(Motorsport-Total.com) – George Russell has apparently largely given up on the fight for the world championship title. After Kimi Antonelli’s victory in Monza, the Mercedes driver’s deficit to his teammate is 66 points. Antonelli leads the world championship with 267 points, Russell is in second place with 201 points.
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Russell himself no longer wants to think about a possible comeback. “Personally, I don’t even think about a fight, a comeback, or anything like that,” says the Mercedes driver. Instead, he wants to think race by race and make the most of every weekend.
The deficit is very difficult to make up. “He is performing incredibly well. It will be extraordinarily difficult to make up this deficit,” explains Russell. At the same time, he wants to accept the current situation, enjoy the remaining races, and secure as many more wins as possible.
Russell acknowledges Antonelli’s strong form
Antonelli himself did not want to dwell extensively on the championship standings after his Monza win. The Italian points out that the balance of power can change very quickly this season.
“I really don’t want to look at it because we’ve seen how quickly things can change this season,” says Antonelli. For him, it’s about approaching each race individually, seizing every opportunity, and focusing on things he can control himself.
Despite the comfortable lead, Antonelli sees no reason to think about the title yet. “There is no point in thinking about the championship,” he says. The key is to stay in the moment and keep going race by race.
He also does not want to consider his current form as a guarantee for the rest of the season. In Monza, Mercedes was the fastest team, but Antonelli expects that to change again at the next race.
Schumacher currently sees Antonelli ahead
Ralf Schumacher considers Antonelli’s current performances deserved. On Sky, he makes it clear that the young Mercedes driver is currently outperforming his teammate. “Yes, of course. I mean, what he is doing is really good and he is simply doing it better than his teammate,” says Schumacher.
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At the same time, he qualifies that this does not automatically mean a permanent superiority. Further developments on the car could again suit Russell better. “George Russell is a great driver, but Antonelli is on a roll at the moment,” Schumacher says.
Schumacher also addresses another point: the different situation within the team. From his perspective, Antonelli has the full support of Mercedes, even though Russell also receives it. Antonelli’s close connection to team boss Toto Wolff could play a role here.
Rosberg warns against overthinking
Nico Rosberg points out the special situation when the biggest rival is your own teammate. Team decisions can quickly cause doubts – even if they were actually made completely neutrally.
“That’s internal, it’s so difficult when the rival is the teammate,” Rosberg says on Sky. Especially with strategy decisions, a driver can quickly get the impression of being disadvantaged compared to the teammate.
Rosberg describes how quickly such thoughts can arise: “Even today, when George, you immediately think, they gave him the better strategy. That can’t be, that’s unfair. Even if it’s probably not the case, but you go completely crazy in your head, very quickly.”
For Russell, the main task remains to reduce the huge deficit. However, he deliberately sets the bar lower: no big comeback plans, but maximum yield from weekend to weekend.