprint in China to kick off 2026.
READ MORE: The best moments of George Russell’s career in Formula 1
Yet while Russell went from comfortably winning at the start of the 2026 season to watching Antonelli walk off into the distance, Palmer still feels the title is in play for the 28-year-old if he mimics Norris’ title charge. Norris won the 2025 title by two points over Max Verstappen.
Palmer told the official F1 website: “This must be a slightly soul-searching time for George. He’s looked so laid back in 2026 so far – a season in which many assumed the title would be his to claim
“But now his teammate has found another level, and he’s starting to face the same questions and concerns as his compatriot Lando Norris [did] 12 months ago.
“The title favourite tag seems to be slipping, as has his performance with every passing weekend. He was dominant in Melbourne, unlucky in China, struggling in Japan and then nowhere in Miami…
“George slipped back points-wise in Miami. But, actually, a brace of fourth positions was about as decent a return [as] he could have hoped for, given his pace.
“I still think he’s a driver that’s fully capable of digging in and having a big run of races, much like Lando last year. But these are uncharted territories for both drivers with Formula 1 championship pressures on the line, and building in George’s case.”
Here’s how the championship standings look after the Miami GP! 🏆
Norris lost ground to Piastri early in their 2025 drivers’ title fight, as the Australian punished the Briton’s frequent early-season errors during qualifying. Piastri continued to manage and build his lead with a run of form akin to what Antonelli is now enjoying at the start of 2026.
Piastri responded to Norris winning the 2025 Australian GP by taking four wins over the next five rounds – which also saw him get the championship lead after round five. Norris only got back ahead of Piastri in the 2025 standings when he won in Mexico City during round 20/24.
Russell will hope he does not have to wait as long as Norris did to return to the top of the F1 drivers’ standings this term. The Canadian Grand Prix is also the next race on the calendar, and Russell won from pole in Montreal last year and took pole for the 2024 edition, as well.
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