Former Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert told Motorsport Week that Mercedes could give a “slight favoritism” to Kimi Antonelli in the fight for the 2026 Drivers’ Championship, due to the risk taken by signing him so young in 2025. At the time, Toto Wolff was criticized for not letting the Italian compete in Formula 2.
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Antonelli took the lead in the championship after winning the Japanese GP, his second victory of the year, following his win in China two weeks earlier. The feat puts his teammate and title favorite, George Russell, on alert. Herbert praised the Italian’s growth and Wolff’s support:
“He is kind of mature and immature at the same time, because he is a very nice young man. But he has Toto on his side, and that is something very powerful for him to have,” he said. According to Herbert, Wolff’s favoritism is noticeable: “You can already see that there is a slight favoritism for Kimi, because he took that risk and brought him to the team. He supported him all the time and still supports him at this moment.”
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Despite this, Russell also received praise for his consistency and effort at Mercedes. “He worked very well with someone like Lewis in the past and showed he could beat him. But Kimi is looking very strong at the moment,” Herbert stated. The former driver highlighted that consistency will be crucial for Antonelli: “If he sorts out the consistency issue, the title could come to him. But George will want to stop that.”
The battle is expected to focus on the two drivers, with Ferrari and McLaren trying to keep up. Miami will be the next test, where Antonelli already secured his first pole in the Sprint Race last year, and a new victory could consolidate his position in the title fight.
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