Russell of Mercedes declares his preparedness to contend for the 2026 Formula 1 championship.
George Russell, an early favorite for the Formula 1 preseason, expressed his readiness to compete for a world championship and is looking forward to the opportunity to face off against his former rival Max Verstappen.
Mercedes validated the extensive anticipation surrounding their 2026 car and engine initiative with an exceptionally strong performance during F1’s Barcelona ‘Shakedown’ week.
Russell became part of Mercedes in 2022, coinciding with the conclusion of their eight consecutive championship wins due to the onset of the ‘ground effect’ era. However, the team is optimistic that the new regulations will help them return to a leading position.
Currently, most bookmakers list Russell, who has achieved five career grand prix victories, and Mercedes as the frontrunners for the championship title.
During a media session on Monday, when asked about this label, he remarked: “Didn’t really feel anything from hearing that, to be honest. As I’ve said for a long time, I feel ready to fight for a world championship. And whether we have that comment above us or not, that does not change my approach one single bit.”
At the beginning of the Shakedown week, Russell emphasized his admiration for Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team, which had a strong performance in Barcelona despite starting a new engine collaboration with Ford.
In 2025, Verstappen narrowly competed against eventual champion Lando Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
Russell and Verstappen have had several public confrontations, the most recent being when Verstappen collided with Russell’s car at the conclusion of last year’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Russell believes that any title contention will require overcoming Verstappen along the way.
“I’d love for it to turn out that way,” Russell stated when informed that many bookmakers have Verstappen as the second favorite for the title. “I do want to go head-to-head with Max. And obviously, Lando had a great season last year. But no, it didn’t add any more pressure [hearing about Max].
“I think probably the fans and people were expecting, you know, to potentially be Mercedes versus McLaren. Because there was a lot of anticipation that Mercedes would clearly have the best power unit. But it seems like the other power unit manufacturers have done a good job.
“And we know that Red Bull have always had an amazing car, even through the years of dominance of Mercedes. It was their engine that was letting them down, not their car. And we obviously know how good Max is.
“So, yeah, I think he’s very much going to be in the fight this year. And, you know, that is great. You obviously wish that you’d have a slightly easier time of it.
“But it should never be easy. And if you’re going to win, you want to have fought for it and won it fair and square on track.”
F1 has six additional days of testing scheduled across two sessions in Bahrain prior to the Australian Grand Prix on March 8.
Source: espn.com
