F1 Insider Warns George Russell of Antonelli Threat: ‘Treat Him Like Lewis Hamilton’
With three races ticked off so far of the 2026 Formula 1 season, it appears that Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli is now a significant championship threat to his teammate George Russell. With just one year of premier class racing experience, Antonelli secured victory in two of the three races so far in China and Japan, making him the championship leader. Russell, on the other hand, who joined F1 in 2019 and has been with Mercedes after his early stint with Williams, was expected to lead the team with flying colors, but with Antonelli in top form, it looks like Russell may have gotten a bitter reality check after finishing in P4 last weekend at Suzuka.
The British driver won the opening round in Australia and the sprint race in China, but after that, Kimi Antonelli took over the lead. Mercedes has provided both drivers with a dominant car that clearly outperforms its rivals, but out of the two, Kimi Antonelli seems to be coming out on top. Read More from MotorBiscuit: Mercedes-Benz Recalls 3,700 SUVs Over Wheels That Could Fall Off New Hampshire Governor Helps Pull Comedian Eugene Mirman from Fiery Lucid EV Crash Viral Ford Expedition Video Shows Hidden Danger In Dangerous Power-Folding Rear Seats The 19-year-old driver started the race at Suzuka from pole position and went on to win the race, despite suffering a setback during the race start due to excessive wheelspin, dropping him several places.
Antonelli Proved His Dominance in Suzuka Sky Sports F1 ‘s Natalie Pinkham, Martin Brundle, and David Croft discussed the Mercedes drivers on The F1 Show , stating that Russell will now be eager to bounce back after his P4 finish in Japan. Crofty noted that Kimi Antonelli had the advantage throughout all sessions during the race weekend in Japan. He said: “I felt in the practice sessions that Kimi had one, two, sometimes three tenths on George.
George’s problems weren’t helped by a setup direction that gave him a less-than-ideal rear end to the car. And that certainly played out in qualifying. I think it played out a bit in the race as well.
“But take that away, Kimi Antonelli, Barring his [race] start was absolutely superb in the race. And he admitted the start was his fault. He dumped the clutch a bit too much.