Antonelli vows to ‘keep levelling up’ as he shares mindset over developing title fight with Russell

Kimi Antonelli has made clear that he “can’t relax” despite moving 43 points clear of Mercedes team mate George Russell in the championship standings after the Canadian Grand Prix.

Antonelli added to wins in China, Japan and Miami by triumphing at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve last weekend, taking full advantage of Russell’s terminal technical problems that struck while they were fighting for the lead.

It means Antonelli’s points advantage is bigger than the gap between McLaren team mates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri ever was in the race for the 2025 title, with F1 now moving on to a busy European phase.

Asked about having a bit of breathing space over Russell going into the next rapid-fire run of events, Antonelli said: “Yeah, but to be fair, 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, and of course, now I have this gap, but that doesn’t mean I can relax and just take it easier. Instead, I need to keep levelling up and keep raising the bar, because it’s not going to be easy.

“Competitors are getting closer, and also George is super quick, so definitely I’m just going to try to focus on myself and enjoy the driving, and trying to really drive as fast as possible.”

Antonelli went on to offer some more reflections on his ebbing and flowing battle with Russell over the first half of the Montreal race, which followed a similarly tight scrap in the previous day’s Sprint.

“It was a tough fight,” he commented. “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.

“It was, I think, for everyone watching, pretty entertaining, so definitely the stint was a lot of fun, because we were both pushing on the limit and going for it.”

Antonelli’s latest victory also means Mercedes remain unbeaten in 2026, with a sizeable Montreal upgrade package appearing to strengthen their advantage at the head of the pack – though the young Italian is taking nothing for granted.

“To be fair, we’re not really clear on the package, if I’m being honest, because this weekend was very weird in terms of tyres,” he explained, pointing to the variation in air and track temperatures.

“It was very difficult to put them in the right window, so I think that was playing a big factor. Just by having the tyre in the right window was helping a lot.

“I think we will have a better picture of the package in the next few races.”