Martin Brundle sends George Russell warning amid Mercedes F1 title fight

Martin Brundle has advised George Russell to treat Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli like a peak Lewis Hamilton amid their Formula 1 title battle.

Russell was the pre-season title favourite and made the perfect start to the 2026 campaign by winning the Australian Grand Prix, but back-to-back victories for Antonelli have given the Italian teenager a surprise early world championship lead.

Antonelli has capitalised on some early bad luck for Russell, and his own fortune, to move into a nine-point lead at the top of the drivers’ world championship following the opening three rounds of the season.

Former F1 driver-turned-pundit Brundle believes Russell should be “concerned” about how Antonelli has started his sophomore season.

“If I was George, I'd be more concerned after three races than I was at the beginning of the season,” Brundle told the Sky Sports F1 Show.

"George did all those hard yards at Williams and spent an extra year or two there, goes to Mercedes, just as they stopped dominating and has to tolerate all that.

"Now they look like they've got a championship car and you'd say George has got the upper hand and all of a sudden he's got to be looking across the garage and thinking, 'hang on a minute, this is nowhere near certain. I've got to beat this teenager yet'. And I think he really has.

"It's difficult times for George and he's got to treat Kimi Antonelli just as if he's Lewis Hamilton in his peak and a threat for the championship.”

Antonelli bounced back from a huge crash in practice in Melbourne to finish second in the season-opener, before going on to become F1’s youngest pole sitter in China, which he converted into a maiden win.

After taking advantage of the timing of a safety car in Japan, Antonelli secured his second consecutive victory at Suzuka, while Russell lucked out and finished off the podium in fourth place.

And Brundle has been left impressed by 19-year-old Antonelli’s performances.

"When he crashed the car in Melbourne and came straight back, that for me is one of the most telling things that you can see in a young driver as to whether they can just get straight back on it, and he did in Melbourne,” Brundle said.

"I remember watching on our show after China when Kimi's dad and Toto were saying, 'look, forget championship crusades because he's got a lot to learn and he will make mistakes'. And I thought that tallied exactly with what I was thinking.

"George is the favourite because there will be wet days and safety-car restarts and all sorts of things where George's experience will surely play out. But watching Kimi in qualifying, in the races, he got lucky on the safety car in Japan, but his pace was mighty."