Former Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has praised Kimi Antonelli's performances in the 2026 F1 season, claiming the Italian has completely outclassed his Mercedes teammate George Russell. With a lead of more than 100 points in the Drivers' Championship, Antonelli is now closing in on his first world title, which he could secure as early as this weekend's United States Grand Prix.

The Mercedes youngster has enjoyed a remarkable second season in Formula 1, taking a series of victories during the opening part of the championship and establishing himself as the driver to beat. Russell, who began the year with victory in Australia, has been unable to match his teammate's results over the course of the campaign.

Marko believes Antonelli has outclassed Russell

Speaking to Austrian outlet oe24, Marko expressed his admiration for Antonelli, particularly the way he combines his speed with a more consistent approach than he showed during his rookie season.

"It's wonderful to see how this young lad makes the car fly and the joy with which he celebrates his successes," Marko said.

"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."

Marko's comments come after a season in which Antonelli has steadily increased his advantage over his teammate. The Italian won four consecutive races early in the year and continued to build his championship lead, despite occasional setbacks.

Russell has also experienced difficult moments, including reliability problems that cost him valuable points. His retirement from the Canadian Grand Prix was particularly costly, allowing Antonelli to extend his advantage to 43 points at that stage of the season.

By September, the gap had grown considerably. Antonelli's victory at Monza, where he recovered from 19th on the grid, left Russell 66 points behind despite the Briton finishing second.

Russell himself acknowledged the situation after the Italian Grand Prix, admitting that Antonelli deserved to be leading the championship. The Mercedes driver explained that his focus was now on winning individual races rather than worrying about the points deficit.

"Definitely Kimi’s in control of it an. He’s deserving to be in control of it. For me personally, I’m not even thinking about a fight or a comeback or anything. I’m just focused on taking it race by race and trying to maximise every single weekend."

When can Antonelli become F1 world champion?

Antonelli's third-place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix increased his championship advantage over Russell to 102 points, putting him within reach of securing the title at the United States Grand Prix in Austin.

However, the exact scenario depends on the final composition of the 2026 calendar, with the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix having been subject to uncertainty because of the situation in the Middle East.

If both races remain on the calendar as planned, Antonelli would need three results to go his way to become world champion in Austin: he must win the Grand Prix, Russell must finish ninth or lower, and Lewis Hamilton must finish no higher than fifth.

The situation would be considerably different if Qatar and Abu Dhabi were cancelled and replaced by a single race at Imola, leaving five Grands Prix on the calendar after Austin.

Under that scenario, Antonelli would only need to avoid losing more than two points to Russell, 11 to Hamilton and 19 to Max Verstappen to secure the championship mathematically.

A victory would therefore guarantee him the title, while finishing second or third ahead of Russell would also be enough. Even a lower points finish could see the Mercedes driver crowned champion, depending on the results of his closest rivals. For Antonelli, the title would also end a long wait for Italian motorsport. No Italian driver has won the F1 Drivers' championship since Alberto Ascari in 1953.