George Russell hit by Mercedes F1 reality check: 'Think again!'

George Russell looks upset at the Japanese GP — Photo: © IMAGO

Mercedes F1

'Think again!' George Russell hit by Mercedes F1 reality check

George Russell is no longer the F1 championship leader

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 7 April 2026 14:57

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George Russell has been warned about his Mercedes F1 team-mate Kimi Antonelli after a strange comment from the Brit last time out at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Antonelli, against all expectation for his sophomore season, leads the 2026 drivers' standings after round three at Suzuka after benefitting from a safety car and securing his second consecutive race win.

Russell on the other hand, only managed fourth although a technical glitch on Mercedes' side prevented him from progressing any further on the restart. A software bug caused a sudden loss of pace for Mercedes driver, forcing Russell to super clip, slowing his car down.

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While a technical issue is hardly Russell's fault, the British driver has however been instructed to amend his attitude towards his younger team-mate. David Coulthard suggested that Russell needs to begin 'eroding' Antonelli's burgeoning confidence and another pundit has now reminded the Mercedes man that the Italian may be his team-mate, but is mainly his rival.

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Crofty's words of wisdom

Speaking during The F1 Show after the Japanese GP, Sky Sports commentator David Croft said: "There was a really interesting point, just before the safety car restart where George is on the radio saying, ‘Can I just confirm he’s going to go where we trained, please?’ Now, whether Kimi did or not, he certainly got a better start than George did.

"Why is George Russell asking whether his teammate going to go when I think he's going to go? Is that because he’s a bit worried about Kimi? Is that because it’s still, 'we’re all part of the team here’?

"Is George feeling a bit unsure of the situation? Thinking about it afterwards, I found it a really strange thing for him to be saying at the time. They might be teammates, but they’re rivals here. George, if you think he is going to do exactly what you think he’s going to do, think again on that one!

"Kimi is the sort of driver who now has confidence to go with his talent, knows he can go out there and go for the win. It’s not about the team all the time."

F1 2026 Drivers' Standings after the Japanese Grand Prix

Position	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	72
2	George Russell	Mercedes	63
3	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	49
4	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	41
5	Lando Norris	McLaren	25
6	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	21
7	Ollie Bearman	Haas	17
8	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	15
9	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	12
10	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	10
11	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	4
12	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	4
13	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	2
14	Carlos Sainz	Williams	2
15	Esteban Ocon	Haas	1
16	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1
17	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	0
18	Alex Albon	Wiliams	0
19	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	0
20	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	0
21	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	0
22	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	0

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

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F1 Mercedes George Russell Kimi Antonelli David Croft