Everything making Mercedes' F1 2026 start so ominous.
Mercedes left Barcelona with such a positive feeling. The car reacted as it expected, the aerodynamic performance being measured on the car tallies with what is being seen in simulations, how the car handles on track is broadly the same as in the virtual world – Kimi Antonelli said it was actually “quite a bit better” than on the simulator.
Feb 4, 2026
Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race

The initial evidence and impressions of Formula 1’s blurry emerging 2026 picture point to Mercedes making an ominous start that includes avoiding a problem that plagued it during the ground-effect era. George Russell said this correlation overall is better than anything Mercedes has had since its last title-winning season in 2021.

“The car reacted as we anticipated,” he said. “The numbers we're seeing from the aero on the car match what we see back on the simulator. How the car is handling is matching how it feels on the simulator. This is something we've not really experienced since 2021 as a team. We're sort of ticking the boxes of everything that we want to tick.”

George Russell’s implication from saying he was “pushing the boundaries of the car” from the very start is that he was doing enough early on to clock any initial vices and most importantly any big discrepancies with all of Mercedes’ preparations back at base. And that’s not happened yet, which may be enough to be confident that the particular difficulties of that phase are behind the team and it is now going to get the benefit of all of the work and the digging into the tools to actually make them better.

‘“Quite a bit better” than on the simulator’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/e...rt-so-ominous/


Brundle flags one F1 team that has hit the sweet spot after Barcelona testing
3 Feb 2026
Samson Ero
GPblog.com

Martin Brundle believes the Mercedes team have put together a strong and cohesive package with its 2026 car. The former F1 driver turned pundit expressed his belief that the Brackley-based team appears to have mastered the new regulations. However, Brundle was quick to temper expectations, stressing that the true test will come under proper race conditions.

"Clearly, they look like they've sort of aced this completely different set of regulations. But we need to see what it's like on normal track temperatures. It's going to be about power regeneration and filling their battery back up, but of course, they'll regen as well as any other Mercedes-powered car, probably a Ferrari-powered car too,” Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports column.

"You might have a car that just fires its tyres up brilliantly on a cold day and then overheats them on a hot day, which is a problem we've seen Mercedes have before,” he added. "I do think we need to stay calm on it, but you can't ignore the relentless pace and reliability that they've shown. So, clearly, they've got a really good, cohesive package. It’s too early to judge any team’s concept, but I think Mercedes have found the sweet spot in the very early stages of F1's new era.”

‘Strong and cohesive package’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/brund...celona-testing


George Russell pinned as title favourite: 'He's ready to be world champion'
George Russell is quickly emerging as many people's favourite for a maiden F1 drivers' title in 2026.
3 February 2026
Nick Golding
RacingNews365

Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok has pinned George Russell as the favourite for the 2026 drivers’ title, believing that the Briton is "ready to be world champion". Asked on talkSPORT if Russell is the title favourite, Chandhok replied: "Yes, I believe he’s the favourite, in my book anyway, for the world championship.”

"Because we’ve got this big rule change, I think having a team where the engine power unit side and the chassis side are so integrated will be key to success. Now, Ferrari and Mercedes are the two teams that have that, along with Red Bull and Audi. But Red Bull and Audi are brand-new power unit companies, so I think you have to cut them a bit of slack and give them some time.”

"But I think Mercedes and Ferrari, with that integrated structure, have got to have an advantage at the beginning of a rule cycle. So, to me, George Russell — in my opinion — was the second-best driver in F1 last year after Max Verstappen. He had an outstanding season. I think he’s ready to be a championship contender if the car’s capable of it. I think he’s ready to be world champion."

“George Russell — in my opinion — was the second-best driver in F1 last year after Max Verstappen”;

https://racingnews365.com/george-rus...2026-f1-season


Antonelli embraces Russell battle in bid to repeat Hamilton’s success
2 Feb 2026
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Kimi Antonelli hopes to fight for the world title, something he says would be especially enjoyable against his teammate George Russell. "That's absolutely the goal. It is to win and to eventually fight for the world championship. I mean, that's absolutely the goal. It is to win and to eventually fight for the world championship," the young Italian driver said while answering GPblog's question in a session with a select group of media.

Towards the end of the season, his teammate, George Russell, repeatedly declared that he was ready to finally battle for the world title. According to many, Mercedes is also the favourite heading into the 2026 campaign. The young Italian added: "George is very, very strong and definitely is ready to fight for a championship and is one of the benchmarks on the grid. So I think it's going to be quite fun, especially competing with him. And so, yes, really looking forward to it."

"That's absolutely the goal. It is to win and to eventually fight for the world championship”;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/anton...es-lofty-goals


Russell tips Antonelli for major step forward heading into 2026
2 Feb 2026
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

George Russell has spoken about what he expects from his teammate Kimi Antonelli as he heads into his second season with Mercedes. “Kimi very much falls into the category of a future top-class driver, and there’s no doubt he’ll take another step forward this year compared to last” - George Russell

The Briton, speaking to GPblog among other media, voiced strong confidence in the young Italian, describing Antonelli as one of the standout talents to watch in the future of Formula 1.
“I expect Kimi to really step things up this year,” he said. “He’s clearly a driver with huge potential, and you only have to look at the progress Oscar made over his time in Formula 1 to see how quickly someone can reach a very high level”

“I’ve always had a great deal of respect for Kimi, and I expect him to push me throughout the season. That said, I believe in myself. I believe I can beat anyone on this grid, and I’m working extremely hard to make that happen. I wouldn’t be intimidated by being teammates with anyone.” Russell finally added: “Kimi very much falls into the category of a future top-class driver, and there’s no doubt he’ll take another step forward this year compared to last.”

“Kimi very much falls into the category of a future top-class driver”;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/russe...ding-into-2026


George Russell wary of 'sexy' Aston Martin after 'spectacular' Adrian Newey influence
Has Adrian Newey found a sweet spot with his first Aston Martin design? It certainly raised eyebrows in Barcelona.
3 February 2026
Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

George Russell has conceded to being wary of Adrian Newey's "pretty spectacular" debut car with Aston Martin, but has warned that F1's new era is not about the sexiest design. "The Aston Martin was probably the most standout in terms of the car design," said Russell, speaking to select media, including RacingNews365.

"I think everybody was looking at that rear suspension, and obviously, visually it looks very impressive, but it's not a competition of how sexy it is. It's a competition of how fast it goes around the track. People always look towards the fastest car, and we'll find that out in Melbourne. Whoever that is, that will be the car that you wish to try and take inspiration from."

‘George Russell has conceded to being wary of Adrian Newey's "pretty spectacular" debut car’;

https://racingnews365.com/george-rus...ewey-influence