Mercedes is weighing up whether to put its full backing behind George Russell to help him secure second place in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship following a challenging run of results.
The Battle for Second Place in the 2026 Season
With three rounds remaining in the 2026 season, pending the upcoming grands prix in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, five drivers remain mathematically in the hunt for the runner-up position. Max Verstappen leads the chasing pack with 279 points, followed closely by Russell with 262, Lewis Hamilton with 261, Charles Leclerc with 249, and Lando Norris with 246. This battle follows Kimi Antonelli securing his first Formula 1 world drivers’ title in Mexico.
Russell has endured a severe slump in form over the previous five grands prix, managing only 26 points compared to Verstappen’s 116. During this stretch, the British driver suffered a power unit failure in Malaysia, received an engine penalty and crashed out of the sprint in Singapore, struggled heavily in Austin, faced an energy deployment problem in Mexico, and spun at the pit exit while performing strongly in Sao Paulo.
Mercedes Considers Team Support for Russell
Following the Brazilian Grand Prix, where Mercedes successfully clinched the constructors’ championship, team principal Toto Wolff addressed the situation regarding the drivers’ standings.
“I haven’t thought about the drivers’ championship yet,” Wolff stated.
“We absolutely want him to score the maximum and hopefully finish second, and we need to think about what we’re going to do about it, but it could be a possibility that we’re giving it all the force,” Wolff added.
The triumph at Interlagos marked Mercedes’ ninth constructors’ title in Formula 1 history and their second with Russell, who previously contributed three points to the Silver Arrows’ 2020 championship campaign when he substituted for Lewis Hamilton at the Sakhir Grand Prix.
Reflecting on how to encourage Russell ahead of the 2027 campaign, Wolff pointed to the driver’s resilience and recent near-misses, such as a dominant wet qualifying session in Brazil where an aborted final lap cost him pole position.
“Now we have three races to go. We’re going to, like I said, go full blast, and he will recover, I have no doubt about that for next year. All the very best sportspeople have gone through difficult periods, and that’s going to be part of his continued development,” Wolff concluded.
