George Russell tells Mercedes he just wants the ‘same car’ as Kimi Antonelli

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George Russell doesn’t feel as if he’s driving the ‘same’ Mercedes car as teammate and title rival Kimi Antonelli right now.

After trailing Antonelli by half a second in qualifying, Russell lasted just one sector in the race. A collision with Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton spun him into the gravel and beached his car.

Rather than criticising his former teammate, Russell lamented a lack of power down the straight, which saw him lose positions to both Ferraris and the McLaren of Oscar Piastri on the run to Les Combes.

George Russell felt like he was ‘slower than a Formula 2 car’ at Spa start

Russell has been complaining for multiple weekends about a shortage of straight-line speed relative to Antonelli.

Initially, Mercedes were dismissive of Russell’s remarks, but their tone changed at Spa. They are no longer sure whether the deficit is down to driving style and are investigating a potential car issue.

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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Toto Wolff said all Mercedes-powered cars were affected by power limitations at the start on Sunday, to varying degrees. Antonelli briefly lost the lead to Max Verstappen before regaining it on the Kemmel Straight.

In Russell’s opinion, technical problems are denying him an equal shot at the world championship.

“I just want my car to be the same as Antonelli’s, I can’t ask for anything better,” he told Sky Sports Italy.

“We shouldn’t have been in that position at that moment. I had no power, no battery, I was passed by Leclerc, Hamilton, and almost even Piastri. It was dangerous, honestly, I was slower than a Formula 2 car.”

Russell is 50 points behind Antonelli, who won the race, ahead of the final round before the summer break in Hungary. If it emerges that he has been at a mechanical disadvantage, it will change the narrative around the season.