F1 fans think George Russell is feeling the ‘pressure’ at the Canadian GP after FP1 close call

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George Russell suffered a late spin upon his exit from turn one during a FP1 flying lap, leading F1 fans to believe the Mercedes driver is beginning to feel the pressure of Kimi Antonelli’s championship lead.

Ahead of this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix, much of the discussion has been regarding George Russell’s return to form, given his track record at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in previous years.

The six-time Grand Prix winner added a victory to his tally at the Montreal-based circuit last year, and arrived at the race weekend with a two-year streak of claiming pole position at the circuit.

However, Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli has proven over the last three rounds that he won’t be an easy rival to get the better of. The young Italian is undoubtedly in a purple patch, having taken the Grand Prix victory in all of the last three races.

Thus, Antonelli holds a 20-point advantage at the top of the F1 standings, with Russell currently on the back foot in P2. He might be the favourite for this weekend, but the early indications suggest that he may have a battle on his hands.

• READ MORE: Jolyon Palmer warns George Russell that Kimi Antonelli can ‘twist the knife’ at Canadian GP

F1 fans think George Russell was feeling the ‘pressure’ during FP1 at the Canadian GP

Following the chequered flag to mark the conclusion of the first and only practice session of the weekend, it was Antonelli who looked to have hit the ground running in Canada.

He set the benchmark with a 1:13.402, while Russell completed a one-two for the Silver Arrows with a time that was nearly a tenth and a half slower than his counterpart.

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However, minutes before the end of the session, the British driver’s Mercedes engineers almost ended up with a big task on their hands before the start of Sprint qualifying.

F1 fans were quick to share their reaction on social media following the close call, with one user on X (formerly Twitter) highlighting how close he was to a disastrous start to the weekend. They wrote, “Living on the edge! Russell was millimetres away from disaster.”

The overwhelming sentiment from fans was one of concern for Russell’s composure. One fan commented, “Pressure is getting the better of him,” while another pinpointed Antonelli’s fine form as the main catalyst for it: “He is under pressure because of his teammate.”

• READ MORE: F1 insiders say George Russell is a shell of his former self amid title fight ‘pressure’

Another posted to Reddit, “Kimi is genuinely putting George in a hard place,” which garnered a reply from a separate user, who asserted, “It does look like George has crumbled a bit.”

A final user believes this won’t be the last time that we see Russell be affected by the burden that Antonelli has put on him. They wrote, “Yeah, this is going to be a long season for George.”