George Russell believes the radically different characteristics of Formula 1’s 2026 cars have helped reverse the competitive balance between team-mates at several of the championship’s leading teams. The Mercedes driver sees a clear pattern involving himself, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri, while Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris appear to share driving traits that are better suited to the new generation of machinery.
The contrast with 2025 has been striking. Antonelli is now clearly ahead of Russell at Mercedes after the opposite was true last season, Hamilton leads Ferrari team-mate Leclerc by 24 points after spending much of 2025 behind him, while Norris has established a much clearer advantage over Piastri at McLaren.
2026 F1 regulations turn team-mate battles upside down
Red Bull is the only one of the four leading teams where the general hierarchy has remained unchanged, with Max Verstappen still the stronger performer. Even there, however, Verstappen’s advantage over his team-mates has reduced significantly compared with previous seasons, first with Isack Hadjar and more recently with Liam Lawson.
For Russell, these changes are too widespread to be dismissed as coincidence. The Briton, who now trails Antonelli heavily in the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, believes the way the new cars and tyres need to be driven has reshaped the competitive order inside the top teams.
Speaking to journalists in Madrid after the Spanish Grand Prix, Russell reflected on how dramatically several established team-mate comparisons have changed.
“It’s been quite a strange season when you think about how competitive Oscar Piastri was compared with Lando Norris last year, Charles compared with Lewis, and even Max Verstappen’s dominance over all of his team-mates in previous years,” Russell said.
Russell sees similarities between himself, Leclerc and Piastri
Russell believes one of the most revealing aspects of the trend is that the drivers struggling more relative to their team-mates this year appear to have similar driving styles.
“This year, Charles, Oscar and I are having much more difficulty compared with our team-mates. And as for Max, his team-mates have got significantly closer to him, more than any other driver has managed in the last six years.”
“And I think we all have fairly similar driving styles.”
Russell’s own struggles have become one of the major themes of Mercedes’ season. Antonelli’s recent run of results has opened a substantial championship advantage, with Russell already admitting that his chances of returning to the title fight now look remote.
Antonelli, Hamilton and Norris share another approach
The Mercedes driver sees another pattern among the drivers who have adapted particularly well to the 2026 regulations. In Russell’s view, Antonelli, Hamilton and Norris also share stylistic similarities with one another.
“Kimi Antonelli, Lewis and Lando, for example, have fairly similar driving styles,” Russell explained.
That comparison has given Russell a clearer understanding of what he needs to change in his own technique.
“As far as I’m concerned, with this car and these tyres, it’s therefore quite clear what I need to do. The trends are obvious, as I said, among the four drivers I’ve just mentioned.”
Russell now has to translate the theory into performance
The challenge is applying those conclusions on track. Formula 1’s new technical regulations have changed not only the cars themselves but also the techniques required to extract lap time, meaning drivers who were particularly effective with the previous generation have had to rethink established habits.
Russell’s comparison across Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull suggests the effect is being seen throughout the front of the grid rather than within one team alone. For the Briton, identifying the pattern is an important step. The next task is adapting his driving sufficiently to turn that understanding into stronger results against Antonelli.
Leave a Reply