US EditionGeorge Russell 'Wants to Go Head-to-Head' with Max Verstappen in 2026
George Russell feels prepared to compete for the title while Mercedes cautiously awaits performance data amid major technical changes for the 2026 season.
- George Russell, Mercedes driver, said he feels ready to fight for a title while Toto Wolff, Mercedes team boss, cautioned it is too early to say if the 2026 car can win a championship.
- Technical changes mean the 2026 generation cars are smaller and lighter with a 50-50 split between internal combustion engine and hybrid system, making energy management a key performance factor.
- Russell said he 'don't think it will be an engineering race from the cockpit' and Mercedes' line-up includes Kimi Antonelli and Frederik Vesti, officials say more overtaking is expected.
- Given those caveats, Wolff added that Mercedes has no full performance picture because they haven't seen Max or rivals extract pace, so early judgements are unreliable.
- Because energy deployment is now critical, the 50-50 power split makes drivers' skill in energy deployment central, as teams expect it will reshape race strategies and the season-long championship battle.
21 Articles
21 Articles
George Russell believes he has been handed a car ready to win the world championship as Mercedes heads into a new era for Formula One as the title favourite.
George Russell believes he has been handed a car ready to win the world championship as Mercedes heads into a new era for Formula One as the title favourite.
FORMULA 1 Mercedes wants to play again in the Grands Court in 2026, the inaugural season of a new regulation with his British star driver George Russell. "I want to go to the confrontation with Max," said Russell on Monday, at an online press conference from the headquarters of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, about 100 kilometers away ...
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