McLaren overtakes Mercedes, Russell says team to beat in F1
NXTbets Pro | Published On: August 27, 2026
McLaren surge
George Russell said McLaren has replaced Mercedes as the team to beat in Formula One. He tied that shift to the upgrades McLaren brought in Hungary and the Netherlands, a package that helped Lando Norris win back-to-back Grands Prix. The move marks a sharp turn for McLaren, which opened the season with a double DNS in China and then fought its way back into the front of the field.
Russell’s assessment also came with a clear warning for Mercedes. He said McLaren, especially Norris, is strong on high-degradation circuits, the same kind of tracks that have been a weakness for both him and Mercedes. He expects Mercedes to be a little more competitive at Monza, yet he also said Ferrari’s incoming engine upgrade makes the picture harder to read. That leaves McLaren’s rise set against a changing competitive order, with the momentum now centered on whether the team can keep that edge as the schedule moves to different types of circuits.
Norris and Antonelli
Norris said McLaren’s victory at Zandvoort came after overnight work improved the team’s race pace. He said the car now has the speed to beat Mercedes and added that McLaren is stronger in high-speed sections. He also gave a blunt assessment of the comparison with Mercedes, saying the W17 is the better all-around package and that Mercedes still holds a major advantage in slow-speed sections. That split, between McLaren’s pace in the fast corners and Mercedes’ balance in the slower parts of a lap, defines how close the fight remains even as the balance of power shifts.
Kimi Antonelli reached the same broad conclusion after finishing second at the Dutch Grand Prix. He said Mercedes were no longer the fastest car in Formula One and pegged the team as probably the second- or third-fastest outfit. Antonelli credited McLaren’s upgrade package for the improvement and linked the Dutch result directly to the step forward McLaren made. The comments from Norris and Antonelli point to the same theme. McLaren’s updates have changed the shape of the fight, and both drivers now see Mercedes chasing rather than leading.
Standings and outlook
The points table backs up that view. After 12 rounds, Antonelli led the championship with 242 points. Russell and Lewis Hamilton were tied on 183 points, while Norris sat fourth with 159. That left Norris 83 points behind the leader with 11 Grands Prix remaining, a gap that still leaves room for swings but also shows how much ground he must make up if McLaren is going to turn its recent pace into a title challenge.
The numbers also show how quickly the picture has shifted since McLaren’s difficult start. A team that began the year with a double DNS in China now sits in the middle of the title conversation through its recent upgrades and Norris’ two straight wins. Mercedes, for its part, no longer has the same hold on the front of the grid that it once did, at least by the view of Russell, Norris and Antonelli. The next races will test whether McLaren’s gains hold up across different circuit types, and whether Mercedes can answer with the same consistency it has long used to control the championship fight.
