George Russell has pinpointed Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc as Mercedes’ main title threats ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Russell is the bookmakers’ favourite for the title and by Sky Sports F1‘s pundits given Mercedes’ form in pre-season testing and their dominance following the last change in the power unit regulations in 2014.
Although Ferrari set the quickest lap times in Bahrain testing, Mercedes were very fast on the long runs, which are more representative, and the Silver Arrows did not appear to show their full hand over one lap.
Asked who he saw as Mercedes’ biggest title challengers when it comes to the Drivers’ Championship, Russell said to the media: “I would say Max and Leclerc.”
His team-mate Kimi Antonelli added: “We think Red Bull is very strong, so for sure Max is going to be in the mix. Ferrari look very strong in Bahrain, both in long runs and on a single lap, so especially Leclerc, but I wouldn’t write off Lewis as well, because he can be very much in the mix.
“Maybe also the McLaren, but they seem a little bit more on the back foot compared to Ferrari and Red Bull, but for sure, Max and Charles could be the main ones.”
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George Russell targets Max Verstappen in 2026, saying the Red Bull driver will be in the fight this season
However, Russell appeared to soften his stance when speaking later on media day to Sky Sports F1 when discussing title contenders.
“Red Bull have exceeded everybody’s expectations with their engine, so naturally Max will be in the fight. Ferrari also look very strong,” he said.
“Charles looks very strong but you can never discount Lewis [Hamilton]. As it stands, those are the other drivers that are on the radar, who I think will be in the mix.
“McLaren have been so successful in years gone by. They look a bit on the back foot currently, but that can all change. We saw that a couple of years ago when they went from the back to the front, so we can’t discount anyone.”
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Lewis Hamilton says he’s much happier in his second year with Ferrari and lays out his target to win the 2026 title
Russell is yet to mount an F1 championship challenge after four seasons at Mercedes where they were unable to provide him a car that could consistently win races.
The 28-year-old says this year is a “huge opportunity” but he’s in a “good place” and “ready to fight” his rivals.
“I’m going about it the same as everyone in the season, which is to get the absolute maximum from the package,” he said.
“I think we have delivered a strong car at the moment. However, we’re not taking anything for granted because every time there is a new set of regulations, the rate of development is so strong.
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Martin Brundle believes George Russell has the confidence to compete for the title if his car allows it
“We’ve seen that, even in 2022, Ferrari were the team to beat in the first four or five races, then by the end of the season, they weren’t even close to a championship fight.
“We’ve got to be very diligent. And even if we do start the season very well, it doesn’t really count for a lot. So, we need to keep on pushing and just taking it race by race.”
Russell: Red Bull ‘suspiciously slow’ in second Bahrain test
Russell already expressed his wariness over Red Bull’s pace in pre-season testing, stating they had “over half a second” of an advantage on energy deployment in the first Bahrain test. After the second test, he said the “scary” advantage had been “closed drastically”.
Energy deployment will be critical this year due to the new power unit regulations where the output is split into 50 per cent internal combustion engine and 50 per cent electrical.
He said of Red Bull in Melbourne: “From our side, there hasn’t really been any strategic poker. We’ve been very consistent with our run plans over the course of the two weeks, staying pretty consistent on fuel loads and power stuff.
“We didn’t change our plans during the course of the test based on us looking strong or slow. I think Red Bull looked suspiciously slow in the second test.
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Max Verstappen says he’s not overcomplicating the Red Bull, joking if he had to race a ‘shopping trolley’, he’d drive it to the limit
“We had them down as, I believe, the quickest in the first test, and based on our numbers, they went seven tenths slower compared to themselves in the second test, whereas ourselves and Ferrari went a couple of tenths quicker with a few new upgrades to the car, and as you’re progressing, so I’m struggling to wrap my head around how they’ve lost seven tenths in a week.
“I expect them to be very strong, to be honest, and that’s why we’re just all really intrigued to see how it pans out.”
Red Bull have built their own Red Bull powertrains engine in collaboration with Ford and it was expected the new project would see them behind in performance compared to Ferrari and Mercedes.
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But, the Milton Keynes-based outfit were largely reliable and fast in testing considering the expectations but Verstappen did not want to be drawn into any comparisons with the other top teams.
“I’m very happy with what we did in pre-season. It was a great and proud moment for everyone – how the whole project come together between the engine and the car,” he said.
“I was positively surprised with how everything felt. The rule changes have been really complex but in terms of the feeling in the car and the driving experience it was good.
“Looking at the performance side of things, we want to be a little bit faster. But from the things I think we learned, we were not the quickest, but I have no idea [about how Red Bull stack up].”
Sky Sports F1’s Australian GP schedule
Thursday March 5
9.45pm: F3 Practice
10.55pm: F2 Practice
Friday March 6
1am: Australian GP Practice One (session starts at 1.30am)*
2.55am: F3 Qualifying*
3.30am: Team Bosses Press Conference
3.50am: F2 Qualifying*
4.35am: Australian GP Practice Two (session starts at 5am)*
6.15am: The F1 Show*
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As Formula 1 enters a new era, Tate McRae’s GRAMMY-nominated Just Keep Watching will become the new title track for Sky Sports’ F1 coverage this season and beyond
Saturday March 7
0.10am: F3 Sprint*
1.10am: Australian GP Practice Three (session starts at 1.30am)*
3.05am: F2 Sprint*
4.10am: Australian GP Qualifying build-up*
5am: AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING*
7am: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook*
9.45pm: F3 Feature Race*
Sunday March 8
12.20am: F2 Feature Race*
2.30am: Australian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
4am: THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX*
6am: Australian GP reaction: Chequered Flag*
7am: Ted’s Notebook*
7.55am: Australian GP race replay*
10am: Australian GP highlights (also on Sky One)*
*Also on Sky Sports Main Event
Watch every race of the 2026 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports, starting with the Australian Grand Prix from this weekend. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
