While the theory of Mercedes' Formula 1 title favouritism ahead of the dawn of the championship's latest era has been proven correct, the name at the top of the drivers' standings is somewhat of a surprise.
Many would have believed that George Russell would be the man to beat given his performances with the Silver Arrows during what was a barren period in the ground-effect years between 2022 and 2025, especially with the pre-conceived ideas of dominance with the new power units largely realised across the first four races of the 2026 campaign.
