F1 star George Russell 'working on' answer to Kimi Antonelli pace as title slips away

Russell and Antonelli in Mercedes race suits against the FIA and F1 blue and white screen backdrop — Photo: © IMAGO

George Russell

George Russell 'working on' answer to Kimi Antonelli pace as title slips away

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Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Saturday 12 September 2026 15:28

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George Russell has insisted he's made significant progress toward getting back on level terms with team-mate Kimi Antonelli, with the 20-year-old extending his championship lead last weekend at Monza.

Antonelli took a famous victory at his home grand prix last weekend, coming from 19th on the grid to overhaul his more senior team-mate in the dying laps and put the nail in the coffin of Russell's title hopes.

The Brit admitted this week in Madrid that he'll need to get lucky to sniff the championship he yearns for this season after being outdriven by his 20-year-old team-mate for most of the season, but insisted that he's closing the gap on track – if not in the standings.

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Monza was a particularly eye-opening race for those outside of Mercedes, watching Antonelli reel in Russell with apparent ease – although many still believe that without a timely red flag and virtual safety car, the more experienced Brit would have held off the youngster.

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Russell: I'm working on getting back on terms with Antonelli

Asked about being in a situation where he lacks an answer for Antonelli's pace, Russell bit back: "I do have an answer and I'm working on it, and it's been much improved.

"I'm very pleased with that sort of step I've taken because fundamentally changing the driving style is achievable for a lot of drivers, but then actually being fast with it is another topic."

He continued: "I feel my performance since the summer break has been... I've qualified ahead of him in the three qualifying sessions and my race pace has been on a par with him in these two races. And I couldn't say that pre-break. I'm definitely very pleased with that progression.

"We'll have to see where the rest of the season takes us."

Russell: Antonelli deserves championship lead

In terms of an internal Mercedes battle for the title, Russell admitted: "I'm not trying to be delusional. The reality is my team-mate's done a better job than me this year.

"I've had some bad luck but he deserves to be leading and right now he deserves to be in the position he is. From my side, I'm just going race by race. I'm going to try and win as many as possible.

"If I want to win this championship, I'm going to need some luck and that's where we are. I'm sort of being quite realistic about the position we're in."