Disheartened Russell says championship title 'is Antonelli's to lose'

George Russell says the drivers’ championship is Kimi Antonelli’s to lose after his retirement in the Canadian Grand Prix saw him drop 43 points off the lead.

Antonelli arrived in Montreal with a 20-point advantage, but Russell reduced that to 18 points by winning the Sprint after a tense early battle. The grand prix itself offered more of the same, with the two Mercedes drivers fighting hard and even making contact at one stage in the first 30 laps, but the race was ended for Russell by a suspected power unit failure that saw Antonelli ease to victory.

“Right now it’s his [Antonelli’s] to lose,” Russell said. “So many points ahead, it feels like the gods don’t want me to be in this fight when I look at the Safety Car timing in Japan, breaking down in China Q3 [when] fighting for pole, breaking down from the lead here today…

“But the pressure is off, I’ll go out and enjoy every single race, try and win every single race, and I’ve got nothing to lose. I don’t want to be stood here talking like that, and of course I’m frustrated and want to be in that fight… hopefully the luck turns.”

Russell had faced questions relating to Antonelli’s run of three straight victories ahead of this weekend’s race, but says he believes he answered them with his performance even if the result didn’t follow.

“Disbelief. Feels like somebody doesn't want me to fight or compete for this championship. Just three out of the last five races, there's just been something really going against us. Just a bit lost for words right now.

“I loved the battle. I was happy with how I handled it, how I drove. And I'm just pleased with the weekend in terms of my own personal performance. There's a lot of doubters maybe after Miami and a lot of chat, but I know what I can do and win the Sprint, pole in qualifying, leading the race, hard battles - I really loved the battle and I wanted to continue for 30 more laps and I would have loved to see how it would have panned out. But here we are.”