Ecclestone already writes Russell out of title fight

Bernie Ecclestone believes the 2026 world championship is already slipping away from George Russell.

After Kimi Antonelli surged to a third consecutive victory from pole in Miami, the teenage Italian now leads his much more experienced Mercedes teammate by 20 points.

Ecclestone, the former long-time F1 supremo, thinks the momentum has already shifted decisively.

"The season is still young, but for now, Antonelli holds the momentum to extend his lead over Russell," the 95-year-old told Swiss newspaper Blick.

"Antonelli or Verstappen will be world champion."

Ecclestone is also no longer writing off Max Verstappen after Red Bull’s strong recovery in Miami.

"Red Bull seems to have overcome its slump," he said.

"Max has rediscovered his fire - and when he does that, he is dangerous."

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, however, is still publicly backing Russell despite Antonelli’s extraordinary start.

Asked by La Gazzetta dello Sport about Russell’s difficult opening phase of the season, Wolff pointed to both bad luck and mistakes.

"What we love about this sport is that the clock never lies at the end of the race," Wolff said.

"And the clock says Kimi deservedly won the last three Grands Prix."

"Russell hasn’t done as well, in some cases due to team problems, or bad luck, and in Miami due to his own mistakes."

Still, Wolff insists Russell remains firmly in Mercedes’ plans.

"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."