The internal dispute at Mercedes took on new dimensions after the Japanese GP, and George Russell received a direct warning. The Briton was advised to adopt a more ‘ruthless’ stance in the title fight for the 2026 Formula 1 season against his teammate, Kimi Antonelli.
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Russell won the opening round in Australia, but saw the young Italian react with two consecutive victories in China and Japan. With this, Antonelli took the lead in the drivers’ championship, intensifying the internal dispute within the German team.
Mercedes’ strong performance in the first races of the season also raised expectations. The team’s advantage at the start of the championship led many to consider the team already as favorites in the title fight, which makes the dispute between the two drivers even more decisive.
James Hinchcliffe, a former IndyCar driver, highlighted that Russell’s current situation also reflects factors beyond the driver’s control. According to him, the Briton lost ground in Japan after a safety car at an unfavorable moment: “There are still variables in racing that you can’t control,” he said on the F1 Nation podcast.
Hinchcliffe warned that a sequence of bad weekends can quickly change the balance within the team: “You can have two or three bad weekends in a row, maybe through no fault of your own, and if you’ve allowed your teammate to be very close, suddenly the dynamic shifts in his favor,” he explained.
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Fellow former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer recalled that Russell has already demonstrated a more aggressive stance earlier in his career. Hinchcliffe agreed and stated that this behavior needs to return if the Briton wants to fight for the title this season: “From now on, George needs to be a little more ruthless. Some of those characteristics we saw in the junior categories need to show up again. They need to play that game,” Hinchcliffe stated.
Despite this, the former driver also highlighted that Russell is already performing at a high level. For him, the Briton shows consistency and the ability to maximize results, something expected of a driver in his eighth season in F1, especially when compared to Antonelli, who is competing in only his second year in the category.
Hinchcliffe also pointed out that the young Italian also has areas to improve, including inconsistent starts: “Kimi hasn’t started well yet, only once in four attempts,” he concluded, counting the three GPs and the Sprint race held this year, reinforcing that the internal dispute remains open, even with Antonelli leading the championship.
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