In the last two seasons, drivers from at least two different teams could have won the world championship.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen came within two points of beating McLaren’s Lando Norris to last year’s title. The year before that, Norris could have stopped Verstappen from taking the crown.But in 2026 it seems no one was going to beat one of the Mercedes drivers to the world championship. Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the title with a 119-point lead over Verstappen, with 100 points still available. Even if he scores nothing between now and the end of the season, he is assured of the title by at least 36 points.
It’s always been an unavoidable fact of Formula 1 that every driver gets a different chance to win the world championship: often within the same team. George Russell has had more technical problems than his team mate.
But would Russell have beaten Antonelli to the title if they each had the other’s car? And which of the other 20 drivers are quick enough to have won the title in Antonelli’s car?
When the 2026 season began the grid featured 12 grand prix winners, four of which were world champions.
Which of them – plus their rivals – could have won the world championship in Antonelli’s car?
Does Fernando Alonso have a third world title in him? Was it just unreliability which cost Russell the crown? Could another driver who had never won a race before 2026 have claimed the title like Antonelli did?
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Although Russell has had the worse luck of the two Mercedes drivers this year, it doesn’t explain the 130-point gap between them at the time Antonelli clinched the title. Therefore I don’t think it’s realistic to say Russell would have beaten Antonelli had they spent the year in each other’s cars.
So which of the other 20 drivers could have beaten Russell in Antonelli’s car, taking it as read that they would have enjoyed a slight reliability advantage? I’d confidently back the four existing world champions.
Charles Leclerc certainly looks like a potential champion based on his form compared to Lewis Hamilton and past Ferrari team mate Sebastian Vettel. Carlos Sainz Jnr is another multiple race-winner who measured up well against Leclerc so he gets the nod too. I’d put Oscar Piastri on the list for the same reason, notwithstanding his tough campaign this year.
Both Cadillac drivers are experienced and successful enough to be considered championship contenders. Ordinarily I wouldn’t pick either as being quicker than Russell, but he’s had such a difficult year I’m adding them to my list.
Isack Hadjar has been extremely impressive in his second year in F1, and if Antonelli can win the title in his second season I see no reason to rule him out. Although Liam Lawson has been strong in the midfield, his brief stint at Red Bull did not persuade me he’s a champion in the making in quite the same way.
Pierre Gasly got his chance at a Red Bull cockpit too soon and is now showing the kind of consistent speed that championship campaigns are made of. He makes the cut too.
It’s tempting to add more names to the list, particularly the likes of Gabriel Bortoleto and Oliver Bearman, but at the moment I don’t feel confident to call either potential future world champions. How many drivers could have won the title in Antonelli’s car? I reckon half the grid.
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Which drivers would have won the world championship had they swapped seats with Antonelli at the start of 2026? Cast your vote below and have your say in the comments.
Which drivers would have won the world championship had they swapped seats with Antonelli at the start of 2026?
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