(Motorsport-Total.com) – If the most famous TV experts in the Formula 1 world are to be believed, there can almost only be one world champion in 2026: George Russell. Before the 2026 season opener, the Brit is not only the big championship favorite with the bookmakers, but also with most experts.
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Christian Danner from RTL explains to sport.de, for example, that he expects a Mercedes world champion in 2026. And since Russell is “the better one in the Mercedes cockpit” compared to teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the Brit is therefore “also my championship candidate”.
It looks very similar with the English-speaking Sky colleagues. There, when asked, three more former Formula 1 drivers, Martin Brundle, Karun Chandhok, and Anthony Davidson, commit to Russell as the 2026 world champion.
“I think he seems to have made a good start. The car is fast enough to consistently compete at the very front now, instead of just showing good performances occasionally, and he is ready to win a world championship,” says Davidson.
While you hear almost only the name George Russell everywhere, German Sky expert Ralf Schumacher interestingly has a different opinion. “My personal favorite is – and this might sound crazy – Kimi Antonelli,” Schumacher told Sport Bild.
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His reasoning: “He is simply extremely talented. If he maintains his learning pace from the second half of the season [2025], he is the stronger man for me. George had a great start last year, but then fell off when it became more and more about his contract.”
“The car could be a weapon,” says Schumacher about the Mercedes W17, “and Kimi could surprise with it.” If Antonelli actually becomes world champion at the end of the year, he would be by far the youngest champion in the history of Formula 1 at just 20 years old.
This record is currently held by Sebastian Vettel, who was “already” 23 years old when he won his first title in 2010.
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