Dominated by George Russell in his F1 debut, Kimi Antonelli has reversed the balance of power at Mercedes. And in a spectacular way.
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A year ago, imagining Kimi Antonelli taking such a clear upper hand over George Russell would have been a bold bet. At the 2026 summer break, it is indeed the young Italian who leads the world championship, with 59 points ahead of his teammate at Mercedes.
After eleven Grands Prix, Antonelli has a total of 219 points compared to 160 for Russell. But the standings only tell part of the story: in their direct confrontation, the 19-year-old driver also leads 7-4 in qualifying and has spent 361 laps ahead of his teammate, compared to 224 for the Briton.
A reversal all the more impressive as twelve months ago, the hierarchy at Mercedes seemed perfectly established.
From dominated to leader at Mercedes
For his first season in Formula 1, Antonelli had logically struggled against Russell’s experience and speed. At the end of the 2025 European sequence, the Briton was leading 15-1 in their qualifying duel. And Antonelli had ultimately finished the year with less than half the points of his teammate.
Some signs nevertheless indicated his progress. After a difficult mid-season, notably following an evolution of the Mercedes that had not produced the expected effects, the Italian had finished 2025 much more solidly, with two podiums in the last four rounds.
The start of the 2026 season confirmed this transformation at an unexpected speed.
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Russell had nevertheless struck first by winning the Australian Grand Prix. Antonelli responded brilliantly by winning the next five rounds, quickly taking the lead in the championship.
Bad luck does not explain everything
The raw comparison must however be nuanced. Russell has not always been spared by circumstances: a technical problem notably handicapped him in qualifying in Shanghai, before another caused his retirement while leading in Canada. He also suffered from an unusual deficit in top speed at Silverstone and Spa.
Antonelli, however, has not gone through these first eleven rounds without trouble. His Mercedes abandoned him in Spain and an aerodynamic part broke at Silverstone. While Russell has probably been a bit less lucky overall, this is therefore not enough to explain the 59 points that separate the two men today. The qualifying trend may be even more revealing. Antonelli was faster in seven of the first eleven meetings. At Spa, he notably beat Russell by more than half a second, before repeating the feat in Hungary with an advantage of 0.281 seconds.
Russell faces an unexpected challenge
Above all, Antonelli seems to have found with the W17 a confidence that was still lacking during his rookie season. Where Russell was naturally supposed to embody Mercedes’ benchmark, his young teammate now appears particularly comfortable with this new generation of single-seaters.
The second half of the championship will tell if this reversal of power can last. But after eleven Grands Prix, one thing is already clear: Antonelli no longer just holds his own against Russell. He has, so far, surpassed him.
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