Guenther Steiner has shot down claims that Kimi Antonelli could fight for the Formula 1 drivers' championship in 2026.

After two rounds of the 2026 season, the Italian driver sits second in the standings behind his Mercedes team-mate George Russell. Antonelli secured his maiden F1 victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, leading many to argue that the 19-year-old could fight for the championship this year.

While Steiner agreed that the milestone moment would have given Antonelli "a lot of confidence", he argued that under normal circumstances, he would struggle to beat Russell. During qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, the Briton ran into issues. 

"Definitely damage limitation," Russell said after securing P2 on the starting grid. "In Q2 the front wing broke – we were wrapping our heads around that – and then obviously went out in Q3 on track, the car wasn’t restarting, couldn’t change gear."

Steiner said of Antonelli's victory on The Red Flags Podcast: "I think it gives him a lot of confidence because there was an opportunity for him, because under normal circumstances, at the moment, to beat George it's very difficult.

"And I think he's aware of it, not because he's a better driver - George has got a lot more experience. He's doing this a lot younger and is very quick as well, but as soon as George couldn't [maximise] qualifying, he took the opportunity and kept it.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

"He didn't make a mistake. He sees that and says, 'Actually, I can do this', and that will help him going forward. He didn't do anything wrong. It would be easy to do something wrong when you are in that position. He kept his cool."

When asked if Antonelli could fight Russell for the championship, the former Haas team principal added, "No. If something special happens, like it happened in China in qualifying. And the good thing is he took it there, but under normal circumstances... I think it is also understandable why not.

"The kid is 19 years old, second year in Formula 1, and George is a good race car driver. So I don't think he can do it this year, but there are other opportunities for Kimi. If he doesn't win it this year, he can win it another time because he's so young. For me, he doesn't have to put too much pressure on himself to win it this year. He has got a good future in front of him."

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Mercedes has appointed Bradley Lord as its deputy team principal to support Toto Wolff in the management of the Formula 1 team.

Lord joined the Mercedes F1 team in 2013 as communications manager and most recently worked as team representative and chief communications officer for the Brackley squad.

During his 13-year stint with the team, Lord's responsibilities have increased, according to a statement shared by Mercedes. As such, he has now been named deputy team principal to ‘formalise responsibilities that have grown organically over recent years,’ the team explained.

The move will not impact the responsibilities Wolff holds at the head of the team, and will instead see Lord take on more of a supporting position at the championship-winning side. 

"With the growth of our team and F1, the scope of our operations and associated responsibilities at a senior level has grown significantly,” explained Wolff in the statement. “We have therefore taken this opportunity to put in place a change that has effectively been operating in practice for some time.

“While my role and overall responsibilities will not change one millimetre, Bradley’s work as deputy team principal will further enhance the capability of our leadership group and provide continued support for me as our team principal and CEO.

“Bradley is a dedicated and long-serving member of our organisation who has played an important part in the team becoming the most successful of the modern era. Aligning our structure in this way ensures our leadership group can focus fully on the areas where they can add the greatest value and is optimised to meet the demands of a rapidly growing sport.”

Read Also: Question of the week: Can anything or anyone stop Mercedes from winning both F1 titles in 2026?

Lord will step into the role of deputy team principal with immediate effect.

Mercedes was not the first F1 team that Lord worked with, having gotten his start in the series as a press office intern with Benetton back in 2001. He then held various positions in media and communications, including with the Renault F1 Team and Mercedes parent company Daimler AG.

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Formula 1 üzrə dünya çempionatının 2026-cı il mövsümünün Bəhreyn və Səudiyyə Ərəbistanında keçiriləcək qran-priləri ləğv edilib.

Arena.az bu barədə Formula 1-in mətbuat xidmətinə istinadən xəbər verir.

Belə ki, yarışın təşkilatçıları Yaxın Şərqdəki vəziyyət fonunda Bəhreyn və Səudiyyə Ərəbistanındakı qran-pri mərhələlərinin ləğv olunması barədə qərar qəbul edib. Qeyd olunur ki, təşkilatçılar yarışların təşkili üçün müxtəlif alternativ variantları nəzərdən keçiriblər, lakin nəticədə mərhələlərin dəyişdirilməsindən imtina etmək qərarına gəliblər.

Formula-1-in prezidenti və baş direktoru Stefano Domenikali qeyd edib ki, bu, regionda mövcud vəziyyəti nəzərə alaraq mürəkkəb, lakin zəruri qərar idi.

Öz növbəsində Beynəlxalq Avtomobil Federasiyasının (FİA) prezidenti Məhəmməd bin Sülayem Bəhreyn və Səudiyyə Ərəbistanının çempionatın təqvimində mühüm rol oynadığını vurğulayıb. O, şərait imkan verdiyi zaman yarışların bu ölkələrə qaytarılacağına ümid etdiyini bildirib.

Xatırladaq ki, Bəhreyndə qran-pri aprelin 10-12-də, Səudiyyə Ərəbistanında isə 17-19-da keçirilməli idi. Yaponiya qran-prisindən sonra (27-29 mart) çempionatda dörd həftəlik fasilə yaranacaq. Növbəti mərhələ mayın 1-3-də Mayamidə (ABŞ) keçiriləcək.

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