(Motorsport-Total.com) – After a strong start to the season by Kimi Antonelli, former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard sees George Russell as having a duty. To maintain his own title ambitions in the internal team duel at Mercedes, Russell must pull out all the psychological stops after Antonelli recently won the races in Shanghai and Suzuka.
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“George has to start undermining Kimi’s confidence now,” says Coulthard on the podcast Up To Speed. “And he has to do that while, of course, maintaining the team’s facade. Mercedes, we love each other, everyone is happy, but it will come down to a conflict,” the Scot continued.
Although Russell was considered one of the top favorites for the Formula 1 World Championship before the start of the season, Antonelli has taken the lead with two wins in the first three races. With his recent success at the Japanese Grand Prix, the Italian became the youngest championship leader in history and is now nine points ahead of his teammate.
The Scot, who himself drove alongside world champions like Mika Häkkinen during his career, knows the dynamics within a top team. “You don’t want a teammate with an extreme amount of self-confidence. You want a teammate who secretly wonders if they can beat you in qualifying,” says Coulthard.
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“Believe me, I know this because I had teammates where I would stare at the lap time in qualifying and think: I have another set of tires, but I don’t think I can go any faster,” Coulthard continued.
According to Coulthard, for Russell it is about “getting his elbows out sooner rather than later,” as Antonelli is currently showing a steep learning curve.
Due to the cancellations of the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the field is currently enjoying a five-week break before continuing in Miami from May 1 to 3. This break offers the competition the opportunity to catch up in development, which could further increase the pressure on Russell to hold his own internally against the up-and-coming Antonelli.
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