Mercedes F1 star Kimi Antonelli hits back at George Russell over title jibe

Kimi Antonelli, George Russell, Monaco GP, 2026, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

Mercedes

Kimi Antonelli hits back at George Russell over F1 title jibe

Antonelli doesn't believe it's his title to lose

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 5 June 2026 18:59

Mercedes star and F1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli has hit back at team-mate George Russell over recent comments.

Following his fourth consecutive win at the Canadian Grand Prix, and Russell's retirement from the race, Antonelli now leads the drivers' standings by a significant margin of 43 points.

Speaking after his disappointment in Canada, Russell said: "Right now, it's his to lose. He's so many points ahead. But the pressure is off, go out, enjoy every single race, try and win every single race. I've got nothing to lose."

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Antonelli, however, vehemently disagrees with Russell and was keen to remind his team-mate ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix that there are still at least 17 races left of the season.

Antonelli: It's not my championship yet

Speaking to the media, Antonelli said: "No, to be fair, I don't really give way to that line, because it's so early in the season, still 17 more races left and it's still very, very early to think or talk about the championship.

"I try to do my best, whenever I go in the car, I try to maximise the result, and then we'll see where we end up at the end of the season. But I also think it's difficult to think about losing something when you don't even have it. I didn't win the championship. How can I lose something that I didn't even achieve?"

"I don't feel that much pressure. I feel pretty relaxed about the situation because it is still very early on into the season, and I just want to keep on doing what I'm doing, trying to raise the bar and trying to win as much as possible.

"Of course, I know expectations are growing, and as I'm Italian myself, I know how emotional we are and how excited we can get about things.

“But it was a great event and it's incredible to see so much support. But I'm going to try not to get carried away by these expectations, I'm just going to try to stay focused on what I have to do in the process, and then try to deliver the best result possible.

"Of course, George is a super strong team-mate, and he will make my life very hard, but on my side, I just try to deal with it the best way possible in every situation."

F1 Mercedes George Russell Kimi Antonelli