George Russell has handed a warning to his Mercedes team that, despite winning the first three Grands Prix of 2026, the Formula 1 World Championship is far from done.
The Silver Arrows have executed an expected but nonetheless barnstorming start to the campaign, with Russell taking victory in Round 1 at Melbourne.
This was followed up by Andrea Kimi Antonelli cruising to a maiden victory in China, followed by a triumph in Japan saw that him take the lead of the Drivers’ Championship.
Mercedes has looked virtually unassailable due to its power unit advantage held within the W17, and the dominance underlines its pre-season status as title favourites.
But Russell was quick to exercise caution to the notion that the season is a done deal, as well as issuing an assurance that he and teammate Antonelli will be handed equal treatment.
“Firstly, 100 per cent [the team will] give the same opportunity to the two of us,” Russell told media including Motorsport Week.
“That’s always been the case for Mercedes ever since the Lewis [Hamilton] and [Nico] Rosberg days.
“Of course, I hope it’s just the two of us going for the championship, but I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.
“In 2022, after three races, I think Leclerc had a 30-plus point lead, and Verstappen was saying the championship is over and Ferrari were the quickest, and then in the end they were not.”
George Russell reveals ‘race by race’ approach to F1 title prospects
However, the Brit is confident in what the team possesses in terms of package, but observed that the resurgence of McLaren in Suzuka was an indication that nothing is for certain.
“I think we have a very good direction, the correlation is very good,” he said.
“We’re ticking all of the boxes that tell us we have a really great foundation with the car but, of course, these things change.
“We know McLaren has not brought a major update recently, and when you look at their performance in Suzuka, I think [Oscar] Piastri could have won that race without any safety car at all.
“I’m just taking it race by race. The championship is not even in my mind.
“I just go to every race, try and maximise the performance, and we’ll count the points at the end of the season.”
With Antonelli and Russell potentially taking points off each other amid a possibly fraught intra-team battle, what potential suitors for the title could wait in the wings?
READ MORE – Ex-F1 star demands Red Bull Max Verstappen intervention over GT3 exploits
Discussion about this post