Charles Leclerc radio about Lewis Hamilton shows how George Russell should handle Kimi Antonelli

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George Russell is struggling to keep up with Kimi Antonelli in 2026. He has gone from title favourite to being constantly beaten, but he can take a leaf from Charles Leclerc’s book to help combat him.

Since winning the season opener in Melbourne, Russell has won two Sprint races in Shanghai and Canada, while Antonelli has won the last four Grands Prix in a row. The Brit retired from the Canadian GP with a battery failure, allowing his teammate to extend his lead to 43 points.

It brought a sour end to what was a brilliant battle between the two Mercedes drivers, but the tension between them was clear to see. Russell does not seem to know how to combat his teammate, but Leclerc’s attitude towards Lewis Hamilton sets a perfect example to follow.

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Charles Leclerc wanted no updates about Lewis Hamilton in Canada – George Russell needs the same approach

It is obvious that the championship fight is taking its toll on the No.63 driver. Russell looked like a ‘ghost’ in the paddock after retiring from the Canadian GP.

He was absolutely devastated to drop out of a race that he had a strong chance of winning through no fault of his own. Russell now has a huge mountain to climb to catch Antonelli, and tensions are growing.

Russell and Antonelli did not speak to each other in the press conference after the Sprint. The latter accused the former of pushing him onto the grass during the race, resulting in Toto Wolff intervening over the radio.

The battle continued on Sunday, with both drivers locking up and running off the track, but it was Antonelli who came out on top. Ralf Schumacher thinks Russell ‘can’t handle’ the pressure, but Leclerc’s antics in Canada highlight the answer to his problems.

Should Toto Wolff stay off the radio when Kimi Antonelli and George Russell battle?

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The Monegasque driver endured, in his own words, the worst weekend of his career, finishing fourth behind teammate Hamilton, who came home second. In the closing stages, race engineer Bryan Bozzi informed his driver: “Lewis now picking up the pace, 15.0.”

Leclerc quickly shut him down, saying on the radio: “Let’s stop speaking until the last lap, you tell me the last lap, and anything absolutely critical.” He clearly had no interest in his teammate’s race and was solely focused on his own.

This is exactly the mentality that Russell needs to adopt. He cannot afford to let Antonelli and the pressure of the championship get to him.

Russell’s only priority should be his own race and his own performance. If he lets anything else get to him, it could be damaging to his title chances, so worrying about Antonelli will only hurt him more.