David Coulthard thinks George Russell must ‘reassert’ his status over Kimi Antonelli at Japanese GP

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After Kimi Antonelli won his first Grand Prix in Shanghai, David Coulthard believes George Russell must re-establish the pecking order in Mercedes.

Antonelli’s maiden win at the Chinese Grand Prix allowed Mercedes to further flex their muscles following George Russell’s win at Melbourne.

However, since then, there has been a lot of talk about Antonelli rivalling Russell in the title race, despite having just a year of experience under his belt.

A maiden Grand Prix win for Kimi Antonelli, as well as a first podium appearance for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari! 🍾

What was your favourite moment of Antonelli's debut win?

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While Toto Wolff will likely back Russell over Antonelli should the two find themselves in a close battle for the drivers’ championship, Antonelli’s performances have shown he won’t be an easy threat to overcome.

Kimi Antonelli could look to further his position as a title contender this weekend. And this is why David Coulthard thinks George Russell must cement his position as Mercedes’ team leader at Suzuka.

READ MORE: Jolyon Palmer thinks George Russell got ‘caught out’ in Chinese GP but still ‘man to beat’ in 2026

David Coulthard backs George Russell to win Japanese GP and re-establish himself as Mercedes leader

Speaking on the Up to Speed podcast, David Coulthard spoke about his expectations for the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend.

When picking George Russell to win at Suzuka, he noted that the British driver is under pressure to reclaim his place as the lead driver for the team after Kimi Antonelli’s win in Shanghai.

“I’m going to go with what I believe will be the outcome, which is that George will win. He needs to reassert himself within that team.”

“Kimi, it’s all nice and cute, getting his first Grand Prix victory is getting in the way of him trying to win a world championship.”

While Antonelli wants to avoid conflict with Russell this season, the two drivers being neck-and-neck in the standings will certainly further what many consider to be a brewing rivalry.

READ MORE: George Russell is in the same ‘psychologically vulnerable’ position as Fernando Alonso at McLaren

David Coulthard expects Mercedes to ‘stretch their wings’ over Ferrari at Suzuka

Coulthard also doubled down on Mercedes continuing their success at the Japanese Grand Prix, noting that the circuit is suited for them to extend their lead over Ferrari.

“I think if anything, it will allow Mercedes to stretch their wings. I think they have a little bit in hand. There was a little bit of concern about what would the harvesting be like, in terms of recharging the battery. But what we’ve now discovered is all of these medium-speed corners actually have a big potential.”

“So if you have a small lift in a medium and high speed corner, you’re getting a huge amount of recharge outside of what we had in the previous formula, where it was all about big braking. That’s where you got to recharge the battery. I think it will still be advantage Mercedes…”

Despite Coulthard’s confidence in Mercedes, things will not be as clear-cut for them. Ferrari are set for a big upgrade ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, which could make a big difference for them.

Mercedes have managed to fend off Ferrari over the first two races of the season. But they are far from safe when it comes to Ferrari closing the gap this season.