We are three rounds into the 2026 Formula 1 season and we have already seen a level of domination to make the other 10 teams anxious. Mercedes AMG Petronas are no strangers to domination and victories. It would seem that the team have so far nailed the new regulations, and both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have had three great weekends.

Round three took us to Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix. The weekend for George Russell wasn’t as flawless as the previous two, but for Antonelli, it was nothing short of a statement.

Antonelli Leaves Japan As Championship Leader

Being only his second season in F1, the 19-year-old has started this season incredibly. Rounds 1 and 2 saw him secure two podiums, with one being his maiden win in China. Japan followed the same momentum. Antonelli took pole position for the second time this season, out-qualifying his teammate by three tenths of a second. The car seemed to come alive in the high-speed circuit that is Suzuka.

Sunday’s race had a disastrous start for the Italian. Being slow off the line saw him tumble down the order from 1st to 6th position on the opening lap. His launch was less than ideal, but reclaiming his positions was an easy fight. After passing Hamilton on the second lap, it wasn’t long before he was back fighting for the podium positions.

The yellow flag midway through the race played right into Antonelli hands. Taking his pit stop at this time meant he came back out in first position, and from the restart, he simply flew into the distance. The chequered flag flew with Antonelli taking his second victory of 2026 by 14.4 seconds. His win means that at just 19 years old, he leads the drivers’ championship by nine points.

Back-to-back wins for Antonelli have proven that he is a serious contender for the title. He’s shown that when with setbacks, he’s able to push and come back fighting – great qualities seen in champions.

“I think we were obviously very lucky with the Safety Car but on the medium we were really strong once I got some clean air and then on the hard the pace was just incredible.” – Kimi Antonelli

Energy Deployment becomes a Setback for George Russell

The British driver has had a commanding start to his season, winning in Australia and the Sprint Race in China. Alongside his teammate, it seemed as though their pace would be unmatched and that the car was flawless. This was until Sunday’s race played out in Japan, where small issues began to unveil themselves.

Lining up on the front row next to Antonelli, Russell was in the best position to secure a great race finish. Once the lights went out, it was clear that off-the-line acceleration is an issue. He immediately dropped down to fourth and was under intense pressure from both Ferraris and McLarens. While not the best start, the power in the Mercedes meant he was quickly able to make his way back up the order.

After battling for first place, Russell began to struggle with his battery and power after the safety car restart. Taking his pit stop earlier in the race, he was unable to utilise the time saved under yellow flag conditions. He began falling down the order once again, unable to keep the Ferrari duo behind him any longer. 53 laps completed and his efforts were only good enough for fourth, just 0.4 seconds off Charles Leclerc in third.

While not a bad result in itself, it was a striking difference to the dominance he has displayed so far this season. He will want to come back in a month’s time, returning to the top step, alongside Antonelli. His 4th place finish means he loses his lead in the championship.

“Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong”, George Russell explained. “I had no battery to restart – Lewis passed me – and then I faced another battery problem when Charles passed me.”

Mercedes Head to Miami as the Ones to Catch

It’s clear that Mercedes has got something right. Their straight-line acceleration is untouchable, and the other front runners so far have struggled to come close to the pace set by the Silver Arrows. In every qualifying so far, it has been both drivers on top, with either a Ferrari or McLaren tailing behind.

However, their major issue is their race starts. So far, one or both of the drivers has failed to maintain track position off the line at all three Grand Prix weekends so far. While they do regain these lost positions fairly quickly, having bad starts is less than ideal. It means more energy and tyre life are used moving back up the order, and it’s these factors that make the difference between winning and losing.

With the time off due to the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix being cancelled, Mercedes need to focus their attention on this issue. Japan showed them just how much this issue can damage the drivers’ chances. Antonelli admitted that the yellow flag aided his win, and Russell commented on how the race start might have been one factor that prevented his podium finish.

Team Principal Toto Wolff spoke after the race about the poor starts from his drivers and the need to focus on improving this moving forward:

“…obviously we’re not giving them the easiest of tools so our starts have generally been a bit on the mediocre side and we need to improve that, but in that case, the driver had massive influence of that car not going away”

The setback seems to be minor for Mercedes. As the dominant team, unless the other ten teams bring improvements and upgrades quickly, they will continue to power through and take the top spot.