Russell hands favourite tag to Antonelli: 'It's his title to lose now'

Having started the season as the favourite for the championship, Russell now finds himself 43 points behind his teammate in the standings following his retirement at the Canadian Grand Prix. The Briton had already told Sky Italia that the title is Antonelli's to lose, and ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix he reiterated that belief.

Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: "If I look at it from my competitor's position, you're kind of in a position now that you've got such a buffer, it feels like you can only keep it or you can only lose it.

He added: "I don't feel like I need to get every single result possible, because the season's long enough that over the course of the season, it will swing if you're the guy who's on top.

The Mercedes driver also highlighted that he does not feel under pressure at the moment. "I think for everyone every year, you have a run of races where, I don't know why or how, everything just goes your way. And that's just how it goes sometimes when things turn. It's just a mentality I've got. I'm in a very good head space. The pressure feels off now. And there's just a huge amount of time to go." Antonelli enters the Monaco Grand Prix with a comfortable gap and four Grand Prix victories in a row.

Mercedes CEO and team boss Toto Wolff explained that drivers will have to 'deliver when it matters' this weekend. "Qualifying in Monaco is always thrilling. With this new generation of smaller, more nimble cars, the challenge should be even more pronounced. To be in with a chance of victory on Sunday, you need to have a good Saturday. It will be an impressive spectacle and one we are looking forward to.

"We head into the weekend without any assumptions, though. Monaco is a circuit different to any other on the calendar. A car that has been competitive elsewhere is not guaranteed to be strong here. The margins are small, the consequences are high, and previous performance does not always translate. We will need to be at our best throughout if we are to continue our recent form," Wolff concluded.