Bottas hijacks spotlight with cheeky claim on Antonelli’s title charge

Antonelli has enjoyed a sensational start to the 2026 season, even moving ahead of teammate George Russell, who had been widely tipped by bookmakers as a title contender, to establish himself at the top of the drivers’ standings after just four rounds. The 19-year-old, who had not claimed a victory in Formula 1 prior to the Chinese Grand Prix, has now strung together three wins in quick succession, each one underlining his growing authority in the championship fight.

Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, Bottas was quizzed on his influence during his time as Mercedes reserve driver, where he worked closely with Antonelli. The Finnish veteran responded in trademark fashion, leaning into his humour before offering genuine praise for the young Italian’s progress.

“Yeah, first of all, I take all the credit, of course, for his success, you know! I think it’s just a fact,” Bottas cheekily stated.

However, in a more reflective manner, Bottas continued: "No, I mean, it’s been great to see. I always had a feeling that he can make a good step after his first year over the winter, and that’s what he’s done. He’s grown a lot in a short period of time. He seems much more confident, much more comfortable with the team, with the car. But yes, just the latest advice I gave him at the end of last year is just keep doing what you’re doing, because he was making great progress. He was getting more confidence in driving but also his technical feedback. So, I think it seems like he’s been just chipping away, just ticking boxes. He’s still so young, still early in his career, and doing extremely well. So yes, I’m really proud of him.”

Antonelli currently leads the drivers’ standings by 20 points over Russell. Last time out at the Miami Grand Prix, the Italian, who won the race, finished a staggering 43 seconds ahead of Russell, who took the chequered flag in fourth place.

Former Haas F1 Team team principal Guenther Steiner believes Russell risks falling short in the 2026 title fight if Antonelli continues his current rise at Mercedes.

The 60-year-old admitted he had initially expected Russell to finally establish himself as world champion this season, particularly given both the competitiveness of the Mercedes package and the Briton’s strong reputation within the paddock.

However, Steiner suggested the momentum inside the team has gradually started shifting towards Antonelli, whose calm approach and rapid adaptation to Formula 1 have continued to impress throughout the opening rounds of the season. According to the American-Italian, Russell could ultimately end up settling for second place in the championship should his younger teammate maintain his composure over the course of the year.

Earlier, Russell explained the reasons behind his difficult weekend in Florida. The British driver revealed that both he and several other drivers had become heavily focused on energy deployment and the complexities of the current regulations. In doing so, he admitted some of the basic racing fundamentals had been neglected.

“I think for a lot of us, we were so focused on energy management and all of the issues from the past, dealing with the tyres and the setup, that the fundamentals of racing had kind of been put on the back burner because we were focused elsewhere. We missed some key things because of that, and it was a good little reminder. As painful as it was, it was a very much-needed weekend because I think it’s going to prove very beneficial for the rest of the year,” he concluded.