Former driver Jolyon Palmer stated that he expects a more intense battle between the Mercedes drivers in the 2026 Formula 1 season. In a participation on the F1 Nation podcast, he compared the current scenario with what happened at McLaren in 2025.
Read more F1: Steiner disagrees with Verstappen on 2026 regulations
“I think McLaren last year is a reference; it was a very moderate fight, they followed team orders all the time,” he said. “Even when there were consequences for what happened in Singapore, and Norris accepted the blame, it was the only moment I thought there was a real fight from Norris against Piastri.”
Last season, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri starred in a battle marked by team orders, such as in Monza, where there was a position swap after a slow pit stop. In Singapore, however, Norris took his teammate off the track at turn 2 to take third place, generating one of the few moments of tension.
Read more F1: Lawson identifies opportunities for Racing Bulls this year
“Other than that, the two drivers just obeyed the team and were nice, which is great and good for McLaren, they won, party over,” he added. “The partnership is good from a sporting point of view if only one of the two can win, but I am here for rivalries.”
The statement comes as Mercedes emerges as the favorite in 2026 with the W17, potentially having its first internal title fight since Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in 2016. After three races, Kimi Antonelli has two wins, while George Russell has one win and a sprint victory at the Chinese GP. The Italian leads by nine points at the April break.
Read more F1: Mekies sees «restart» for 2026 in Miami and talks about development in April
