George Russell addresses ‘nonsense’ claims that Mercedes are favouring Kimi Antonelli

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George Russell has slammed the “nonsense” claims that he has heard about Toto Wolff potentially favouring Kimi Antonelli during the 2026 F1 season.

While the claims have been prevalent throughout Antonelli’s rise to the top of the F1 standings this year, Russell may have spurred them on at the Belgian Grand Prix through his expletive-ridden blow-up on the radio after crashing out of the race at Turn 5.

After fuming about being swamped by rivals due to a lack of battery power, which resulted in Lewis Hamilton tagging his right-rear tyre at Les Combes, Russell spat to the Mercedes team wall: “Guys! Unacceptable! Un-f——-acceptable!

Mercedes defended Russell’s fury in the aftermath of the race weekend, citing that the Briton was within his right to let out some emotion after receiving such a blow to his F1 title chances.

Antonelli also suffered from the same battery issue during the first lap chaos at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, according to a report from Motorsport Magazine, but benefited from slotting into Max Verstappen’s tow to retake the lead of the race.

• READ MORE: George Russell tells Mercedes he just wants the ‘same car’ as Kimi Antonelli

George Russell slams the ‘nonsense’ he’s heard about Toto Wolff favouring Kimi Antonelli

During a recent feature in the latest issue of Sport Bild, Russell was asked about claims regarding a possible bout of favouritism in the German constructor’s camp. The 28-year-old immediately debunked them.

Is George Russell fighting with one hand behind his back, or is Kimi Antonelli just too good?

Antonelli extends his lead in the standings to 44 points after Spa!

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“I think that’s nonsense,” he said. “Kimi isn’t being favoured. Look: the media are looking for the best possible story to get the most clicks and sell lots of papers. If they were to report the truth, they’d probably struggle to meet their targets.”

He later put it into black-and-white, adding, “Toto Wolff doesn’t have a favourite driver,” before noting that he doesn’t follow F1 news due to the fact that he knows “the truth” and how much he is “valued within the team”.

Russell also touched upon the rumours that Mercedes could sign Verstappen for the 2027 F1 term. The Briton has had to deal with the narrative for over 12 months now, and has continued to dismiss them because of the terms of his current deal with the Silver Arrows.

“I’ll be driving for Mercedes in 2027,” he asserted. “It’s the same there: many people think they know the truth, but in reality only a few do. I have a contract for next year. That settles the matter.”

• READ MORE: George Russell clarifies Mercedes contract clause that is putting him at ease about Max Verstappen

It is understood that Russell signed a ‘multi-year contract’ with Mercedes towards the end of 2025, with a seat for 2026 guaranteed and an option looming over 2027. The option is reportedly related to a performance-based clause in the deal.