Russell concedes Hamilton and Ferrari are ‘big threat’ to championship bid

George Russell believes that Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari are a “big threat” in the championship fight, though the Briton also acknowledged that Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli is “still very much the driver out front”.

A solid run for Hamilton in Canada and Monaco – in which he claimed back-to-back P2 finishes – saw the seven-time World Champion overtake Russell for second place in the Drivers' Championship.

His hold on the position was strengthened further in Barcelona, where the Ferrari driver scored his first win since the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix – while the victory also marked his maiden triumph with the Scuderia.

Championship leader Antonelli, meanwhile, was forced to retire from the race after his W17 suffered a mechanical issue, resulting in Hamilton closing the gap down to 41 points, while a P2 finish for Russell means that the Briton is only nine points behind his former team mate.

Asked during Thursday’s media day at the Austrian Grand Prix if he now views Hamilton as a bigger title contender – or whether Antonelli is still the one he has to beat – Russell began by praising Hamilton’s resurgence.

“It’s great to see Lewis back doing what he does best,” the Mercedes driver responded. “I think that’s also just such an example of how challenging Formula 1 is, because the cars are so complex, the tyres are so complex, the power units are complex.

“Everything needs to click and if one thing isn’t clicking, you can’t get the most out of yourself. People were writing him off last year or even the year we were team mates in ’24. You know, ‘Is he too old? Is he this? Is he that?’

“And then he goes and he’s been smashing it for the last four or five races. It just shows that you don’t forget how to drive overnight. You need yourself, your team, the set-up, the understanding of the tyres, everything just to click. And when it clicks, you fly.

“So that’s where he is at the moment and for sure he is a big threat. Ferrari are a huge threat. Kimi is still very much the driver out front and is performing really incredibly and consistently. But yeah, Ferrari feel like they’re coming and Lewis is at the forefront of that.”

Russell and Antonelli have had their fair share of on-track battles in recent races – but when quizzed on whether he felt more nervous about an intra-team fight for the title or going head-to-head with someone from a rival squad, the 28-year-old said: “Neither makes me nervous.

“It makes me excited, to be honest, because the more people you’re going head-to-head with, it’s less competition. And that is how it was for all of us when we were go-karting. You were never racing one competitor. There were three, four, five drivers who were all competing for wins. That’s how Formula 1 should be and that’s what excites us. So yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”

Similarly, Antonelli also faced questions over whether he was more concerned about Hamilton or Russell – or even reliability – when speaking to the media himself.

“All of them,” he answered. “But it's not [being] worried or concerned. I'm aware that it's not going to be a walk in the park. It's going to be a tough battle because George is super quick, Lewis is in a great moment and is feeling the car and momentum.

“Definitely it’s going to be a tough battle, and that's why it's going to be important to maximise every opportunity because in Barcelona I had the issue at the end and lost a lot of points. So whenever I can, I just need to maximise everything because you never know what can happen.

“I wouldn't write off the others either. I think if you look at what Max [Verstappen] did last year, coming back from so far, that's why it's important to always be present, stay focused and just do your best.”