Antonelli says Mercedes’ title season demanded a great deal from the team

Kimi Antonelli credited the people behind Mercedes’ 2026 title-winning season, which he said had demanded a great deal from everyone. He and George Russell celebrated the drivers’ and constructors’ titles with team members at the factories in Brackley and Brixworth. Antonelli had secured his first drivers’ crown in Mexico with four races still to run.

At the start of the 2026 season, Russell had been tipped as the favourite for the drivers’ title: he had more experience and had often beaten Antonelli in 2025. Antonelli said a drivers’ championship may carry one name, but it cannot be won alone. He credited the people who had helped him at every stage of his Mercedes journey; their hours of work gave him and Russell the opportunity to perform, he said.

Antonelli described 2026 as a season of incredible moments and said those around him kept challenging one another and improving. He said he was at least as proud of Mercedes’ constructors’ title as of becoming world champion.

Missing out on the drivers’ title had been painful for Russell, but at the celebration he wanted to focus on the team’s achievement. He said the constructors’ title meant a great deal because it symbolised the work of the whole team. Mercedes completed its first drivers’ and constructors’ double since 2020.

During Mercedes’ difficult years, nobody had accepted that the team was where it wanted to be, Russell said. No one expected a quick fix either: the team kept working, learning and believing it could return to this position. He congratulated Antonelli and said their year-long challenge had helped Mercedes make progress.