Informed that George Russell has emerged as the bookmakers\u2019 favourite to win the F1 2026 Drivers\u2019 Championship, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says that is a \u201cdeserved\u201d tag for his driver.<\/p>\n
That is because, according to Wolff, Russell is \u201cone of the best\u201d out there on the Formula 1 grid. But, despite all the pre-season hype, Wolff cautions that Mercedes<\/a> are yet to prove that the W17 is a car worthy of challenging for the title.<\/p>\n Toto Wolff: George Russell \u2018deserves\u2019 F1 2026 title favourite tag<\/p>\n Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n As anticipation continues to build for the new season, and new era of Formula 1 with completely revamped chassis and engines regulations in play, all teams bar Williams got a first feel for the F1 2026 machinery in Barcelona, as part of a five-day, closed-doors test.<\/p>\n Verified, unofficial times had Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari in P1 by the end of the test, but Mercedes allegedly impressed, only further strengthening the buzz around that team going into the new season.<\/p>\n Wolff, when speaking with PlanetF1.com and others, was told that Russell is the odds-on favourite with the bookmakers to win the F1 2026 Drivers\u2019 Championship. Wolff was therefore asked whether he believes Russell can fight for the title.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always nice if your driver is the favourite and for the bookmakers, and I think he deserves it, because he\u2019s one of the best,\u201d said Wolff.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s shown us where the performance of the car is, and been overall, more than great to us.<\/p>\n \u201cBut also there, it is always best driver and best car wins, and we haven\u2019t yet proven that we have a package that is good enough. We haven\u2019t been in the hot in Bahrain, with the abrasive tarmac which was always tricky for us.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I\u2019d hope the bookmakers are right, but I\u2019ll believe it when we have seen performances that would confirm that.\u201d<\/p>\n More on F1 2026 from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n F1 overtaking rules: Guidelines, rules of engagement and possible penalties<\/a><\/p>\n In his own words: Adrian Newey on the Aston Martin AMR26<\/a><\/p>\n Mercedes was unable to challenge for the title in Formula 1\u2019s previous, ground effect era.<\/p>\n As the sport now embraces a new formula, Wolff was asked whether anything less than a title challenge under this ruleset would be a failure for Mercedes.<\/p>\n \u201cFailure is such a harsh word in a way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re into these regulations for the next few years, and how I\u2019d like is to see the way we\u2019re thinking about it is not always the optimisation on a weekend or a season, but seeing an upward trajectory.<\/p>\n \u201cSo whatever the pace is that we\u2019re coming out of the blocks, I\u2019m certain there will be challenges. Our own challenges, the relative performance against the others.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s see how it goes, and let\u2019s see whether we have a car that has the potential to fight for a championship. But you know, I\u2019m the glass half empty person. I don\u2019t see any of that. At that stage, I\u2019m wary and sceptical.\u201d<\/p>\n Wolff was also quizzed on where he expects Kimi Antonelli to be at, in his second season of Formula 1, compared to the title favourite Russell.<\/p>\n Antonelli responded well to a mid-season slump in his rookie season, ending 2025 with three podiums.<\/p>\n Wolff said: \u201cAs for Kimi, he\u2019s completely on the trajectory that we\u2019ve always mapped out at the beginning of last year, first year in Formula 1, with this huge circus coming upon him, the obligations with the media, the requests from sponsors and fandom, and that\u2019s exactly why we had very good performances, and then some races where he struggled more.<\/p>\n \u201cSo now there\u2019s no doubt about his speed and about his race craft. He\u2019s going into his second season. He knows all the tracks. He knows all of you guys. He knows most of the other requirements.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019m absolutely certain that it will be a good year for him.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving said that, I don\u2019t think we should expect him to be like George all the time. George is one of the best ones. He\u2019s been in Formula 1 a long time. He\u2019s a benchmark, and Kimi is 19, and is going into his second season. We\u2019re going to see another step, that I\u2019m certain about.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Mat Coch<\/p>\n