Nigel Mansell has chimed in on the conversation of the 2026 Formula 1 season, offering his evaluation of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.
With the 2026 regulations, Mercedes put the woes of the previous regs behind them and skyrocketed to the front of the grid for the opening rounds.
Alongside the rise of the teams has naturally come the rise of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. The duo shared the victories in the opening rounds.
However, despite the dominance the Brackley team have shown, the season is far from over with just three races down in the 22-race season.
Ferrari has shown itself to be a keen contender for the fight at the championship. With Lewis Hamilton finally finding his foot in the Maranello team after a difficult first season last year.
Mansell’s verdict
Mansell spoke about Russell’s chances of a title after a difficult start to his time with Mercedes, and the threat that Kimi Antonelli could pose to his odds.
“George is a great driver, and it’s sometimes how the chips fall,” he told Sky News.
“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.”
Russell has already found strong competition from Antonelli. The young Italian took back-to-back victories in China and Japan, which shot him to a nine-point lead in the Driver’s championship title.
Mansell urged Russell to ‘stamp his authority’ at Mercedes.
The Lewis Hamilton equation
“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?”
However, Mansell recognised that Antonelli isn’t the only threat to Russell’s title campaign. Pointing out that fellow Briton, Lewis Hamilton, has shown an impressive increase in form from lights out in Australia.
“Lewis is fired up again,” Mansell said. “Lewis has had a brilliant career, and it’s fantastic what he’s doing. He’s now reinvigorated.
“Ferrari has done a fabulous job over the winter. They’re there, or thereabouts, Mercedes are the forerunners, and McLaren is going to be there too.”
In a season that comes with many unknowns, it’s clear that George Russell is coming in as the favourite. But Antonelli is determined to challenge his teammate’s experience and take his maiden title.
The advantage that Mercedes has forged will play a vital role in the Silver Arrows’ ability to return to victory, while Ferrari and McLaren are desperate to close the gap and challenge the Brackley duo.
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