F1 fans deal Mercedes hammer blow as title fight on the horizon

Mercedes' dominant start to the 2026 season has not dampened fan optimism about a genuine championship battle, with a new RacingNews365 poll revealing the majority believe the Silver Arrows will be reeled in before the season concludes.

In a survey asking whether Mercedes will be caught with enough time for a title fight, 1,804 voters, nearly half the total, backed the prospect of a genuine scrap for the crown. 

A further 963 believe Mercedes will eventually be caught, albeit too late to prevent them clinching the title, while 981 predict outright domination.

The optimism comes despite Mercedes' commanding one-two finish in Australia, where George Russell led home rookie Kimi Antonelli to open up a 16-point constructors' championship lead over Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton has offered encouragement to those backing a title fight, insisting Ferrari can bridge the gap to his former team.

When asked directly if Ferrari can close the deficit, Hamilton stated: "That's what I said. I do believe we can close the gap. I think it's not going to be easy. We've got a lot of work to do to close it, because it's quite significant particularly on a single lap."

The seven-time world champion finished fourth in Melbourne, with Ferrari demonstrating competitive race pace despite a qualifying deficit that saw Hamilton line up only seventh on the grid.

"We need to find out whether it's power or battery power, but the car is just as quick through the corners. So we just got to keep pushing," Hamilton added.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur acknowledged Mercedes held a delta of three to four tenths per lap in Australia, though race-pace analysis showed Charles Leclerc matching Russell's times across extended stints.

With the vast majority of the season remaining and development expected to be relentless under the new regulations, the fans backing a title fight may yet be proven correct.

Check out the full poll results below!