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Helmut Marko believes that Lando Norris and George Russell are the stand-out candidates to win the Drivers' Championship title this season, suggesting that the Mercedes engine will be the one to beat in the first year of the new technical regulations.

Mercedes will supply power units to McLaren, Williams and Alpine this year, while rivals Audi, Aston Martin (via Honda) and Red Bull will debut their own engine projects when cars hit the track at the Australian Grand Prix in March.

While McLaren have won each of the last two Constructors' Championship titles and secured the Drivers' crown with Norris last year, Mercedes spent the ground-effect era staring at the rear wing of Verstappen's Red Bull. The Silver Arrows failed to win a title during the four-year stretch, but are hungry to avenge their struggles in 2026.

According to Marko, who stepped away from Red Bull at the end of the 2025 season, significant changes are on the way. "Last year, the field was closer together than ever," he told ORF. "I believe that this will diverge significantly. I fear that the gaps will increase drastically.

"You have to remember that we have the combustion engine, we have the battery, then the software for the feed-in. So these are some factors together with the CO2-free fuel. I hope there won't be such differences as in 2014, where Mercedes drove up and away from everyone."

While Marko is known to rate Verstappen as the fastest driver on the grid, the Austrian does not see him as a significant title contender in 2026. "I'm afraid it will be someone who uses the Mercedes engine," he said when asked to pick a champion.

"So it could be Lando Norris again. Williams is also making quite a bit of progress, one hears. And if George Russell wants to be at the top, he has to implement that now and compete for the World Championship."

Raw speed won't be the only ingredient a driver needs in 2026. With active aerodynamics coming in, DRS gone, and more management required to maximise the power unit package, racers who can think and drive at the same time will have an advantage.

Verstappen is among those, according to his former Red Bull ally. "That will be an immense advantage for Max, because he can drive really fast and think at the same time," he explained. "But even a veteran like Fernando Alonso could also have his advantage. So the driver is now becoming even more important."