The Silver Arrows have scored three wins from three in 2026, with Kimi Antonelli following his maiden F1 win in Shanghai with a commanding victory in Japan last weekend.

The German team have a 45-point advantage at the top of the Constructors' standings, sitting on 135 points to Ferrari's 90.

In third are McLaren, who despite suffering a nightmare start to the 2026 season - where Oscar Piastri missed the first two races completely - put on an impressive performance in Suzuka, with the Aussie finishing P2.

Piastri was arguably unlucky not to win the race after taking the lead on the opening lap, and appearing to manage his gap to the Silver Arrows quite comfortably, before an unfortunately-timed Safety Car gave him too much work to do behind Antonelli, but ahead of George Russell, who finished P4.

It is that performance that has Villeneuve questioning whether Mercedes' advantage is as secure as it seems, with the 1997 world champion telling Toto Wolff's team to be wary of the papaya squad.

Speaking to F1 TV after the race in Suzuka, Villeneuve said: "We've seen McLaren being very good at responding last year.

“They felt safe, they don't feel safe after this race. The gap is not as big as they expected, mostly on a track that is very car-dependent.

Meanwhile, Mercedes boss Wolff has shared details on how he will manage his driver pairing in the event of a battle for the Drivers' title.

For now, Russell and Antonelli are "absolutely off the leash" to race each other, but Wolff conceded that may have to change later in the season.