George Russell never shies away from dissecting what happens on track. After the Spanish GP in Madrid, the Mercedes driver spoke out about a curious phenomenon coloring the 2026 season: why are intra-team performances flipping compared to last year? The answer, according to Russell, lies not just in technical factors but in driving styles.
The 2026 technical regulations have produced vastly different cars. And the impact is clear in the top teams' garages. At Mercedes, Kimi Antonelli now dominates Russell, whereas last season Russell often had the upper hand. At Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton leads Charles Leclerc by 24 points, a rarity in 2025. Meanwhile at McLaren, the balance between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri has vanished; Norris is now consistently ahead. The only constant is Max Verstappen's dominance at Red Bull, though his teammates—Hadjar then Lawson—are closer than ever.
“It's a strange season when you think about how competitive Oscar Piastri was compared to Lando Norris last year, Charles compared to Lewis, and even Max's dominance over all his teammates in previous years,” Russell said. He sees a pattern: the drivers struggling this year share similar driving styles. “Charles, Oscar, and I are having more difficulty against our teammates. As for Max, his teammates are much closer, more than has happened in the last six years. I think we all have pretty similar driving styles. Kimi, Lewis, and Lando have similar styles,” he added.
Russell's analysis is no mere speculation. The 2026 F1 cars with more extreme ground effect and new tires demand a different approach. Drivers who can adapt to the car's character—perhaps more understeer or oversteer—gain an immediate advantage. Russell acknowledges this: “With this car and these tires, it's clear what I need to do. The trends are evident in the four drivers I mentioned.” Now it's about translating that understanding into on-track action.
For Russell, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. Mercedes still has many races to turn things around. If he can adjust his driving style, it's not impossible that Antonelli's dominance will be halted. But it requires hard work and deep technical understanding. In F1, fractions of a second can be decided by how a driver treats the steering wheel and pedals.
Regardless, Russell's comments have sparked an interesting paddock debate. Is driving style truly the main determining factor? Or are there other elements like car development favoring one driver? Either way, the 2026 season is still long, and intra-team dynamics will continue to be a thrilling spectacle for fans.
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