- Verstappen and Antonelli lead Ecclestone’s 2026 title predictions.
- Antonelli makes F1 history with three consecutive pole-to-win starts.
- Red Bull’s Miami upgrades give Verstappen the car he has been missing.
Bernie Ecclestone has placed his bet on Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen to fight for the 2026 Formula 1 world championship.
The 95-year-old former F1 boss told Swiss newspaper Blick that George Russell, despite sitting second in the drivers’ standings, will not be champion this season.
His verdict came after four rounds of racing, all of which Mercedes won, but only one of which Russell claimed.
“The season is still young, but for now, Antonelli holds the momentum to extend his lead over Russell,” Ecclestone told Blick. He left no room for ambiguity: “Antonelli or Verstappen will be world champion.”
Antonelli’s grip on Mercedes tightens
Antonelli won the Miami Grand Prix for his third consecutive victory from pole position. No driver in Formula 1 history had previously won their first three career starts from the front of the grid.
The 19-year-old Italian now leads the championship with 100 points, 20 ahead of Russell.
Russell began the year with a win in the opening race and took victory in the China Sprint. Since then, however, he has added only one more podium finish.
Antonelli has been the dominant force inside the Mercedes garage, and Russell has struggled to respond.
Sky Sports analyst Karun Chandhok drew a comparison with Oscar Piastri’s struggles against Lando Norris in 2025, saying Russell finds it hard when circuits offer low grip or when the car slides beneath him.
Former world champion Jenson Button described Russell as looking “downbeat” after Miami. “We all have bogey tracks as drivers,” Button said on Sky Sports F1, “but it’s surprising how far he is off Kimi in qualifying.”
Red Bull’s return to form lifts Verstappen
Ecclestone’s confidence in Verstappen is rooted in what Red Bull showed in Miami. The team brought a significant upgrade package to Florida, which it estimated gained roughly 0.6 seconds in lap time.
Changes spanned the front wing, floor, sidepods, brake ducts, diffuser, rear wing, engine cover, cockpit and steering rack.
Before Miami, Verstappen had gone four races without a podium. It was his worst start to a season since 2018. He was candid about how the car had been behaving.
“Before, nothing really worked. I felt like a total passenger in the car,” he told Motorsport.com. “It could understeer. It could snap on me. It could feel different from one session to the other one without even touching parts.”
The upgrades changed that picture immediately. “I can finally drive how I want to drive,” Verstappen said.
A first-lap spin and a five-second penalty for crossing the pit exit line pushed him to fifth on race day. But Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said the underlying pace was strong.
“I think overall, big picture, race pace was strong, confirming the good sign shown in qualifying,” Mekies said.
Wolff stands by Russell
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is not ready to share Ecclestone’s conclusion about Russell.
Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Wolff acknowledged that Antonelli had outperformed his teammate but pointed to a mix of causes for Russell’s difficult run.
“Russell hasn’t done as well, in some cases due to team problems, or bad luck, and in Miami due to his own mistakes,” Wolff said.
Wolff was measured but firm in his defence of Russell. He called his driver a “killer” and insisted one difficult circuit revealed nothing about his overall championship potential.
“We know George’s value, and we know he’ll return, starting from Canada, very competitive and ready to make life difficult for his opponents,” Wolff said.
Wolff also praised what Antonelli has built so far. “What we love about this sport is that the clock never lies at the end of the race,” he said. “And the clock says Kimi deservedly won the last three Grands Prix.”
Eighteen races remain in the season. Russell has enough time to recover on paper.
But with Antonelli commanding the same car, Verstappen finding his footing again, and McLaren also resurgent, the space around Russell in the title conversation is narrowing fast.
