Schumacher says rivals’ uneven form has helped Mercedes

Ralf Schumacher believes Mercedes has benefited from the uneven form of its Formula 1 rivals in 2026. On the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, he said McLaren had not put things together this year while Ferrari had been stronger at times.

Verstappen, Schumacher said, was out of the picture early in the season but has returned to contention. He came close to winning in Baku before taking victories in Malaysia and Singapore. Red Bull’s upgrades worked well, while Mercedes’ own package did not deliver as hoped.

Schumacher said Mercedes’ upgrade had failed to improve the situation, raising questions, and he believed there were many discussions behind the scenes. He nevertheless praised the team’s approach of searching for faults collectively rather than blaming individuals, and said he hoped Mercedes would get things right.

If the pattern continues, Schumacher expects Verstappen to be closest to Mercedes by season’s end. He even estimated that the Red Bull driver would finish as runner-up.