F1 2026: The Five Best Wins From Mercedes' Championship Year

Mercedes was tagged as the favorites this season, even before the year 2026 rolled in. They also nailed the start of the V6 hybrid engines in 2014, which led many people to believe that the Silver Arrows would dominate the first year of the new regulations again.

True enough, Mercedes showed their pace during the Barcelona shakedown and the Bahrain pre-season testing. They would proceed to win the first six races of the year, with Kimi Antonelli winning the World Drivers' Championship.

Overall, Mercedes won 12 races in 2006, with three more Grands Prix (should Qatar and Abu Dhabi push through) left in the calendar. With the team having clinched the Constructors' Championship, let's look back at their five best wins in 2026.

George Russell was under pressure to perform in Baku, with his teammate already running away with the championship. 

The weekend took a wrong turn for Antonelli, who clipped the inside wall at Turn 1 in Q1, crashed out, and started P16 for the race. Meanwhile, Russell took advantage of the opportunity, put his head down, and dominated Q3 with a pole-setting lap of 1:42.526, which was 0.837 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in second.

Russell then controlled the race and managed to hold off Red Bull's Max Verstappen by a mere 0.196 seconds.

Russell qualified for pole and won the Sprint race, making him the favorite to win the main race in China. But Antonelli had other plans, as he went for pole in the main qualifying session, with Russell right behind him. 

At the start of the race, Antonelli lost the lead to the fast-starting Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton, but the youngster didn't lose his composure. He recovered the lead on Lap 2, maintained control, and won the race. 

Russell finished in second, giving Mercedes their second 1-2 finish in as many races.

Mercedes confirmed their superior pace in the season opener in Australia. Russell and Antonelli locked out the front row, with Red Bull, the nearest rival team, lagging behind by 0.785 seconds.

Then, Mercedes controlled the pace on Sunday, with Russell and Antonelli again finishing 1-2. Leclerc, who finished in third place, crossed the line more than 18 seconds behind Russell. 

This should be one of the team's favorite races of the season, as they quickly showed everyone that they have the superior car in the first year of the new set of regulations.

After his teammate won the season opener, Antonelli answered back with an avalanche. He won the next four races, and had the opportunity to go for his sixth straight in Monaco, of all places.

In a weekend where qualifying is of utmost importance, Antonelli performed well under pressure and achieved pole by only .043 seconds over Verstappen. The young Italian driver stayed away from trouble and errors on a Sunday where we saw seven drivers exit the race.

Antonelli emerged victorious in Monaco, winning his fifth straight race of the year.

If there is a race where Mercedes showed how vastly superior they are to other teams, it would be Antonelli's P19-to-victory performance in Monza. 

Power unit changes resulted in a hefty grid penalty for Antonelli, forcing him to start at the back of the grid. But he made up places very quickly and overtook Russell on Lap 50 to take the lead for good.

Antonelli became the first Italian to win the Italian Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.