Coulthard: “If I were Russell I would declare war on Antonelli right now”

One team, one rivalry Following the victory achieved in the first race of the championship in Australia, George Russell was unable to repeat himself in China and Japan, GPs in which his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli instead prevailed. Two successes which have allowed the young Mercedes driver to occupy the leadership of the world championship standings, but which at the same time risk generating an internal rivalry in Brackley between the Bolognese and the Briton. War immediately? In this respect, former McLaren driver David Coulthard expressed his opinion on the podcast Up to Speed, who ‘advises’ what Russell should do now: “If I were him, I would declare war on Antonelli right now – he explained – just be a good boy. We had already said it after Kimi’s first victory. I saw an excellent interview with Toto Wolff and George in which they discussed the race (Japan). I thought it was fantastic that Mercedes had shared that message on the social It gives us an idea that Toto is there at a certain moment to help George. But on the other side of the box, he is praising Antonelli: ‘You did it, I always believed in you’. In addition, Coulthard added his opinion. on Antonelli, in particular on the possibility that the latter can sustain the pace shown in the last two races for the rest of the season: “It can be very tiring. We saw it last year with Oscar Piastri; he arrived in Baku for a race he was supposed to win, but made a series of mistakes. As a result, Lando Norris, with his greater experience, was able to make a difference.”