Mercedes steps up a gear: update for World Championship leaders Kimi Antonelli and George Russell

As the 2026 season got underway, it became clear that what had already been evident during the pre-season test sessions was indeed the case: following the major regulatory overhaul, the Mercedes team set the pace with the W17, with a Mercedes driver winning each of the first six races: George Russell, who was tipped as the hot favourite for the title, triumphed in Melbourne. However, his young team-mate Kimi Antonelli went on to win the next five races, including the Belgian Grand Prix.

The Italian, aged just 19, consequently leads the World Championship; his points lead over his Mercedes predecessor and closest rival, Lewis Hamilton, stands at 50 championship points, whilst Russell trails the young leader by as many as 59 points after eleven races. The Briton has secured just two Grand Prix victories so far; in the most recent race at the Hungaroring, he had to settle for seventh place, whilst Antonelli stood on the podium in third.

More new parts for Kimi Antonelli and George Russell

The race on the outskirts of the Hungarian capital, Budapest, was won by McLaren star Lando Norris. The championship leader was clearly the fastest man on the track – both in qualifying and in the race. However, the balance of power could soon shift back in Mercedes’ favour, as the championship leaders are stepping up their efforts after the summer break, as deputy technical director Simone Resta has announced.

The Italian explained: “We tried to develop the car significantly between the winter tests and the first race, and then we had something new on the car at almost every World Championship round. In Canada, we took another big step forward. We’re always trying to make small improvements to the car. And, of course, we’ve seen that other teams have brought more innovations to the track.”

“We’ll probably introduce a slightly more extensive update after the summer break. But we’re clearly focusing on improving the car race by race, whilst at the same time working on implementing a major development step.”

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