Mercedes confirms F1 2026 drivers with latest Christian Horner rumour under scrutiny – roundup

 Wednesday’s fast-paced F1 news includes Mercedes confirming George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli as its drivers for the F1 2026 season as rumours linking Christian Horner to Ferrari are placed under scrutiny.

Let’s fly through the day’s main headlines at the speed of light…

Mercedes confirms George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli for F1 2026 season

Mercedes has confirmed that George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli will remain with the team for the F1 2026 season.

Russell, who claimed his fifth career victory at the recent Singapore Grand Prix, has established himself as one of the best drivers on the grid since joining Mercedes ahead of the 2022 season.

Antonelli set pole position for the sprint race in Miami before collecting his maiden podium finish in Canada in what has been an inconsistent debut campaign in F1 2025.

Christian Horner unlikely to return to F1 with Ferrari

Rumours that Christian Horner could embark on a sensational return to F1 with Ferrari are understood by PlanetF1.com to be largely wide of the mark.

PlanetF1.com revealed earlier this season that Horner was approached by Ferrari prior to his departure from Red Bull in July, with the rumours of a move to Maranello resurfacing this week.

However, Horner is thought to be prioritising a shareholding and/or ownership position for his expected F1 comeback.

Australian racing driver ‘raped one of Michael Schumacher’s nurses’, prosecutors claim

An Australian racing driver raped one of Michael Schumacher’s nurses in a bedroom at the family home of the F1 icon, prosecutors in Switzerland have claimed.

The unnamed individual, who is said to be a friend of Schumacher’s son Mick, is alleged to have sexually assaulted a nurse in her thirties at the Schumacher family home in Gland in November 2019.

The accused is alleged to have raped the nurse – a member of the medical team taking care of Schumacher since his life-changing 2013 skiing accident – twice while she was unconscious.

Williams boss prepared to bench Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon if worst-case scenario unfolds

James Vowles, the Williams team principal, has revealed that he would be prepared to bench Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon if the drivers were “crashing into each other more than they’re finishing a race.”

Vowles has overseen an impressive turnaround since being appointed the third team boss in Williams’ history in 2023, with the team on course for fifth place – its best result since 2017 – in the F1 2025 constructors’ standings.

The former Mercedes strategist took the difficult decision to withdraw Logan Sargeant from the 2024 Australian Grand Prix due to the team’s lack of a spare chassis, with Albon taking over his teammate’s car.

Mario Andretti would sign Charles Leclerc ‘right away’ for Cadillac F1 team

Mario Andretti, the 1978 world champion and Cadillac F1 board member, says he would sign Charles Leclerc “right away.”

Yet he has conceded that the new F1 2026 team will require “a couple of years” to be able to attract drivers of the Ferrari star’s calibre.

Leclerc has been linked with a move away from Ferrari in light of the team’s disappointing F1 2025 season.