The internal dispute at Mercedes remains open in the 2026 Formula 1 season, despite Kimi Antonelli’s lead in the championship. For the former driver of the category, Gerhard Berger, George Russell received a ‘reality check’ with the arrival of the young Italian, but still has the conditions to react in the fight for the title.
Read more F1: Verstappen says leaving his daughter at home is the hardest moment
In an interview with F1.com, Berger stated that he would not bet on either of the two drivers as the favorite for the title this year. In the Austrian’s assessment, Antonelli’s advantage does not end the dispute, mainly because Russell can leverage his experience throughout the second half of the season.
After eleven rounds completed, Russell is 59 points behind his teammate. Although both have faced reliability issues during the year, the Briton was more affected by these failures, while Antonelli also showed greater speed and achieved more consistent results.
Read more F1: Hill highlights Hamilton’s influence on Ferrari’s response
Berger highlighted that facing extremely fast teammates is part of the reality of any driver in a top team. For him, Antonelli has shown to be a differentiated talent, but Russell responded by raising his performance level even more: “This is Formula 1. If you are in a top team, you always have to deal with someone very fast coming. I am sure Lewis Hamilton would also sometimes like to face someone different from Charles Leclerc in terms of speed. George had a reality check with Antonelli. Kimi seems to be really special, no doubt. I see George pushing hard and taking everything to the limit,” he said.
Even recognizing the moment lived by the young Italian, Berger believes the championship remains completely open: “I don’t think it’s a good idea to bet on who will be the champion. One is young, bold, and impulsive, the other is much more experienced and will still put pressure back on Antonelli. Last year, at the start, it seemed Oscar Piastri would beat Lando Norris, but Norris turned the dispute around and won the title. In Formula 1 everything remains open, and it will be so until the end,” concluded the former driver.
Read more Analysis: The questions that will define the rest of the 2026 F1 season (part 2)
