F1 champion sounds warning to Antonelli amid growing championship lead

The Mercedes driver extended his lead in the standings to 43 points over Russell after securing his fourth consecutive win at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Antonelli, who saw his advantage cut to 18 points after missing out on victory in the Sprint race, delivered a largely flawless performance in the Grand Prix itself, particularly after Russell retired on lap 30 due to a power unit failure.

However, Villeneuve, reflecting on Antonelli’s recent run of victories and his expanding title lead, warned the young Italian not to lose touch with reality. Speaking after the race in Quebec, the 1997 World Champion said:

“So that is the big risk. Right now, he's driving on the edge every lap, and to the point where you think, ‘Wow, he's keeping it on the track,’ things go well, things go right. It won't always be like this. So how will he react when one thing goes wrong? That will be the key thing,” Villeneuve added, before expressing his thoughts that Antonelli appears to be quicker than Russell currently.

“But right now, he is quicker than George. He's got him covered. What's important for the team is that George wakes up a little bit and starts believing in himself again,” he concluded.

Villeneuve also admitted that Antonelli would certainly be thinking about the championship, before noting how a race or two could derail his momentum, highlighting the danger of being in a title fight.

“Of course. A season is a roller coaster. There's a period where everything goes well, and suddenly something goes wrong. A race or two, you go beyond. That's the danger. And people think, ‘Oh, you won't win it anymore.’ And then the other guy starts believing it, and it's a roller coaster. So, we'll see how it goes," the F1 champion noted.

While the 55-year-old stressed that Antonelli will certainly have the championship on his mind, the Mercedes driver himself admitted he is not focused on the title. Speaking in his post-race media interaction, Antonelli said: “I’m not thinking about the championship. I’m just focusing on race by race. I think it’s still very early to talk about that.”

The Mercedes driver also gave an honest assessment of his fight with Russell, admitting both drivers pushed things close to the limit, as they had done the previous day. “It was a tough fight. I think a couple of times it was maybe a little bit on the edge, but we were going at each other. We were both pushing and we both wanted to win.”

Formula 1 now heads into the European leg of the season, beginning with the Monaco Grand Prix. During his debut campaign in 2025, the European phase proved particularly tricky for Antonelli, with the Italian failing to produce any standout results across the stretch, his best finishes being ninth in Italy and tenth at the earlier Hungarian Grand Prix.