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Jenson Button has hailed Mercedes’ George Russell for making a ‘standout’ change during his ensuing title fight with Kimi Antonelli in the 2026 F1 season.
The more experienced Mercedes driver is currently on the back foot in the F1 standings, with Kimi Antonelli currently holding a relatively commanding 43-point lead over George Russell in the drivers’ championship.
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As the title fight continues to hot up, the most recent round of racing at Montreal showcased the first real instance in which Antonelli and Russell have nearly come to blows. The Silver Arrows duked it out for the majority of both the Sprint and Grand Prix.
Concerns have been raised over Russell potentially being too ‘nice’ when in the heat of battle, but 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button believes this is actually the most aggressive version of Russell he has ever seen.
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Jenson Button hails ‘standout’ George Russell change amid 2026 title fight
During Sky Sports F1’s coverage of FP1 at the Monaco Grand Prix, Button recounted the events of the Canadian Grand Prix as he revealed just how impressed he was with Russell’s growth in the cockpit amid his title fight with Antonelli.
“It was a shame with the failure for George, but what an exciting fight,” he said. “They were passing in places that I didn’t think you could; amazing fight. The one thing I would say is a standout this year, is George’s aggression against Kimi. I’ve not seen that before.”
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Button, nearly drove for Mercedes following their purchase of the Brawn GP outfit at the end of 2009, was then asked whether the scrap between the two highly ambitious Silver Arrows now means that the gloves are off between them.
“I think we’ve seen it in the last couple of races with George,” Button replied. “He’s been very aggressive with Kimi, trying to put him in his place. “
“Obviously, he’s a 19-year-old leading the world championship, he’s got 43 points on him. So, yeah, it is more aggressive, but it’s nice to see.”
F1 legend Jacques Villeneuve predicted Russell to be ‘even more aggressive’ this year during pre-season testing, and the Canadian may have just been spot on.
Kimi Antonelli says he has been ‘working on’ becoming ‘more aggressive’ in F1
Interestingly, Antonelli recently detailed how he has been working on trying to get his elbows out more often when battling for position in a Grand Prix.
Of course, that won’t work at all on the narrow streets of Monaco this weekend, but it promises a spicy battle between Mercedes’ driver duo in the remaining rounds of the 2026 season.
Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Antonelli said, “In Montreal I learnt a lot about myself, about how to manage my emotions.
“I was much more aggressive than usual, especially in the sprint. It’s something I’ve been working on a lot. Now I need to try and manage it in doses; I mustn’t overdo it.”
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