Russell concedes Antonelli has upper hand in F1 title race

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George Russell has admitted that Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli is firmly in control of the Formula One championship after the Italian produced a remarkable victory at his home Grand Prix on Sunday.

Antonelli started the race 19th on the grid but delivered a stunning recovery drive to claim his seventh victory in 13 rounds, strengthening his position at the top of the drivers' standings.

The result extended Antonelli's championship advantage over Russell to 66 points, leaving the British driver with a significant deficit to overcome as the season progresses.

Russell acknowledged that Antonelli deserves his commanding position but insisted he is not dwelling on the championship gap or contemplating a late-season comeback.

“Definitely, Kimi is in control of it, and he deserves to be in control of it,” Russell said.

“For me personally, I’m not even thinking about a fight or a comeback or anything. I’m just focused on taking it race by race and trying to maximise every single weekend.”
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