George Russell has stepped in to defend his Mercedes teammate, Kimi Antonelli, amid criticism over the apparent performance gap between the two drivers.
The British driver wanted to address the scrutiny directed at the young Italian rookie, highlighting Antonelli’s steady progress despite a challenging period for Mercedes. In an interview with Motorsport.com, Russell explained that the gap between him and the Bologna-born driver is not as large as it might seem when judging solely by qualifying or race results.
“Kimi is not slow, the data proves it”
George Russell provided concrete examples to put the performance differences into perspective: “In Canada, I started on pole while he was fourth, with just six-tenths of a second separating us. In Belgium, he was eliminated in Q1 while I reached Q3, but the gap was only three-tenths.”
According to the King’s Lynn driver, the real picture cannot be judged simply by final positions: “People look at the results, but the truth is that Kimi is improving, even if, as a team, we’ve taken a step back. Right now, a tenth of a second can mean six or seven positions on the grid. Before, in the positions we were competing for, a tenth would only translate to at most one position.”
The young Italian talent, making his Formula 1 debut, has faced a series of challenging races, including his home Grand Prix at Imola and subsequent European rounds. Despite these obstacles, George Russell emphasized that Antonelli’s pace is closer to his own than it might appear at first glance.
Mercedes’ new generation car, the W16, has struggled to maintain consistent performance, making the season particularly difficult for both drivers. Yet Russell insists that these challenges should not overshadow the positive signs shown by his teammate: “His consistency and improvement are clear. In such a competitive field, even a few hundredths of a second can drastically change the outcome. Kimi is just waiting for the moment when he can fully show his potential.”
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