Mercedes considers helping Russell beat Verstappen to F1 runner-up spot after 90-point collapse

News Summary

• George Russell scored just 26 points across the last five Grands Prix, compared with 116 for Max Verstappen — a 90-point swing.
• Verstappen now leads Russell by 17 points in the fight for second, with Lewis Hamilton only 1 point behind the Mercedes driver.
• Toto Wolff says Mercedes could consider additional measures to help Russell, but no preferential treatment or team-order policy has been confirmed.

Mercedes is considering how to help George Russell recover second place in the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship after a five-race collapse that has allowed Max Verstappen to overturn a substantial deficit and establish a 17-point advantage. With Andrea Kimi Antonelli already crowned world champion and Mercedes having secured the constructors’ title in São Paulo, team principal Toto Wolff has acknowledged that the team could review its approach to the final three races.

The situation has changed dramatically since the beginning of October. Russell was ahead of Verstappen in the championship, but a sequence of mechanical problems, penalties, difficult races and mistakes has transformed the battle for runner-up.

Across the last five Grands Prix, Russell collected only 26 points. Verstappen scored 116 over the same period, an extraordinary difference of 90 points.

The Dutchman now holds second place with 279 points, followed by Russell on 262 and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton on 261. Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris are also mathematically in contention, making the fight more complicated than a direct contest between Mercedes and Red Bull.

Russell vs Verstappen: The 90-point swing in five races

Championship points accumulated across the five Grands Prix ending in São Paulo:

The comparison captures the scale of Russell’s difficulties. Over five Grands Prix, Verstappen averaged 23.2 points per race, while Russell managed only 5.2.

The Dutchman’s average was therefore more than four times that of his Mercedes rival.

The collapse was not caused by a single problem. Russell’s recent results reflect a combination of reliability failures, compromised weekends and mistakes at critical moments.

In Malaysia, a power-unit failure ended his race. Singapore brought a sprint crash and an engine penalty, while his performance in Austin was unexpectedly poor.

Mexico presented another setback when an energy-deployment problem affected his competitiveness. Then, in São Paulo, Russell spun at the pit-lane exit while attempting to take advantage of a strategic opportunity.

The incidents were different, but their combined effect was devastating for his championship position.

Verstappen, meanwhile, won three of the four Grands Prix preceding Brazil and recovered from 21st on the grid to finish second at Interlagos.

That consistency explains why Russell is now chasing a driver he had previously held behind him in the standings.

How close is the fight for second place?

The championship remains open because the gaps between the contenders are relatively small compared with the points still available.

<text color=”secondary” size=”sm”>Standings after the São Paulo Grand Prix, November 8, 2026. <Cite ref=”turn224043search1″/></text>

There are 75 points available across the remaining three Grands Prix, assuming Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi proceed as scheduled.

Russell therefore needs to outscore Verstappen by at least 18 points to finish ahead of him without relying on a championship tiebreak.

That represents an average gain of 6 points per race.

The target is achievable, but Verstappen’s recent form makes it demanding. Russell must not only improve his results but also prevent Hamilton from overtaking him.

The Ferrari driver is just 1 point behind, meaning even a modest setback could cost Russell third place before he has an opportunity to recover second.

Wolff opens door to Mercedes helping Russell

The team’s position has changed following its championship success.

Antonelli secured the drivers’ title in Mexico, while Mercedes completed the double in Brazil, taking its ninth constructors’ championship.

That leaves the team free to consider whether additional strategic measures could improve Russell’s final position.

Wolff acknowledged the possibility after the São Paulo Grand Prix.

“I haven’t thought about the drivers’ championship yet,” the Mercedes team principal said.

“We absolutely want him to score the maximum and hopefully finish second, and we need to think about what we’re going to do about it, but it could be a possibility that we’re giving it all the force.”

The statement indicates that Mercedes is willing to examine its options, but it does not establish that Russell has been promised preferential treatment.

Wolff did not announce a formal team-order policy or confirm that Antonelli would automatically be instructed to surrender positions.

The distinction matters because Mercedes still has three races to contest, and Antonelli remains its newly crowned world champion.

Any intervention would depend on race circumstances, the relative positions of the drivers and the championship implications.

Could Mercedes use Antonelli to help Russell?

