Russell warned over 'kid' Antonelli: ‘This could be the beginning of the end’

After ending the 2025 season with the strongest campaign of his career in terms of results, many expected Russell to emerge as the leading favourite for the 2026 title, especially with the arrival of the new regulations that Mercedes have clearly nailed, as shown by the W17’s dominance across the opening four races.

Instead, after opening the season with victory in Australia as many had predicted, the Briton gradually found himself overshadowed by the rise of team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who has strung together three consecutive poles and three straight wins since China, arriving in Canada as championship leader with a 20-point advantage over his far more experienced team-mate.

The Montreal weekend could hardly come at a better time for Russell as he looks to hit back immediately and reverse the current trend, especially at a circuit where he claimed victory last year. Antonelli, however, also showed strong pace there in 2025, securing the first podium of his Formula 1 career.

Speaking on the Pelas Pistas podcast, Piquet explained that Russell initially entered Formula 1 in a relatively pressure-free situation alongside Hamilton, as expectations were naturally centred around the seven-time world champion rather than the young Briton at the time.

He then added that, despite Russell’s recent struggles, he still considers the Briton to be among the very best drivers currently on the Formula 1 grid alongside the likes of Leclerc, Verstappen, Hamilton and Alonso, while warning that the current situation could potentially mark the beginning of a difficult period in his career: “This could be the beginning of the end. And when I say ‘the end’ for Russell, we have to remember he’s still one of the four or five best drivers in Formula 1, maybe even better, alongside Leclerc, Max, Hamilton and Alonso.”

Shifting the focus towards the upcoming Montreal weekend, Piquet then went on to add: “No matter how much we talk about drivers operating at an extremely high level, the best in the world, confidence on a street circuit makes a massive difference. Maybe he’s losing confidence, maybe something else is going on. One or two races, now three… and the gap has become so big that it’s worrying to see what Russell’s future might look like.”

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner believes Russell risks falling short in the 2026 title fight if Antonelli continues his current rise at Mercedes. Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner 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 team-mate maintain his composure over the course of the year.

He nevertheless stressed that Antonelli still has a long way to go before truly sealing the title, despite the impressive signs shown so far. At the same time, he warned that managing pressure across an entire championship campaign remains one of the biggest unknowns for a young driver, pointing to how quickly momentum can swing during a season.