Mercedes Formula 1 team president Toto Wolff believes that driver George Russell is ready to become a champion, but young Andrea Kimi Antonelli still needs time.

“Nobody knows how much power the Mercedes engine will have in 2026. We don’t know what the other teams’ engines will be like either. Is Russell ready to take the championship if given the right car? 100%, absolutely ready. There is nothing to add here. He is ready to be champion.”

“Antonelli is only 19 years old. What kind of peak are we talking about? He can be at the peak after 3-5 seasons. I believe we should give him this time to gain experience.”

“It’s moving in the right direction,” Wolff said.

F1 will have new technical regulations on engines and aerodynamics from the 2026 season.

Haas driver and Ferrari development program graduate Olliver Berman said his goal is to race in the Scuderia in the future and win victories with the red car.

The Briton was already racing for Ferrari at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when he replaced Carlos Sainz due to appendicitis. He has since made significant progress at Haas and will remain with the team at the start of the new season.

Berman congratulated Isak Hajar on his promotion to Red Bull and said:

“Yes, of course I’m a little jealous that he will be fighting for high results in a team like Red Bull. But I’m sure my time will come, too, and I’m very happy for that. We’ve been racing since Formula 3 and he has shown incredible talent and speed. It’s great that the new generation of drivers are being recognized and now both Kimi and Isak are in the top teams. That’s great. All you have to do is wait for your chance and it will definitely come.”

Berman said about his dream of competing for the Scuderia:

“This is definitely my dream. It motivates me to do my best and I get up every morning to do my best in everything I do. I want to perform in the red. I want to win in the red. That’s my life goal. I’ve been lucky enough to feel it once already and I know what it feels like, so I try to get back to that regularly.”

Traditionally, at the end of the season, Formula 1 compiles ratings of drivers, teams and individual moments. This year, team leaders also participated in the annual survey and voted jointly to determine the top 10 pilots of the season.

Just like last year, first place went to Max Verstappen. Second was Lando Norris, who won his first world championship. The third and fourth places corresponded to the position in the championship behind Oscar Piastri and George Russell. The top 5 was completed by Fernando Alonso, who received the anti-award as the unluckiest driver this season.

Interestingly, although Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc only finished seventh, he is in the top 5 or even top 3 in most of the other rankings. The top rookie rated by team leaders was Haas’ Olliver Berman.

Among those taking part in the vote were Formula 1 team bosses: McLaren boss Andrea Stella, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, Williams boss James Vowles, Red Bull boss Alan Perman, Aston Martin management, Haas boss Ayao Komatsu, Sauber boss Jonathan Wheatley and Alpin managing director Steve Nielsen.

The full top ten drivers by team leaders and comparison to last year’s rankings are shown in the photo below.