George Russell still Formula 1 title favorite but shouldn't underestimate Kimi Antonelli

Russell has been biding his time since he joined Mercedes from Williams back in 2022, just when the eight-time F1 Champions lost their competitive edge.

Finally, in 2026, Mercedes appear to have aced the new regulations, and Russell can now realistically think about a maiden F1 crown, but his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, seems to have other ideas.

The Italian has won two grands prix in the first three F1 weekends and leads the Championship as the sport enters an imposed break in April following the cancellation of the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to the Middle East war.

Reflecting on the intra-team dynamic at Mercedes, former F1 driver Martin Brundle said: "If I were George, I'd be more concerned after three races than I was at the beginning of the season.

"George did all those hard yards at Williams and spent an extra year or two there; he goes to Mercedes just as they stopped dominating and has to tolerate all that.

"Now they look like they've got a championship car, and you'd say George has got the upper hand, and all of a sudden he's got to be looking across the garage and thinking, 'Hang on a minute, this is nowhere near certain. I've got to beat this teenager yet'. And I think he really has.

"It's difficult times for George, and he's got to treat Kimi Antonelli just as if he's Lewis Hamilton in his peak and a threat for the championship," the Briton claimed.

Brundle pointed out an impressive trait in Antonelli, how he manages to pick himself up after a mistake or a crash.

He said: "When he crashed the car in Melbourne and came straight back, that for me is one of the most telling things that you can see in a young driver as to whether they can just get straight back on it, and he did in Melbourne."

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is insisting it is too soon to talk about a Championship fight for Antonelli.

Brundle commented: "I remember watching on our show after China when Kimi's dad and Toto were saying, 'Look, forget championship crusades because he's got a lot to learn and he will make mistakes'.

"And I thought that tallied exactly with what I was thinking. George is the favorite because there will be wet days and safety-car restarts and all sorts of things where George's experience will surely play out.

"But watching Kimi in qualifying, in the races, he got lucky on the safety car in Japan, but his pace was mighty," he concluded. (Source: Sky Sports' The F1 Show podcast)