Former Formula 1 driver Anthony Davidson argued that the reliability issues Mercedes has accumulated this season have opened the door to the championship for Ferrari. Davidson made his assessment on the Sky Sports F1 Show after the British Grand Prix, the ninth race of the 2026 season. Charles Leclerc won the race, while George Russell finished second and Lewis Hamilton third.<\/p>\n
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes was in a position to challenge Leclerc for victory at Silverstone when his front wheel arch came off. While trying to keep his damaged car on the track, Antonelli also received a track limit penalty and finished the race in 15th place. Following this result, Russell is now only 25 points behind his teammate Antonelli. Hamilton follows Russell by 7 points, and Leclerc by 46 points in the championship standings.<\/p>\n
Davidson summarized the situation as follows: \u201cGeorge Russell is 25 points behind the points difference required for a race win. Reliability issues should be a serious concern for Mercedes. Ferrari, on the other hand, must be thinking as a team: 'Even if we don't have the fastest car, we can count on this reliability for the rest of the season.' Because so far they have presented a bulletproof image.\u2018<\/p>\n
Mercedes won seven of the first nine races of the season; however, both Russell and Antonelli were forced to retire from the race once each. Russell crawled off the track at the Canadian Grand Prix while leading due to a battery failure. Antonelli, meanwhile, was forced to retire from the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix while running in second place after a power outage and engine failure.<\/p>\n
In the manufacturers' championship, Mercedes maintains its lead with 333 points, while Fred Vasseur's Ferrari is second with 255 points. McLaren is in third place with 179 points. For Ferrari to close the gap in both the drivers' and manufacturers' championships, Mercedes' continued reliability problems in the remaining races will be a decisive factor.<\/p>\n