Nico Rosberg warns Kimi Antonelli that 2026 title hopes could unravel with tight McLaren and Ferrari upgrades
Nico Rosberg, former champion, cautions Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli that the 2026 championship battle might flare only if rival teams improve enough to draw them back into the pack, echoing his 2016 showdown.
Rosberg now enjoys a decisive 81‑point lead over teammate George Russell, the advantage he widened by winning the Spanish Grand Prix, capitalising on a well‑timed virtual safety car.
Antonelli stated that the finish was affected by the VSC and that, had the race run under green, Lando Norris of McLaren could have taken the win.
Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Show, Rosberg drew parallels to his own 2016 season where strategic setbacks saw him slip into the back of the field during the final four races.
He said, “The worst‑case scenario is if suddenly McLaren starts to edge away and maybe there’s also a Ferrari improvement or something, and that Kimi starts to drop back into the pack a little bit more…‑the risk just comes up and you start to get more and more panicked.”
The situation underlines how a single upgrade or event can overturn the built‑up advantage that drives the championship narrative.
The decisive Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the 15th round of the season, will run from 24–26 September, setting the stage for the final push toward the 2026 crown.
Photo: Nico Rosberg, Sky Sports F1 Show
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