Mercedes staff have already shown George Russell he’ll never be loved like Lewis Hamilton

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Mercedes held their official launch event for the 2026 Formula 1 season on Monday. They had already revealed their new livery before the Barcelona Shakedown.

But Monday’s in-person launch gave the team a chance to bask in the pre-season excitement. They enter the year as favourites to regain the title.

While Russell says Mercedes simply don’t know where they stand a third of the way through testing, he is relishing the possibility of fighting for the championship.

Which British driver would you sign if you were an F1 team boss in 2026?

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After winning two races in 2025, Russell’s Grand Prix victory tally now stands at five. He has scored 24 podiums overall, which ranks him fourth in Mercedes’ F1 history.

Mercedes’ ‘grudging behaviour’ towards George Russell shows he’s no Lewis Hamilton

Russell was arguably one of F1’s standout drivers in 2025. He scored 319 points to take fourth in the championship, having finished in the top five at 19 out of 24 races.

Teammate Kimi Antonelli has been heralded as a future world champion, but he scored just 32% of Mercedes’ points last year. He only beat Russell in nine competitive sessions all season.

And yet, Jonathan McEvoy of The Daily Mail reports that Mercedes’ ‘top brass’ have lukewarm feelings about Russell. This was evident after his win in Canada last year.

Could Russell beat Verstappen?

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Rather than giving Russell’s victory precedence, the team were just as ‘delighted’ that Antonelli had finished on the podium for the first time.

It’s as if Russell represents the ‘interregnum’ between Lewis Hamilton, the driver who won a record six world titles at Brackley, and Antonelli, seen as their next superstar.

It’s ‘seriously perplexing’ that Mercedes have shown ‘ingratitude’ towards Russell, especially as he graduated from their academy, just like Antonelli.

George Russell was ‘hurt’ by Toto Wolff’s behaviour last year

Russell had to wait until October last year before his expiring contract was extended. This caused consternation outside Mercedes as he consistently excelled on track.

Perhaps the main reason for the delay was the uncertainty around Max Verstappen’s future. Verstappen didn’t confirm that he would stay at Red Bull until August.

Toto Wolff publicly acknowledged that he was pursuing Verstappen, and The Mail say that Russell felt ‘hurt’, even if he didn’t ‘rock the boat’ by expressing this in public.

Had he been receptive to Wolff’s advances, Verstappen would have replaced Russell, rather than Antonelli.

Mercedes haven’t confirmed that the exact details of Russell and Antonelli’s new deals, so the door may still be open for Verstappen if he wants out of Red Bull before 2027.