Rapid rise of Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes a big wake up call for George Russell

Reflecting on the current state-of-play, during this enforced hiatus, Patrese said Antonelli’s early-season performances had shifted the internal dynamic at Mercedes, forcing Russell to confront a new challenge from within the team as both drivers target the championship.

“George had a few technical problems in China and couldn't really match the performance of Kimi. But in Japan Kimi definitely did a better job,” Patrese said.

“Kimi is getting stronger and stronger because he's more self-confident. He won the first Grand Prix, and then in Suzuka he was super quick, the quickest guy in the race.

“We will have to see how George reacts because at the beginning of the season he probably didn't envisage this prospective challenge from inside the team. It’s not something he expected.

"He realises now that to win the championship he has to beat his team-mate too. It's the first time that he has faced pressure like this. Before he was the challenger. Now everybody expects him to be the champion, but he has a strong team-mate that can give him a really hard time.”

Patrese said the 2026 F1 championship battle will hinge on how both Mercedes drivers handle the pressure of competing at the front over a full season.

The six-time Grand Prix winner said: “George could have trouble. At the moment, the wind is on Kimi's side. George didn't expect that. He was dominated in Japan, and probably in his head he is starting to think about how strong Kimi is.

“For sure, he won’t be relaxed. This can be a problem. Or if there is much more pressure, he can react, and it becomes even stronger. We don't know yet. Because one thing is to be in the position to win some Grand Prix.

"And another thing is to be in the position that you have to go and win the World Championship. For sure Russell knows that he can be world champion, and also Kimi knows that he can be world champion. Now it's up to them how to react to the pressure.”

Patrese drew comparisons with recent seasons, noting how title pressure had previously affected drivers’ performances: “We saw last year with Norris and Piastri; Norris was going well, then Piastri stopped, and then Norris came back.

"That was a lot to do with them having to try to win the championship. Oscar Piastri looked better in Japan, as if he had his mojo back. It looks like he had two; obviously the first two races were not great.

“He must be sad because he lost a fantastic opportunity last year. But this year is another page, and more than Lando, he has to fight to try to win the World Championship. Lando has won one.

“For sure he's disappointed, because he lost a really golden opportunity. But because of that, he will try even harder this year."

Patrese continued: “It's the same thing with Leclerc. He's been eight years with Ferrari, and every year he's hoping to have a car to fight for the championship. But it hasn’t happened for one reason or another. But he's still trying a lot because he's angry and hungry to win.”

On the competitive order, Patrese said Mercedes currently held an advantage over McLaren but expected rivals to close the gap as the season develops: “McLaren is not dominating like last year, and it is Mercedes who are.

They have made a very good car with the new specifications. They have a good engine, and at the moment Mercedes stays in front of McLaren,” he said.

“I don't know if McLaren has a different mapping in the engine because, of course, Mercedes has the official engine; the others are customers. This is another problem.

“McLaren are probably catching up. Now they have a lot of data and they can improve. When we restart the championship, we’ll see who can catch up. Maybe McLaren, maybe Ferrari, who knows," concluded Patrese.

After three rounds, Antonelli leads the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship. He is the youngest driver ever to do so, and the only one who can stop him becoming the youngest World Champion in the sport's history, is his teammate Russell, in the garage next to him. (Quotes supplied by Betting Lounge)