George Russell needs to treat Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli like “Lewis Hamilton at his peak” as the title race between them develops, according to Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle.
Mercedes started the season ahead, winning the first three races, but it’s Antonelli who holds a surprising nine-point lead over Russell.
Fate has favored the 19-year-old Italian after winning the season opener in Australia and leapfrogging Russell at the Japanese Grand Prix to take his second consecutive victory.
Antonelli is still in the early stages of his second F1 campaign and Russell was the clear title favorite before the season started, but early results suggest the battle between the Silver Arrows drivers could be far more competitive than most expected.
Russell, who won a Mercedes seat in 2022 after a three-year loan to Williams, was paired with Lewis Hamilton for three seasons before the seven-time world champion left to join Ferrari in 2025.
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Russell lashes out at Toto Wolff on Mercedes team radio
Speaking on the latest episode of Sky Sports’ The F1 Show podcast, Brundle said: “If I were George, I would be more worried after three races than I was at the beginning of the season.”
“George did all the hard yards at Williams, spent another year or two there and then moved to Mercedes just because they stopped dominating and he had to endure all that.
“Now it looks like they’ve got the championship car and you could say George has the upper hand. And all of a sudden he should be looking across the garage and thinking, ‘Wait a minute, this is nowhere near certain. I still have to beat this teenager.’ And I think he really does.”
“It’s a difficult time for George. He has to treat Kimi Antonelli as if he were Lewis Hamilton at his peak and a championship threat.”
Antonelli’s influence on Brundle
Antonelli nearly missed qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix after a heavy crash during final practice on the opening weekend of the season.
However, he was back on track a short time later and set a solid lap to secure second place on the grid behind Russell, the same position the pair finished the race in.
Brundle said: “When he crashed his car in Melbourne and came right back, for me that’s one of the things that says the most about whether a young driver can bounce back quickly. And he did that in Melbourne.”
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Antonelli wins back-to-back Japanese GP, becoming the youngest player in history to lead the F1 title race
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has downplayed Antonelli’s championship chances and Brundle believes Russell’s experience will show through the season, but he is very impressed with the Italian’s pace.
Brundle added, “I remember on the show after China, your dad and Toto were saying, ‘Look, forget about the championship fight, because he has a lot to learn and he’s going to make mistakes,’ and I thought that was exactly what I was thinking.”
“George is the favorite because there are all sorts of things that will definitely benefit from his experience, such as rainy days and safety car restarts.
“But watching Kimi’s qualifying and racing, he was lucky enough to be in the safety car in Japan, but his pace was strong.”
F1 will resume with the second sprint weekend of the season, the Miami Grand Prix, from May 1-3, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
