Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli seeks a sensational fourth consecutive victory to boost his F1 drivers’ title bid this weekend, but expects a robust response from Mercedes team-mate George Russell at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old rising star of Italian sport leads the Briton, nine years his senior and the pre-season favourite for the title, by 20 points after four rounds of the 22-race championship as Mercedes unveil a major upgrade package.
For Russell, it is important to re-establish his authority in the team after two fourth-place finishes allowed his team-mate to revel in being the sole Silver Arrows man, astride the top of the podium.
“I am expecting George, for sure, to be super-strong again in Canada,” said Antonelli, whose precocious talent, wide smile and curly hair have become an image Italian sporting optimism following their football team’s failure to qualifying for the World Cup.
“He’s always been strong in Montreal and he won last year so I have to be ready and be fully focused. I will do my best.”
In addition to his hat-trick of pole, victory and fastest lap last year, Russell took pole at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2024 and will fancy his chances of winning both Saturday’s sprint race and Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Last year, Antonelli was fourth on the grid and finished third, his first podium finish.
This time, he hopes to be the first Italian since Alberto Ascari in 1952 to claim four straight wins, when he reeled off six.
Mercedes’ team chief Toto Wolff has side-stepped frenzied talk of Antonelli’s prospects to concentrate on keeping balanced and cool.
“Performance is only performance when it is delivered on track,” he stressed.
“We are just four races into the season and there is a long year ahead. It is an important race for us, but it does not decide anything. So, we stay balanced, keep learning and execute as well as we can.”
Published on May 21, 2026