Helmut Marko drops bold title race verdict as Antonelli leads early standings

The former Red Bull Racing advisor, speaking in a recent interview, believes the championship battle will shape up to be a close duel between Antonelli and his Mercedes team-mate George Russell. However, Marko stressed that it will be crucial to see how the young Italian handles the pressure against his more experienced team-mate as the season develops.

Speaking to ORF, Marko praised Antonelli’s composure and raw speed, while highlighting the maturity he has shown at just 19 years old.

“His whole demeanour is very refreshing. He was already incredibly fast everywhere in the junior categories, and it’s good to see a young driver like that coming up,” the 82-year-old said.

However, Marko also questioned whether Antonelli can sustain his early-season form as the calendar moves into the European leg – a phase of the championship where he struggled last year.

The Mercedes duo of Antonelli and Russell have largely dominated every competitive session of the 2026 campaign, with the pair winning the three races and the only Sprint of the campaign so far. However, it is Antonelli who leads the Drivers’ standings, following his consecutive race victories in China and Japan.

Earlier, former driver-turned-pundit Martin Brundle urged Russell to approach the intra-team battle against Antonelli in a similar fashion to how he did against Lewis Hamilton.

The 66-year-old stressed that Russell may need to shed his “gentleman” approach in the fight for the title, insisting that opportunities like this do not come around often.

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