Formula 1 World Championship leader George Russell will show his inner “steeliness” when racing Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli this season, according to former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer.
Russell and Antonelli have won one Grand Prix each this season in a Mercedes car which had an advantage over rival teams in Australia and China.
The F1 Nation podcast discussed whether a title fight between the Mercedes pair would be tempered like the battle between McLaren team mates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in 2025, or filled with flashpoints as in the mid-2010s rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
“I’ve seen George race from the junior formulas, and I know that that guy has got steeliness,” former Renault driver Palmer said.
“If he’s under pressure and there’s a title at play, I think he definitely has it in him to give it everything and, and come out on top. I don’t think he’ll necessarily play ‘nicey nicey’ with Kimi the whole way.
“Then it depends on what Kimi’s like, and we haven’t seen enough of that yet.”
IndyCar race winner James Hinchcliffe told the podcast he doesn’t think Antonelli will be forceful when fighting his team mate.
“It takes two to tango, and I don’t think that Kimi at this stage – at 19, still in his second year, still very much under the microscope – can jump up there. I don’t even know if he has it in him as a human. He seems like the nicest kid.
“Even if it’s there, in the situation that he’s in, trying to attack George Russell within the team, it seems a bit risky. I just don’t think he’s got it in him.”
In the full podcast episode, Palmer, Hinchcliffe and Tom Clarkson debate how Max Verstappen could influence the Mercedes battle in 2026, and assess Ferrari’s chances of taking a win in Japan.
To hear the latest on all the biggest talking points ahead of the race weekend, hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen to the latest episode on your preferred podcasting platform.
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