George Russell: I have an answer to the Antonelli puzzle

George Russell believes he has 'an answer' to why Kimi Antonelli has consistently outperformed him in 2026, though he concedes that executing the fix has been easier said than done. The Mercedes teammate gap now stands at 81 points, with Antonelli taking eight wins to Russell's two as the 20-year-old closes in on a historic title.

Why it matters:

The intra-team battle is shaping the championship narrative. Antonelli's dominance has put Russell's future in the spotlight, and the Briton's ability to adapt could define Mercedes' dynamic heading into the final stretch. With three races' worth of points separating them, every weekend matters. Russell's own comments suggest he has identified the root cause, but turning that into consistent results is the challenge.

The details:

• Russell has been working on fundamentally changing his driving style to match Antonelli's approach.
• He says performance since the summer break has improved: three qualifying sessions where he out-qualified Antonelli, and race pace now 'on a par'.
• The earlier issues included a lack of car feeling and a mysterious power supply problem that wrecked his Hungarian GP qualifying.
• Since Silverstone, Russell has managed just two podiums plus a Dutch Sprint win, while Antonelli has three wins, a second, and a third.

What's next:

Russell insists he is pleased with the progression and wants to see where the rest of the season takes him. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix, held on Saturday, offers an immediate chance to cut the deficit. Whether he can close the gap or Antonelli continues his march to becoming F1's youngest-ever champion remains the key question.