George Russell sees his World Championship chances dwindling after falling 66 points behind Kimi Antonelli and is now focusing on individual races
George Russell has apparently largely written off the fight for the World Championship title. Following Kimi Antonelli’s victory at Monza, the Mercedes driver trails his teammate by 66 points. Antonelli leads the World Championship with 267 points, while Russell is in second place with 201 points.
Russell himself therefore no longer wants to dwell on a possible comeback. “Personally, I’m not even thinking about a fight, a comeback, or anything along those lines,” says the Mercedes driver. Instead, he wants to take it one race at a time and make the most of every weekend.
The deficit is very difficult to make up. “He’s performing incredibly well. It’s going to be exceptionally difficult to close that gap,” explains Russell. At the same time, he wants to accept the current situation, enjoy the remaining races, and secure as many more victories as possible.
Russell acknowledges Antonelli’s strong form
Antonelli himself also didn’t want to dwell on the championship standings after his victory at Monza. The Italian points out that the balance of power can shift very quickly this season.
“I really don’t want to look at it, because we’ve seen this season how quickly things can change,” says Antonelli. For him, it’s about approaching each race individually, seizing every opportunity, and focusing on the things he can control himself.
Despite his comfortable lead, Antonelli therefore sees no reason to think about the title just yet. “There’s no point in thinking about the championship,” he says. The key, he says, is to stay in the moment and keep going race by race.
The Mercedes driver also doesn’t want to view his current form as a guarantee for the rest of the season. At Monza, Mercedes was the fastest team, but Antonelli expects that could change again as early as the next race.
Schumacher sees Antonelli in the lead right now
Ralf Schumacher believes Antonelli’s current performances are well-deserved. Speaking to Sky, he makes it clear that the young Mercedes driver is currently outperforming his teammate. “Yes, of course. I mean, what he’s doing is really good, and he’s simply doing it better than his teammate,” said Schumacher.
At the same time, he qualifies this by noting that it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll maintain a lasting advantage. Further developments to the car could end up suiting Russell better again. “George Russell is a great driver, but Antonelli is on a roll right now,” Schumacher said.
Schumacher also addresses another point: the different dynamics within the team. In his view, Antonelli has the full support of Mercedes, even though Russell receives it as well. Antonelli’s close relationship with team principal Toto Wolff could play a role here.
Rosberg Warns Against Overthinking
Nico Rosberg, for his part, points out the unique situation that arises when your biggest rival happens to be your own teammate. Decisions made by the team can then quickly lead to doubts—even if they were actually made in a completely neutral manner.
“That’s an internal matter; it’s so difficult when your rival is your teammate,” Rosberg says on Sky. Especially when it comes to strategy decisions, a driver can quickly get the impression that he’s been put at a disadvantage compared to his teammate.
Rosberg describes how quickly such thoughts can arise: “Even today, with George—you immediately think, ‘They gave him the better strategy.’ That can’t be right; that’s unfair. Even if that’s probably not the case, your mind starts going completely crazy very quickly.”
For Russell, the main task now is to close the massive gap. He himself, however, is deliberately setting the bar lower: no grand comeback plans, just getting the most out of each weekend.
