Sebastian Vettel reveals "gut feeling" prediction for 2026 drivers' champion

Four-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel has backed George Russell for the 2026 drivers’ championship title.

The 2026 F1 season brings in a new set of regulations that will effectively reset the order of the grid, meaning as pre-season testing nears its end in Bahrain, the usual testing caveats remain and the final pecking order still eludes us.

While weighing up which drivers could take the drivers’ title in 2026, Vettel argued that Mercedes was “not a bad choice” and that McLaren, which uses a Mercedes power unit, has done well in recent years and shouldn’t be overlooked.

“On the one hand, based on what can be seen so far, it is probably not a bad choice to tip Mercedes,” Vettel explained during an appearance on Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar-7 on ServusTV.

“But quite deliberately, McLaren also runs Mercedes engines, and they have not done a bad job in recent years.

“However, I would pick George, because I consider him very intelligent, because I know how hard he works on himself, and because I think he is smart enough to understand what he personally can contribute as a driver to make the difference.

“There are several drivers in the field who can do that, but in the current situation my gut feeling would be that George, together with Mercedes, will succeed best this year.”

George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Anni Graf – Formula 1 via Getty Images

Russell, talking towards the end of pre-season testing, explained that he is focused on “leaving Bahrain in the strongest possible position” as the team works through a busy final day at the Bahrain International Circuit.

“After a solid opening day yesterday, we had more productive running in Bahrain this morning,” the Briton said in a press release from Mercedes. “Once again, our programme wasn’t necessarily focused on finding pure performance but understanding our updates and more about the W17. We were able to do that whilst completing the most laps of anyone in the morning session.

“We now have one final day on track before we head to Melbourne. Whilst we have made up for the lost running in test one, we still have a very full programme to work through tomorrow.

“I’m looking forward to getting back out in the car in the afternoon and focused on helping the team leave Bahrain in the strongest possible position. We’ve seen some impressive single lap work and long runs from our competitors yet again today so adding to our mileage on Friday is very important.”

Photos from Bahrain Pre-Season Testing – Day 6