Did Russell underestimate Antonelli?
After tests confirmed Mercedes’ superiority, the entire paddock expected George Russell to make short work of Kimi Antonelli and the rest of the grid, at least in the first few races. Instead, in Shanghai and Suzuka, it was the Italian who prevailed, while the Briton – although unlucky in several episodes – appeared at least surprised by his teammate’s pace.
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The impression one has of Russell is that of a certainly fast and competitive driver, who took advantage of the growth opportunity at Williams and proved he could beat Lewis Hamilton: a university brilliantly tackled by a young man who presented his thesis with top marks. Yet, now that he has to defend it and graduate as a champion, he faces an obstacle he perhaps underestimated. This is evident from some paternalistic and snobbish statements after Antonelli’s results in China: mind games that Kimi, however, did not fall for, to the point of winning again at Suzuka. Where, not surprisingly, Russell’s reaction was very different: not only because of the clearly unfortunate timing of the Safety Car but also because Antonelli showed superior pace when both were in clean air.
Brundle’s words
According to former driver Martin Brundle, to win the internal challenge Russell must change his mindset and consider Antonelli on par with Hamilton: “He needs to start from scratch. These are difficult times for George, he will arrive in Miami nine points behind his teammate“, this was the Briton’s comment to his compatriots at Sky Sports UK. “He must treat Kimi as if he were Hamilton at the peak of his career, as if he were a threat to the championship“.
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“As happened in China, George was attacked at the restart, where he clearly found himself without battery“, he added. “He was frustrated and lost his head a bit. He had the race under control, he probably would have overtaken Piastri later on“.
