George Russell should 'cease Kimi Antonelli in his tracks' at Canadian GP, says Martin Brundle

Because the Formulation 1 paddock settles into Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix, the intra-team dynamic at Mercedes has change into a focus of the season’s early levels.

19-year-old Kimi Antonelli has secured three consecutive grand prix wins in China, Japan and Miami, leaving his skilled Mercedes team-mate George Russell trailing 20 factors behind within the drivers’ standings, and now the Briton sits on pole for Saturday’s dash race.

Former F1 driver and Sky Sports activities analyst Martin Brundle has argued that Russell’s fast precedence have to be to “cease Antonelli in his tracks and get just a few factors again in opposition to him” on the Canadian Grand Prix.

“There is a lengthy technique to go. There’s 482 factors out there on this championship,” Brundle informed Sky Sports activities Information.

“I do not assume the factors deficit is that a lot of an issue for George Russell. For instance, final yr in Canada, Lando Norris had a slipshod accident along with his team-mate Oscar Piastri within the McLaren, and that appeared like he’d harm his championship probabilities, then he goes on to change into world champion.

“That is solely our fifth grand prix of the season, and it’ll be a difficult one. It is the primary dash in Canada. It will be chilly. It may be moist on race day. It will be fairly the problem.

“George must cease Antonelli in his tracks and get just a few factors again in opposition to him, however I believe it is extra psychological than the arithmetic.”

George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Picture by: Joe Portlock / Getty Photos

Talking particularly about Antonelli, who grew to become the youngest driver to steer the drivers’ championship within the historical past of F1, Brundle added: “He is been mighty, his pace, his consistency. He saved his head beneath strain in Miami.

“George Russell struggles in Miami, however may be very sturdy in Canada, so Kimi can have a much bigger battle on his fingers throughout the storage and quite a lot of groups are bringing upgrades. However, Kimi’s uncooked tempo and consistency has been tremendous spectacular.”

Having received the 2025 race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Russell is heading into the weekend with extra confidence than Miami, which he admits will not be a powerful one for him.

Images from Canadian GP – Friday