It’s been a bizarre year for Formula One with two races in the Middle East already cancelled due to the war in Iran. Even more strange is the fact that F1 continues to insist it will conclude the 2026 season as planned with races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Yesterday, the organisers of the 2027 Dakar Rally, Amaury Sport Organisation, said the event due to be held in January coming would be held somewhere other than Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom has hosted the event since 2020 and speculation is rife as to where the iconic desert race will take place.
This is merely another indicator that F1’s position on racing in Qatar and the UAE is untenable. And when the final announcement of the two races being cancelled comes, TJ13 believes Imola will be announced as the season finale the first weekend of December.
There are two issues here; firstly, FOM must deliver at least 22 races a season to forego massive penalties in terms of rebates which the global broadcasters will be entitled to. Secondly, in reality with the cancellation of one more event,Kimi Antonelli is already 2027 world champion.
Antonelli’s Imminent Crown and Russell’s COTA Struggles
Of course now needing just a point, barring a disaster the young Mercedes driver will be crowned in a few days’ time down in Mexico. Then the truth and honesty from FOM and the FIA can begin. Once again at the US Grand Prix,Antonelli’s teammate looked way off the pace. George Russell qualified a mere sixth—some half a second slower than his teammate on pole position—then in the race struggled to find pace, coming home in just P8 and 54 seconds behind Kimi Antonelli.
Helmut Marko’s Damning Verdict
During the weekend, the ex-Red Bull special advisor Dr. Helmut Marko was reported as stating he believed George Russell would never be F1 world champion. “Russell is no longer the number one driver [at Mercedes]. Antonelli has quite clearly taken that spot from him. I doubt whether he’ll ever have another chance at the world title or be given number one status anywhere.”
Damning words indeed. Yet in the world of F1, no driver can be certain when the team will deliver you a championship-winning car. Further, since the introduction of the cost cap era, it is highly likely we’ll ever see one team dominate again as did Mercedes between 2014-2021. Such was their advantage over the field that the Silver Arrows won eight constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ championships consecutively.
This makes that iteration of Mercedes AMG F1 the most dominant team in the history of the sport, potentially tainting claims that Lewis Hamilton is the greatest driver of all time. Despite Antonelli’s win, Red Bull have in recent weeks demonstrated they are hot on the heels of their rivals, and with few regulation changes for next season, the in-season development this year will count significantly towards the performance of next year’s F1 cars.
Toto Wolff Rallies Behind Russell
George Russell, who dominated Lewis Hamilton for two of their three seasons together and then eclipsed his new teammate Antonelli last year, looks lost. Yet Toto Wolff has rallied behind his driver, critiquing the comments from Dr.Helmut Marko.
“He’s my Austrian not-so-buddy, but I respect his opinion. But I think he’s wrong on George,” retorted Wolff. “George has all the ability. I think the car doesn’t suit him. I think that at the beginning of the season, it’s maybe difficult to cope with a situation where you’re feeling like this is my year to come, and then you have this wunderkind on the other side that starts to really chip away.”
The Mercedes team principal believes that next year will be a fresh start for his British driver. Wolff went on to cite the fact that Russell won everything in his junior career with back-to-back European Karting titles and then back-to-back championships in F3 then F2.
Indeed, despite Antonelli dominating the drivers’ points table, in qualifying the Mercedes duo have been more evenly matched. The tally favours Kimi just 10-8 and the pole position count is 7-5 in favour of the Italian.
Wolff continues the defence of his driver, adding: “George, for all of us in the team, is a champion and has won in every category, and I think he merits to be put in the group of the very best ones. We’ve seen that last year, and this year, like you like to say, we see this variability in results.
“When we land the car in the way that suits him, he’s absolutely fine. But when it drops out of that operational window, he struggles, and he struggles more than maybe Kimi. That is on us.”
Driving Styles, Regulations, and Tyre Windows
Indeed, the year-on-year comparison between the Mercedes teammates’ relative performance is difficult to understand. Of course, with the ground effect era ending in 2025 and huge regulation changes to the cars and the power units, this goes some way to explain the turnaround between Russell and Antonelli.
The Italian is aggressive and likes the car sliding around underneath him; in the ground effect cars this didn’t happen.Then the car would just suddenly snap at the rear end, leaving Kimi often in the barrier. George, on the other hand, is a more exact driver, and when at his best nails apex after apex with incredible precision. The current generation of cars offer this driving style less in terms of performance, given they were designed to have less downforce and traction.
Mercedes has struggled in terms of getting their tyre temperatures into the right window at times this season, and it could be that Antonelli’s greater aggression heats the tyres better and into their ideal operating temperatures.
It’s worth noting that Lewis Hamilton lost his previous dominance during the era of the ground effect cars. He won just two races in the period from 2022-2025. Is it the case that this regulation cycle will be unkind to Russell and his driving style, or can the British driver reinvent himself
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A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
