Kimi Antonelli: George Russell is a mess: “Worn down by the setbacks”

George Russell is in a slump: the Mercedes driver, who started the Formula 1 World Championship as the favorite, is now 59 points behind his teammate and championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli halfway through the season, with Antonelli having beaten him in nearly every race.

In an interview with Casinostugan, former Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert explained the dynamic that has developed within the Mercedes team: “When you look at all the champions of the past, they all have—for whatever reason—an element of luck that seems to follow them. And here we’re seeing a very similar pattern: luck is on Kimi’s side. But it’s not just that—George isn’t on Kimi’s level when it comes to consistency.”

“Antonelli keeps pushing to the limit and still manages to bring home a decent number of points, even on a bad weekend. If you look at his face, you see that kind of inner confidence that’s starting to shine through—and that everyone is seeing and feeling. For George, it must be very demoralizing to know, every weekend, that he’s performing worse than his teammate. Kimi simply seems to be doing a better job. I think this situation is wearing him down; it seems like every time he gets in the car, he takes a beating. We all said this was going to be George’s year, but it hasn’t turned out that way.”

Adding to the British driver’s difficulties are the rumors about Max Verstappen, who has been persistently linked to Mercedes for a future contract: “They certainly aren’t helping him; he’s well aware that his seat would be at risk, since he only has a one-year contract. Stability and security are always things a driver wants. George has to be out on the track constantly proving himself, and to sign the new contract, he has to prove he’s the dominant force in the team.”