Kimi Antonelli, Brits begin to worry: "Disconcerting"

The fourth consecutive victory of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and the incredible form of the driver from Bologna in this first part of the season are displacing all the insiders and analysts, especially the British who at the beginning of the World Championship were already savoring the success of George Russell, given the clear superiority of Mercedes over the competition. The exceptional performance of the Italian rookie, who even in Canada proved to be faster than his teammate, is instead sowing the first doubts among British commentators and also in the team, which is facing a bitter duel all within the Brackley stable.

Already in the race, the first testy British reactions became apparent: the British broadcaster Sky Sports openly sided with Russell in all the on-track duels between the British driver and Antonelli, taking the British driver’s side both in the sprint race after the near-contact in Turn 1 and Antonelli’s going off the track, and during the Sunday race.

In contrast, on the popular British website The Race, surprise prevails above all at what the Italian is doing: “Antonelli’s ‘monstrous’ leap forward is baffling,” is the site’s analysis. “Antonelli is still imprecise in his execution and we don’t think he has made himself appreciated by Mercedes with those signs of a fierce battle with his teammate this weekend, but he seems fundamentally master of qualifying and racing with these regulations, he is very different from the young driver over whom Russell had a comfortable lead for most of last season.”

Many analysts cite the example of Piastri, who after a great start in 2025 collapsed, leaving the way clear for Lando Norris to take the World Championship, but Antonelli’s dominance disquiets: “Russell must not panic,” writes the British website again, “His desperation in interviews in the paddock after the race shows that he is taking the hit more than usual, but we are only in the fifth race. We’ll see when Kimi has Russell’s technical problems, how he’ll react if things go wrong.”

According to the site, Russell has to focus precisely on the Bolognese driver’s lack of experience: “Putting all the pressure on Antonelli, reminding everyone how many problems you’ve had yourself, that Miami was the only weekend where you were really at a distinct disadvantage compared to him, and continuing to push the trigger-happy teammate into making mistakes. That’s how you get back into this title fight.”