Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has warned that Kimi Antonelli is threatening to replace George Russell as team leader at Mercedes.
Antonelli is in the ascendancy, winning the last three races and opening a 20-point advantage over chief title rival and teammate Russell.
Miami became the latest race where the young Italian dominated his more experienced teammate, Russell only able to salvage fourth, 43 seconds behind Antonelli.
Coulthard praised Antonelli’s rise in 2026, only his second year in F1, identifying his key strengths and hinting that he, not Russell is leading Mercedes.
“He’s come of age,” Coulthard said on the Up To Speed podcast.
“He may only be in his second season of Formula 1, but in dealing with not only the pressure of having Lando there ready to pounce, but he also had some technical difficulties with the paddle shift that meant he was having inconsistent downshifts.
“And he was calmed down by his engineer Bono when he had an elevated voice trying to figure out what the problem was. And I’m sure they’ll have a conversation about that afterwards as well because in the end, the problem is the problem. You just need to get the information to the team and they will try and find a solution for you.
“So I think he’s absolutely come of age. He has absolutely earned the right to be leading this World Championship.
“And the expectation is now, and this will be uncomfortable for George, but the expectation is that he is leading the team and clearly in results.”
Kimi Antonelli has upper hand over George Russell
Coulthard believes Russell must turn the tide on Antonelli, or risk losing his role as de-facto team leader at the German marque.
“Now George has the experience, he has the quality, he has all of the skills to be able to take ownership of that back again,” he said.
“They both cannot win. Someone’s got to be first. Someone’s got to be second.”
The intra-team battle could also begin to benefit rivals, a factor that Coulthard believes was already beginning to play out in Miami.
“And while they’re trying to figure that out, look where McLaren were. Look at the improvements from Ferrari and Red Bull.
“It’s difficult to win in what’s perceived as the best car. There’s been many examples where people haven’t managed it.”
Momentum in F1 is dangerous for a rival on the wrong end of the pendulum, as Russell is discovering.
Outscoring Antonelli in Canada will be at the forefront of the Briton’s mind to break Antonelli’s streak.
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