Mercedes are yet to make a decision over their driver lineup for the Formula 1 2026 season. But the Singapore Grand Prix demonstrated exactly why George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are likely to be handed a contract extension to guide the Silver Arrows into a new era of regulations, according to an F1 expert.
Russell, who joined the team for the 2022 after replacing Valtteri Bottas, became their No. 1 driver when Lewis Hamilton left for Ferrari. The Briton has responded with arguably the best performance of his F1 career to date, racking up two race victories and eight podium finishes to sit fourth in the Drivers’ Championship.
Despite this, speculation has persisted that Mercedes are keen to sign Max Verstappen, while Charles Leclerc has been linked with a move from Ferrari more recently.
Speaking on the Total Motorsport F1 Show, F1 journalist Ewan Gale believes both Russell and Antonelli will stay with the team for 2026 after impressing in different roles within the team.
“The thing is that neither of them are contracted for next year yet. That’s sort of the underlying storyline going on at Mercedes, but I think it’s pretty obvious that it’ll be the same next year,” Gale said.
“With Russell, especially, as Toto Wolff and Russell said, it’s now the fine details that they’re just ironing out. But we’ve seen this before when they were talking to Lewis Hamilton, and everything was always resolved. I don’t think there’s any danger that Russell won’t be there next year.”
More from the Singapore GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport's latest Singapore GP coverage, including Max Verstappen's victory at Marina Bay, Ferrari's costly strategy gamble, the full race classification, and the updated 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship standings.
Antonelli shrugs off Mercedes pressure
Rookie Antonelli has also made his mark, securing a podium finish at the Miami GP in only his sixth race entry. In doing so, he became the third-youngest driver in the motorsport’s history to secure a podium finish, and rebounded superbly from a mid-season dip – which coincided with a difficult period for Mercedes before upgrades were applied to the W16.
The teenager from Bologna has contributed 88 points to the team’s cause, helping put Mercedes on course for second place in the Constructors’ Standings. And the young Italian’s mettle has not gone unnoticed, especially after his impressive driving display at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore.
“Antonelli had the difficult mid-season run, he was making a lot of mistakes. He then goes to a really difficult track in Azerbaijan, and has a really strong weekend,” Gale added.
“Then turns up at Singapore, which is one of the toughest for a rookie to conquer, and he has a really strong weekend. So there’s no reason for me why you would look at Kimi Antonelli and say ‘no, you’re not in the seat next season’.”
“He’s already got a podium, and he looked really good at the start of the season, so he didn’t start to show form and pace and F1 ability, [he already had it].
“But what he’s done really impressively is he’s ignored the excuses he would’ve had to continue to have bad weekends, with the pressure mounting on him, and turn that back around to what we know he can do. That’s really impressive.
“We’ve seen drivers crack under the pressure, and he certainly hasn’t.”
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