Kimi Antonelli and George Russell appear to be the early favourites for the 2026 title – but does the lesser-experienced driver have the advantage?
Former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner believes Kimi Antonelli currently has an advantage over George Russell due to not having any bad habits from previous generation cars. The technical regulations this year saw major changes in both aerodynamics and power unit elements, leading to a successful start for Mercedes, with Antonelli securing two wins out of three. Antonelli leads the drivers’ championship by nine points, while Russell is struggling to adapt to the new techniques after driving Mercedes’ previous cars for a long time. Steiner pointed out that Russell needs to rid himself of old habits and adjust to the new aerodynamics, which are completely different. Despite Russell’s experience in F1, Steiner emphasized that at the beginning of a new regulation cycle, having no old habits like Antonelli makes it much easier to adapt to the changes.
