Helmut Marko expects the 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ championship to be a two-horse race between Mercedes’ lead driver George Russell and his sophomore team-mate Kimi Antonelli.
Mercedes has dominated the first three rounds of the season as F1 switched to new technical regulations, taking a 1-2 in all four qualifying sessions and winning all four races so far (including the sprint in China).
The Silver Arrows have had a clear edge in qualifying – eight tenths in Melbourne, and three-and-a-half tenths at Shanghai and Suzuka – with Ferrari and McLaren their closest rivals. Both those teams have challenged Mercedes in races, and the ADUO engine upgrade mechanism might help Ferrari to catch up on the powertrain side, but Marko nonetheless tips the German brand to stay ahead.
The former, longtime head of Red Bull’s young driver programme has been particularly impressed by Antonelli, who has matched his more experienced team-mate Russell in qualifying and won two grands prix to lead the championship.
“His whole demeanour is very refreshing,” Marko told Austria’s national broadcaster ORF. “He was already incredibly fast everywhere in the junior categories, and it’s good to see a young driver like that coming up.
“The question is whether he can maintain that speed and performance over the course of the season. Russell is certainly the more experienced driver, and last year, once the races moved to Europe, Antonelli suffered a significant slump.”
In 2025, Antonelli scored 147 points in the overseas races, but just three in Europe – where nine of the 24 rounds took place.
“But it’s going to be exciting within the team, because the world championship will surely be decided between the two Mercedes drivers.”
Having risen through the single-seater ranks in just over three years, taking four titles in the process, Antonelli has already beaten several age-related records in F1 – he’s now the world championship’s youngest polesitter, fastest-lap scorer, race leader, championship leader and hat-trick scorer.
While Lewis Hamilton was the previous youngest standings leader in history, the other records previously belonged to drivers Marko brought into F1 – Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
