James Allison was brutal in his assessment of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell: “He faced reality head-on”

Mercedes Technical Director James Allison, in an interview with the Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show, addressed one of the most contentious issues for the German team: the performance gap between Kimi Antonelli, the newly crowned world champion, and George Russell, the pre-season favorite who ended up facing a difficult season.

“George doesn’t hide his weaknesses. He’s one of the most honest drivers I’ve ever had the good fortune to work with. He’s able to pinpoint the areas where Kimi has been faster than him this year, and he knows that these are precisely the aspects he needs to work on in order to compete—on equal footing or even better—with such a precocious talent,” Allison emphasized.

The Mercedes executive is eager to see how the British driver will respond to catch up with his teammate by 2027: “He has accepted reality and is facing it head-on,” he said.

“We’ll see how he tries to lay the groundwork to aim high next year, alongside a teammate of extraordinary talent.” Mercedes has regained the Constructors’ Championship, and now its goal is for Russell to secure second place; after the Brazilian Grand Prix, he slipped to third, overtaken by Max Verstappen.