Helmut Marko, former longtime head of Red Bull's young driver programme, expects the 2026 Formula 1 drivers' championship to be a two-horse race between Mercedes driver George Russell and Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.
Mercedes has won all four races so far and taken 1-2 in each of four qualifying sessions, enjoying qualifying margins as large as eight-tenths in Melbourne and about 0.35 seconds at Shanghai and Suzuka; Ferrari and McLaren have been the closest race challengers while the ADUO upgrade could affect powertrains.
Marko said he is impressed by Antonelli’s demeanour and speed, noting Antonelli has matched Russell in qualifying and won two grands prix to lead the standings, but he cautioned about Antonelli’s past slump in European races.
Kimi Antonelli has set several age-related records as the youngest polesitter, fastest-lap scorer, race leader, championship leader and hat-trick scorer, with some of those records previously held by drivers Helmut Marko brought into F1 such as Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
This summary is based on coverage by Motorsport.
Read the full article at Motorsport.
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