George Russell is being forced to “rewire his brain” as he struggles to consistently match his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli, according to former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard.
Russell was considered one of the favourites for the 2026 title heading into the season, but after winning the Australian Grand Prix and the Chinese sprint race, he watched on as his teenage team-mate took the lead of the standings.
After claiming his eighth win of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix, Antonelli holds an 81-point lead over Russell in the standings.
During an episode of the Up To Speed podcast, Coulthard drew parallels between Russell’s current woes and his own early days partnering Mika Hakkinen at McLaren.
“George is definitely going through an experience for the first time like I went through for the first time when Mika and I were team-mates, because when I joined Formula 1 in ’94, straight away I was on the pace,” Coulthard explained.
“Actually, for ’95 there was a run of five grands prix where I was in pole position for each of those grands prix.
“So when I look at it, I was just thinking, ‘This is normal.’ You think for Damon Hill [his team-mate at the time], who was older and he’d been there, and he’d lived through being the team-mate with Ayrton [Senna] and his fatality, he must have hated it.
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
“He must have been pulling his hair out, and we didn’t really get along at that time because I was the thorn in his side who just came in like Kimi, all young and went out and got pole position and not really think about it.
“And then what I realised once you get into your career and when you get more experience as well, sometimes you’re overthinking situations. So Kimi is just bright-eyed and bushy-tailed right now.
“He doesn’t know what he doesn’t know. George is going, ‘Hold on. I’ve always been quick. Why is this not happening?’ So he’s having to rewire his brain while the next weekend comes and he gets beaten again.”
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