Mercedes makes decision on race engineers for Russell and Antonelli

Mercedes has confirmed the race engineers for George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli for the 2026 Formula 1 season.

It’s not a big surprise, but Marcus Dudley and Peter Bonnington (Bono) will remain the direct points of contact for the two drivers this season.

Dudley is Russell’s Senior Race Engineer, while Bono holds the same role for Antonelli. In 2026, Bonnington will again combine his work with the Italian talent with the position of Head of Race Engineering.

Bonnington has been with Mercedes for a long time

Bonnington has been involved with the Mercedes Formula 1 team from the very beginning. The Brit became known to the wider public as Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer, with whom he celebrated major successes.

Kimi Antonelli and Peter 'Bono' Bonnington. Photo: RacePictures

When Hamilton moved to Ferrari, it was suggested that Bono might follow in his footsteps. However, the Brit had a continuing contract with Mercedes, so that was never an option.

Last season at Ferrari, Hamilton worked with Riccardo Adami as his race engineer. However, the two had difficulty in communicating, leading to several difficult radio exchanges. GPblog reported last week that Adami will also be Hamilton’s race engineer in 2026.

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