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Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord has revealed how the team feels about Kimi Antonelli and George Russell going head-to-head for the Formula 1 world title.
After just three races, it looks like Mercedes will take some beating as they have dominated the 2026 F1 season so far.
Russell was victorious in Australia before teenager Antonelli secured back-to-back wins in China and Japan.
As a result, Antonelli currently leads Russell by nine points going into next weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.
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Bradley Lord speaks out on F1 title fight between Kimi Antonelli and George Russell
Speaking ahead of next week’s race, Mercedes deputy team principal Lord revealed how Mercedes are feeling about the F1 title fight between Antonelli and Russell.
The 45-year-old stated that Mercedes want the drivers to be ‘intense’ and have ‘all-out competition’ in the remainder of the season.
Lord said on the Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show: “And then, a brilliant fight between George and Kimi, and neither of them has had a smooth run through the weekend so far.
“So it would be fun as well to see if both get smooth FP1 and then how that sort of competition starts to shape up as well, because that rivalry as an F1 driver is always there.
“Your teammate is a colleague but also your biggest rival, and we know that that is going to continue to grow. It’s in a really good place at the moment, and we hope it will stay there too.
“But, we want it to be intense, and we want it to be all-out competition on track. So it’s going to be fun to get back to that as well.”
Do you think Kimi Antonelli has the complete support of Italian F1 fans as he goes up against Ferrari this season?
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READ MORE: Lando Norris warns Kimi Antonelli about the ‘huge challenge’ he now faces in F1 title quest
Martin Brundle tells George Russell to treat Kimi Antonelli like ‘peak’ Lewis Hamilton
Due to his experience, Russell came into the 2026 season as the overwhelming favourite to win the world title.
However, the last two races have shown that Antonelli is more than capable of winning the championship and Russell will have to dig deep to achieve his dream.
Speaking about the title fight, ex-F1 star Brundle gave an important piece of advice to Russell, claiming he has to treat his teammate like Hamilton.
Brundle said to Sky Sports: “If I was George, I’d be more concerned after three races than I was at the beginning of the season.
“It’s difficult times for George and he’s got to treat Kimi Antonelli just as if he’s Lewis Hamilton in his peak and a threat for the championship.”
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