Coming into the 2026 F1 season, things looked perfectly lined up for George Russell to finally make the most of his potential and win a world championship.

His Mercedes team were clearly the fastest on the grid after pre-season testing, and his team-mate was a teenager starting just his second season in the sport, whose points tally he had more than doubled the previous year.

Fast-forward 17 races, and the Brit's status as a future F1 champion looks in shambles – more than 100 points off the top of the standings, and closer to seventh place than first.

The problem? That teenage team-mate Kimi Antonelli, (now 20 years old, in the interests of fairness) really stepped it up over the winter to the point that he is now the dominant driver in the Mercedes organisation, and the title race.

Marko: Russell will never be a number one again

Former Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who used to have a major role in the promotion of his own team's young drivers, claimed that Antonelli has 'overshadowed' his more senior team-mate this year, telling oe24: "It's wonderful to see how this young lad makes the car fly and the joy with which he celebrates his successes.

"He's incredibly fast, and if winning isn't possible, he aims for a good result. Last year, he wasn't as consistent and made several mistakes. This year, however, he's overshadowed Russell. He's outclassed him."

He's not stopped kicking the Brit from there – warning RTL/Sky Germany that as good as Russell is, he may never sniff another world championship opportunity in his career after being eased out of his role as Mercedes' de facto number one.

“It’s certainly a huge mental setback and a blow," he said. "Russell is no longer the number one driver. That position has clearly been taken over by Antonelli.

“[Russell was] one of the top drivers. I doubt whether he will ever have another chance at the world championship or whether he will achieve number one status anywhere.”