Mercedes may give Russell full backing in F1 runner-up fight

Mercedes is considering giving George Russell its full backing in the fight for second in the 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ championship, team principal Toto Wolff said after the Brazilian Grand Prix, where Mercedes clinched the constructors’ title. Wolff said Mercedes wanted Russell to score the maximum possible points and hoped he would finish runner-up. The team still needed to discuss its response, he said, describing full backing as a possibility. Wolff added that he had not yet thought about the drivers’ championship.

Three rounds remain if the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix go ahead as planned. Max Verstappen leads Russell by 17 points, 279 to 262. Lewis Hamilton is on 261, Charles Leclerc on 249 and Lando Norris on 246, leaving five drivers in contention for second. Over the last five Grands Prix, Verstappen scored 116 points to Russell’s 26.