George Russell warns Kimi Antonelli over costly intra-team battles ahead of Austrian GP. George Russell explains why Mercedes must avoid internal battles against Ferrari.

Russell teases Antonelli: “Fighting in Barcelona helped Hamilton. In Montreal we battled, but the others were too far behind”

George Russell has attempted to pile even more pressure on championship leader Kimi Antonelli ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, suggesting that Mercedes must avoid costly internal battles if it wants to stop Ferrari’s growing momentum.

Russell challenges Antonelli ahead of Austria

In the race weekends leading up to Barcelona, George Russell had repeatedly spoken about the bad luck that had hampered his season. However, the Spanish Grand Prix helped restore some balance after Kimi Antonelli retired late in the race, allowing Russell to recover 18 valuable points in the championship standings.

Now Formula 1 heads to the Red Bull Ring, a circuit where Russell claimed the second victory of his Formula 1 career back in 2022. Another win in Austria would allow him to put additional pressure on Antonelli, who has nevertheless displayed remarkable consistency throughout the season and has generally enjoyed stronger race pace than his teammate at every Grand Prix so far.

Antonelli once again demonstrated that speed in Barcelona, overtaking Russell before a technical problem forced him to retire just a few laps from the finish. Now, Russell appears to be testing the waters by supporting the possibility of team orders, an idea Toto Wolff raised after the Spanish Grand Prix. His message during the Austrian Grand Prix press conference was simple: don’t fight each other if it only helps Ferrari—at least as long as he is the driver leading the way.

Russell’s comments

“I think it’s clear that the team’s victory is the priority. It doesn’t matter which driver wins. In Canada, Kimi and I raced each other very hard, but everyone else was too far behind, so the team’s victory was never under threat. In Barcelona there was another driver in the fight (Lewis Hamilton, editor’s note). Then, of course, Lewis had that Virtual Safety Car, which helped him a lot, but even without the VSC, Kimi and I were losing time fighting each other and we would have given Ferrari the opportunity to win. That’s where we have to be smart as teammates. It’s very clear that the team wants to win the race. After that, it doesn’t matter whether it’s me or Kimi who takes the victory.”

Russell also reflected on his own performance in Spain and the progress Mercedes has made in recent weeks.

“On Friday and Saturday in Barcelona, I was really happy with the car. I had come through a very difficult period because of things that were outside my control, but also some things that were within my control,” he explained.

“Things improved because I approached Barcelona with a much simpler mindset, and I was very quick in qualifying. Unfortunately, during the race we suffered a problem with the front wing, which compromised our performance significantly, and Ferrari was able to take advantage of the situation. We need to keep making small steps forward with this car, with the new tyres and with the setup, so we can get the maximum out of every race weekend. I’m confident and excited about the races ahead.”