Johnny Herbert claims Kimi Antonelli is Toto Wolff’s favorite over George Russell at Mercedes. Johnny Herbert suggests Andrea Kimi Antonelli may be Toto Wolff’s preferred driver at Mercedes.

A two-driver battle

In the first three races of the 2026 Formula 1 season, Mercedes has emerged as the dominant force on track. The performances delivered so far by the W17 suggest that—barring any major and unexpected shifts in car competitiveness—the fight for the world championship could realistically come down to just two drivers: Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

Before the start of the season, many expected the British driver to comfortably outperform his young teammate. Instead, in two of the three Grands Prix contested so far, it has been Antonelli who has come out on top, beating George Russell both in qualifying and in the race.

The exceptionally fast Italian talent from Bologna is also gaining strong support within the team and is increasingly seen as something of a “protégé” by mechanics and engineers. This psychological aspect should not be underestimated, especially when considering a potential intra-team title battle between him and Russell. Former British driver Johnny Herbert, now a respected commentator and pundit, spoke to Vision4Sport about the internal duel within the Silver Arrows garage, emphasizing how Russell needs to respond in order to reassert his position within the team.

Toto’s favorite?

“George has a one-year contract,” Herbert observed, “and sometimes it’s not pleasant to feel that Kimi is the favorite. And then you hear all those rumors about Max [Verstappen]. The only way to stop all of that is to win the championship. George needs to work hard within his own little ecosystem to make sure he is doing the right things for everyone, so that people say: ‘We trust him. He is extremely reliable and we need him’.”

“He needs to try to turn things around to regain power within the team,” Johnny Herbert added, drawing on his own experience of dealing with high-profile teammates, having shared the Benetton garage throughout the 1995 season with Michael Schumacher. “Kimi is the rising star and probably has a slightly better relationship with Toto. George might sense all of this, but sometimes that can be a good thing. He might think: ‘To hell with it, I’ll show what I can do. I’ll beat your protégé’. Sometimes that’s the reality, and that’s why a driver has to take responsibility for their own situation.”

“He has to commit fully and try to make things go in his favor, avoiding the mistakes we saw in Japan, which Toto also hinted at. Those things simply cannot happen.”

The escalating rivalry within the Mercedes camp therefore highlights the fine line between healthy competition and internal friction. As the 2026 season progresses, the psychological battle between the established leader and the rising star will likely define the team’s path to the championship. For George Russell, the challenge is no longer just about pace on the track, but about securing his standing within a team that appears increasingly captivated by the potential of its newest sensation.