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There’s a very good chance that George Russell emerges from pre-season testing ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 campaign as the favourite to win the championship.
Mercedes have never been able to nail the recent ground-effect era of Formula 1, but will have high hopes for when the new regulations are introduced in 2026.
Many believe that Mercedes will have the best power unit next season, and as they’ll have more data than customer teams McLaren, Williams and Alpine, they should be at the front of the pack.
George Russell is the established leader at Mercedes, but Andrea Kimi Antonelli started to close the gap to his more experienced teammate towards the end of the season.
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Antonelli recorded a brilliant P2 in Brazil and was on the podium in Las Vegas despite being eliminated in Q1 after both McLaren drivers were disqualified.
However, the talk of Mercedes being interested in Max Verstappen in 2027 has never gone away, and if Red Bull don’t nail the new regulations, he could be on Toto Wolff’s radar.
Antonelli has now spoken about his relationship with Verstappen, and that might be particularly interesting to Wolff if he’s considering switching his driver line-up.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Kimi Antonelli says Max Verstappen’s praise is a ‘great honour’ after rookie F1 season
Antonelli was interviewed by Gazzetta dello Sport at the conclusion of his first season in Formula 1.
When responding to Verstappen calling him a ‘talent’, Antonelli said: “It’s a great honour.
“We’ve built a wonderful relationship with him this year, and he’s been a mentor to all of us rookies.
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“I consider him an extraordinary driver, and receiving these compliments from him is special to me.
“The best thing is that we can talk about lots of things we like besides Formula 1, such as GT racing, which is a passion we both share.”
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Kimi Antonelli addresses his relationships with Toto Wolff and George Russell
Ultimately, it’s impossible to know what Mercedes or Verstappen will do next year at this stage.
Verstappen appears to be more loyal to Red Bull than ever, but the dismissal of key ally Helmut Marko could potentially unsettle him.
That would open up the possibility of Mercedes moving for the Dutchman, especially if they have the quickest car, although the idea of Wolff dropping Russell if he’s leading the championship seems absurd, even if it happened before in F1 history, just ask Damon Hill.
Asked about his relationship with Wolff, Antonelli explained: ‘Toto has known me since I was a child, and we have a special bond that has grown stronger this year.
“He knew how to push me and also be tough on me when I needed it. He’s the best at what he does, I’m sure of that.”
He moved on to talk about Russell and continued: “We have a good relationship based on healthy competition.
“Obviously, it has changed over the course of the year because you always want to beat your teammate, but healthy competition is always a good thing in a team.”
Antonelli has spoken about how he feels racing Verstappen, and there’s a good chance they’ll be going wheel-to-wheel more often in 2026.
Whether they end up eventually becoming teammates is very much in the hands of the F1 driver market gods.
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