(Motorsport-Total.com) – Both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell have already lost valuable championship points this season – whether due to their own mistakes, lack of performance, or technical defects. While Russell had bad luck on his side in the first six races, Antonelli has recently been repeatedly held back by problems.
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“Whether the luck has balanced out or not, I don’t know,” Russell pondered after the British Grand Prix, where the Brit once again benefited from his teammate’s bad luck. “But considering my and his performances in these nine races, I think a 25-point deficit in his favor is probably correct.”
Russell even considers the current deficit to Antonelli as “fair” and admits that his younger Mercedes teammate had the stronger start to the season. “He has done a better job than me so far this year, so he deserves to be ahead of me,” says the current championship runner-up Russell honestly.
Where George Russell lost the most points in the 2026 championship battle
“Whether it should be 25, 10, or 35 points is debatable, but that magnitude is probably about right.” Because after his victory at the season opener in Australia, Russell repeatedly struggled with setbacks in the following races. In Japan, for example, he had to give up a place to Charles Leclerc due to a battery problem.
Also in Miami, Russell could not keep up with the pace of his younger teammate and ultimately followed him, while at the Canadian Grand Prix he retired early in the fight for the win – again due to a technical defect. “Of course, I also lost 15 points in Monaco due to the drive-through penalty,” adds Russell.
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George Russell admits: “Deficit is probably fair”
At the classic in the principality, the Mercedes driver fought for third place before being given a five-second penalty due to a faulty timing measurement. However, because this was not correctly implemented by the team, a drive-through penalty followed, which ultimately threw Russell completely out of the points positions.
Where Kimi Antonelli lost the most points in the 2026 championship battle
But recently, teammate Antonelli was also hit by several problems. As a result, the 19-year-old Italian scored no points in both Barcelona and the main race at Silverstone. In Austria, the Mercedes youngster was also too rash in the early phase, thereby losing his chance for victory.
In the past three races, Russell was therefore able to reduce his deficit to championship leader Antonelli back to 25 points, after at one point being almost 70 points behind. Nevertheless, the actual championship favorite does not see himself on equal footing with his teammate.
“I think a deficit of about 10 to 30 points is probably fair,” says Russell, who still has 13 races left to turn the current situation around. In the end, the championship battle will likely be decided by who can endure fewer setbacks and lose the least points – for whatever reasons …
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