Nigel Mansell says ‘everyone’ is rooting for Kimi Antonelli in the F1 title race with George Russell

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Nigel Mansell believes “everyone” is rooting for Andrea Kimi Antonelli to edge out his Mercedes teammate George Russell now that he leads the 2026 F1 drivers’ standings.

Antonelli has become the youngest person to ever lead the F1 drivers’ standings after taking a nine-point advantage over Russell into the April break. Russell had topped the charts after the first two rounds, but Antonelli responded with his back-to-back wins in China and Japan.

Mercedes now give Antonelli as much of a chance as Russell to win the 2026 F1 title, too, as the Brackley bunch think the Italian has proven himself to be a match for the Briton. The 19-year-old is in just his second season in the field, while Russell is contesting his eighth term.

Russell was widely considered to be the title favourite ahead of the 2026 F1 season given his greater experience compared to Antonelli, at a time when Mercedes were also being backed for success. Many were sure that Mercedes would design the best engine for the 2026 rules.

Nigel Mansell thinks George Russell must ‘stamp your authority’ on Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes

Antonelli converting his maiden pole into a debut win in China, and then backing it up with a second pole and win in Japan, seriously impressed Mansell. Now, the 1992 F1 champion has grown a feeling that “everyone” in F1 wants to see Antonelli triumph in the 2026 title battle.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli

So, with 19 rounds remaining, Mansell thinks Russell must stamp his authority at Mercedes in the same way that he dealt with Riccardo Patrese at Williams at the start of his 1992 title tilt. Mansell won each of the first five races from pole in 1992, and he lifted the title by 52 points.

Mansell told Sky Sports News (14/04, 12:41): “George is a great driver, and it’s sometimes how the chips fall. Sometimes you have a bit of luck, and sometimes you don’t. It’s a long season, but you’ve got to lead by incredible focus. I’ll never forget with Riccardo Patrese in ’92 that he thought I had a special car.

“It’s a long season, even back then, and so we swapped qualifying cars at Sao Paulo early in, and I got Sir Frank [Williams] and Patrick [Head] to agree with that, because I was two seconds a lap quicker than him. And his car, there was nothing wrong with it.

“And long story short, the first lap I went out in his car, I was a second and a half quicker, straight away quicker than him in his car, and sorted that out. And you stamp your authority. The point I want to say is [that] you stamp your authority.

“And getting back to the Mercedes team, you have to stamp your authority, and obviously Kimi has done a great job. He’s young. Everyone’s pulling for him. So, it’s going to be exciting to watch, isn’t it?”

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The Williams FW14B with its retrofitted active suspension was the class of the field in 1992, in a similar way to how the Mercedes W17 is the design to beat in 2026. Mansell led Patrese home for a Williams one-two in four of the first five races, and six across the first nine races.

Even though Patrese finished the 1992 F1 season 52 points behind Mansell on 108, Williams still recorded a one-two in the F1 drivers’ standings. Mercedes will now be targeting a one-two in the 2026 table after seeing Antonelli and Russell secure two one-twos in three races.