Sky Sports activities Method 1 lead commentator David Croft believes that alarm bells might be ringing if George Russell doesn’t beat his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli on the Canadian Grand Prix.
Whereas the Briton gained the season-opening Australian Grand Prix from pole place and the Chinese language dash race the week after, he has since been overtaken within the standings by his teenage team-mate.
After celebrating his maiden F1 win on the Chinese language Grand Prix, Antonelli has secured two additional grand prix wins in Japan and Miami and now leads the championship by 20 factors over Russell.
Though it’s not wanting good for Russell on paper, he has had some unhealthy luck within the opening rounds of the 2026 season with points throughout qualifying for the Chinese language Grand Prix, a poorly timed security automobile in Japan and a monitor that doesn’t go well with his driving type in Miami.
In the course of the Sky Sports activities F1 Present, Croft argued that the Canadian Grand Prix, which has beforehand been a robust race for the 28-year-old, cannot come quickly sufficient for Russell.
“I might need Montreal to return subsequent weekend if I used to be George Russell. I would not wish to be ready a few weeks dwelling on what occurred in Miami and fascinated with how large Canada is now changing into,” Croft stated.
“He gained there final yr. It is a monitor he is actually sturdy at. I imply, Kimi completed on the rostrum; it was an excellent weekend for Mercedes final yr. But when George does not beat Kimi with Mercedes upgrades which might be coming, and value fairly a bit from what we’re led to consider, on a monitor that he regards as one in every of his greatest, and Toto Wolff says is one in every of his greatest, then the alarm bells actually begin to ring for me.
George Russell, Mercedes
Photograph by: Sona Maleterova / Getty Photos
“There’s nonetheless a protracted technique to go within the season, however it is a large weekend for George Russell. He wants that commanding efficiency, however Kimi’s on a roll. And I additionally assume, I am going to return to Bono [Peter Bonnington], George is not only racing towards Kimi. He is racing towards what I feel is an excellent new partnership.
“Karun [Chandhok], you have been listening at race management to Bono teaching Kimi lap-by-lap. We heard snippets on the world feed of it. The reassurance that comes from the pit wall, the steerage that comes from the pit wall. He is obtained a superb consolation blanket, security web, coach, advisor, guru, no matter you wish to name it, in his nook.
“Bono has been there with championship-winning seasons and is aware of how one can take the stress of it. He’s the proper man for Kimi Antonelli and this new partnership. It isn’t simply George towards Kimi, it is George towards a partnership there, and that is going to take some cracking.”
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