One possibility would involve asking Antonelli to support Russell when the two Mercedes drivers are competing for positions.

There is already a relevant precedent.

During the São Paulo Grand Prix, Mercedes instructed Antonelli to allow Russell through in the closing stages, giving the Briton an opportunity to pursue the Red Bull drivers.

Russell eventually finished fourth, with Antonelli fifth.

However, that instruction was made in the context of a specific race situation. It does not mean Mercedes has adopted a permanent policy of prioritising Russell.

Other potential measures could include strategic decisions designed to maximise Russell’s points, such as pit-stop timing or tyre allocation when both drivers are competing against Verstappen.

Those are possible scenarios rather than confirmed plans.

Mercedes must also consider whether helping Russell would compromise its chances of winning individual races.

Antonelli has already demonstrated that he can compete at the front, and automatically sacrificing his position could prove counterproductive if the team has an opportunity to win.

The most effective approach may therefore depend on the competitive order at each circuit.

Russell’s São Paulo mistake makes recovery harder

Russell had an opportunity to reduce the damage in Brazil.

Mercedes showed strong pace in wet qualifying, and Wolff believed the Briton had been capable of securing pole position before the team instructed him to abandon his final flying lap.

Russell was frustrated by the decision, believing he had been on course to improve.

His race then suffered another setback when he spun while exiting the pit lane after switching to slick tyres.

The Mercedes driver admitted that he may have taken too much risk because he believed a victory was possible.

“I probably just took too much risk, because I was seeing an opportunity to go for the win at that point,” Russell explained.

Despite recovering to fourth, he lost another 6 points to Verstappen, who finished second.

The result was particularly frustrating because Mercedes had sufficient pace to challenge for a podium, even though both drivers struggled with unusual handling problems.

Antonelli also reported unexpected behaviour from his car during the race, while Russell’s spin added to the team’s questions about its performance in changing conditions.

Mercedes must resolve those issues before considering how to support Russell strategically.

Why Russell’s performance matters beyond second place

Finishing runner-up would represent Russell’s best Formula 1 championship result.

It would also give Mercedes a one-two finish in the drivers’ standings, completing a season in which the team has already won both championships.

Mercedes achieved that distinction five times during its dominant period between 2014 and 2021.

For Russell, however, the significance extends beyond the final classification.

His difficult sequence has raised questions about his adaptation to the 2026 cars and his ability to deliver consistently when the Mercedes falls outside its ideal operating window.

Wolff believes the Briton can recover.

“Now we have three races to go. We’re going to, like I said, go full blast, and he will recover, I have no doubt about that for next year,” he said.

“All the very best sportspeople have gone through difficult periods, and that’s going to be part of his continued development.”

Russell has also indicated that his own performance matters more to him than simply protecting a championship position.

After São Paulo, he said he was encouraged by his driving despite the disappointing result.

That approach could prove important during the final three rounds, when the Mercedes driver must balance the need to recover points with the risk of making further mistakes.

What Russell needs in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi

The championship mathematics are straightforward, but the sporting challenge is not.

Russell trails Verstappen by 17 points, with 75 available.

If the Mercedes driver wins one of the remaining Grands Prix while Verstappen finishes second, Russell gains only 7 points. He would still need to recover another 11 points over the other two rounds to move ahead without a tiebreak.

Even three victories would not guarantee second place if Verstappen finished runner-up every time: Russell would gain 21 points, enough to overturn the deficit, but only by 4.

These examples demonstrate why Mercedes may consider strategic assistance.

Russell cannot rely on consistently finishing just ahead of Verstappen if the gaps between them are small.

He needs either victories, significantly better results than the Red Bull driver, or a combination of both.

Las Vegas will provide the first opportunity to reduce the deficit.

The cold conditions expected on the Strip Circuit could make tyre preparation particularly important, especially after Mercedes experienced unusual handling difficulties in Brazil.

The team must also contend with McLaren and Ferrari, both of which could influence how many points Russell and Verstappen collect.

Mercedes has already secured the titles that matter most to the organisation. The remaining question is whether it can help Russell complete the championship one-two without compromising Antonelli’s opportunities.

Wolff has left that possibility open. The final decision, however, has not been made.

GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the 2026 Formula 1 season as Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari prepare for the final three races. Follow the latest developments in Formula 1.