Mercedes ‘not even thinking’ of prioritizing Antonelli in title race

Mercedes is refusing to pick sides in the 2026 Formula 1 title fight despite Kimi Antonelli opening up a commanding advantage over George Russell, insisting it is still too early to decide whether the rookie sensation should receive the team’s full backing.

Antonelli has emerged as the surprise leader of the championship after six victories in the opening 11 rounds, opening up a 59-point advantage over Russell and putting himself 50 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari.

Russell’s challenge has been battered by a mixture of misfortune and inconsistent results, leaving Antonelli comfortably ahead of his more experienced team-mate. Yet Mercedes is adamant that abandoning its two-car approach would still be premature.

With 12 rounds still to run, the team’s priority remains brutally simple: keep both W17s fast, reliable and capable of winning whenever the opportunity arises.

A Mercedes must win’

Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord made the team’s position unequivocal before the Hungarian Grand Prix, rejecting any suggestion that Antonelli should now be treated as the de facto number one.

“If a Mercedes can win the race, a Mercedes must win,” said Lord in Hungary last month.

“That's what comes first, the team comes first and the constructors’ championship is the team’s primary focus and primary objective.

“We've seen the fight swing all the way out to the point where I think it was being written that there was only one possible winner of the championship, then in the space of three races we've seen that swing completely.

“It's far too early to even be thinking like that. We want to win both championships, absolutely, and we'll give ourselves the best chance of doing that by getting two cars to the finish as often as possible in the highest possible positions.

“That's the focus, car’s reliable, keep the cars fast and then enable the drivers to give it their best shot for winning the drivers’ championship.

“But as I say, core principle: if a Mercedes can win, a Mercedes must win. We don't mind which of the two cars it is and we'll do what we need to do in order to ensure that the quickest of those cars on any given Sunday can do that. That's the priority for us.”

That stance stands in stark contrast to the pressure already building around Mercedes to put its considerable weight behind Antonelli.

The 19-year-old has transformed expectations after an uneven rookie campaign, while Russell – initially tipped to lead Mercedes’ title assault – has endured a catalogue of setbacks that has left him fighting to remain in contention.

Russell opened the season with victory in Melbourne but subsequently suffered a qualifying compromise in China, an engine failure while leading in Montreal, and a bizarre sequence of events involving a penalty and red flag in Monaco. In Hungary, an anti-stall at the start sent him tumbling to the back.

Russell frustration not going unnoticed

Mercedes recognises that such setbacks can weigh heavily on a driver, particularly when expectations were initially stacked in his favour.

“Don't underestimate the challenge for the drivers of walking into scenarios like this three or four times a weekend and being told, ‘You're favourite, what's happening, why are you not performing to expectation?’,” added Lord.

“That can build you up but it can also be something to navigate that's a bit more challenging.

“I think undoubtedly George has had misfortune in different races on the technical side with China where the car, for a quirky reason, wouldn't fire properly and so compromised his qualifying, or the penalty situation in Monaco with the incorrectly-serving-that-penalty and the knock-on consequences of that. Then the red flag that compounded the consequences of the penalty.

“So I think he's had a feeling at different points of the year that it never rains but it pours and misfortune seems to compound problem compounds misfortune.

“But there's [the] summer break. He's very clear that he may not be in exactly the position he wants to be, but he's in the fight for this drivers' championship that obviously for every driver is the big target they've had.

“We as a team are fully focused on winning a constructors' championship for the first time in five or six seasons, and he's got a huge role to play in that as well.”

Read also:

• From rookie pain to title reign: Mercedes lifts lid on Antonelli’s rise

Mercedes therefore has little appetite for manufacturing a problem that does not yet exist.

With Ferrari and Hamilton lurking in the championship battle and McLaren edging closer, the Silver Arrows believe the quickest route to both crowns is not to choose a favourite – but to keep both cars at the sharp end.

For Antonelli, that means no formal coronation just yet. For Russell, it represents a lifeline: Mercedes has no intention of closing the door on his championship bid while the title remains within reach.

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