Mercedes warned by Russell: ‘They are now the team to beat’

Russell completed the podium at the Dutch Grand Prix behind Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli after having to keep the Ferrari cars behind him during the final laps on older tyres. As a result, he is tied on points with Lewis Hamilton in the standings and 59 points behind his young Italian teammate.

Looking ahead to the next weekend in Monza, Russell thinks the Mercedes car will work better. "I think we will be slightly more competitive there," he began.

Still, he warned of Mercedes' rivals as well: "However, I believe Ferrari have an engine upgrade incoming, and the truth is we just don’t know.

The Mercedes driver therefore concluded: "Monza may be slightly different, but I think they are the team to beat right now."

Meanwhile, the championship leader will also be hit with a grid penalty for his home race.

Addressing the decision to execute the swap in Italy, Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff made it clear that competitive performance outweighs sentimentality and public relations.

"Our theory, our calculations say that that's the best track to take [a penalty]," the Austrian explained. "Obviously, algorithms don't take the nationality into consideration. We're here to act for a championship and not get the most PR."

Antonelli said: "I still think it’s the best track where to take it. Of course, it’s my home race and all that kind of stuff, but, you know, I think it’s the best race to do so. So, I think it still will give me a chance to do a great result and bring home good points."