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Helmut Marko has seen enough of the first two races to make his assessment of the title fight. The former Red Bull advisor is not putting his money on his old driver. He is pointing at George Russell, and the reasoning is difficult to argue with.
Mercedes Are Simply in a Different League
Marko spoke to Austrian outlet OE24 ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix and was frank about where Red Bull stand relative to Mercedes. "Mercedes are now truly in a class of their own. And they are not even showing everything they have at this point. Antonelli is a genuinely good driver. He has always been fast, and with the experience he now has, he is also making fewer mistakes."
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Mercedes Are Ready to End Verstappen's Reign at Suzuka
Red Bull went into the season as dangerous outsiders according to some pre-season assessments. Two rounds in, that optimism has given way to a more sober reality. Verstappen has a sixth place and a retirement. His teammate Isack Hadjar has been picking up small points where he can. The gap to Mercedes in race pace is real and not easily explained away.
What About Antonelli's Title Chances?
Antonelli has been widely tipped as a potential champion after winning in China and sitting second in the standings. Marko acknowledged his quality but was careful not to overstate his position in the fight. When asked directly about Antonelli's title prospects, Marko smiled and nodded toward the other side of the Mercedes garage. "Everything points to Russell right now. He has the experience."
That single sentence sums up the dynamic well. Antonelli is fast, improving rapidly, and has already won a Grand Prix in his second season. But Russell knows how to manage a championship across twenty-four races, how to extract points on difficult weekends, and how to handle the pressure that builds in the second half of a season. Those are qualities that only come with time in the sport.
For Verstappen, the title picture looks distant. The season is long and Russell still has to prove his credentials at Suzuka this weekend, but the early evidence suggests that 2026 belongs to Mercedes, and that within Mercedes it belongs to Russell.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
I. Hadjar
A. Antonelli
C. Leclerc
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