Mercedes started 2026 as the great force in Formula 1, but Johnny Herbert believes the team may have a new adversary ahead. For the former F1 driver, McLaren has shown enough signs to become a concern in the second half of the season.
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The German team has won eight of the eleven races held so far, confirming on the track the expectations of dominance that existed before the start of the championship. Even so, Herbert sees McLaren’s evolution, especially after the performance shown at the Hungarian GP, as a possible turning point.
“If I were in Kimi (Antonelli) and Mercedes’ place, my main concern now would be McLaren,” Herbert told a betting platform. The former driver highlighted that, before the current August break, the British team seemed to show the most significant evolution and arrive at the current moment in a competitive position.
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Herbert also considers that a possible McLaren recovery could change the title fight and put Antonelli and Mercedes under a different kind of pressure: “It would be fantastic to see McLaren again in the fight for the Drivers’ Championship with Lando Norris. Then we would see how Antonelli and Mercedes would handle the pressure. There could be another dramatic twist this season,” he added.
Despite this warning, Antonelli remains comfortably in the lead of the championship. The Italian has a 50-point advantage over his main pursuer, Lewis Hamilton, of Ferrari, while the next stage will be the Dutch GP.
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