Kimi Antonelli just shared new evidence that George Russell is underperforming at Mercedes

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Kimi Antonelli says he too has been affected by the straight-line speed deficit Mercedes teammate George Russell is currently experiencing.

Russell says he wasn’t driving the ‘same car’ as Antonelli at the Belgian Grand Prix, hence the large half-second deficit in qualifying. He claims that the Italian driver has more power at his disposal right now.

Mercedes are investigating the issue, which Russell also raised during the British GP weekend.

Kimi Antonelli kept quiet when he had the same mystery problem as George Russell

Asked about Russell’s complaints in the post-race press conference, Antonelli acknowledged that his car was ‘slightly’ superior on the straights.

Antonelli, who won the Belgian GP to open up a 50-point lead over early retiree Russell, defended his team and said there could be several causes.

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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He also revealed that, at the season opener in Melbourne, he was facing the same impediment. Intriguingly, Antonelli didn’t mention it in either the post-qualifying or post-race press conference at the time.

“It can happen,” Antonelli said on Sunday. “Being honest, with George this weekend there was a slight loss, and sometimes you just don’t understand. I had the same in Australia, for example.

“It can be a little bit down to driving, but sometimes the system just does something a little bit different. It’s very complicated, and for the team, you have to appreciate the work, because the system is very complicated.

“Of course, they’re trying to make things a bit easier, but sometimes it’s hard to get it perfect.

“Also, with the driving, sometimes, especially on tracks like this that are very energy-demanding, if you start driving differently, then for the system it’s a bit crazy. So, it is tricky.

“But I have to agree that this weekend, for George, there was a slight issue. I’m sure it will be fixed for Budapest.”

• READ MORE: George Russell statement after Belgian GP gives Toto Wolff no choice but to favour Kimi Antonelli

Russell outqualified Antonelli by just under three-tenths in Australia, and then beat him by three seconds in the race. This was arguably the last time he had a pace advantage over the teenager.

Since then, Russell has only outqualified and outraced Antonelli at one event – Austria. Even then, the end of qualifying was disrupted by a yellow flag, and he appeared to lack the race pace of car #12.

If his advantage in Australia, the only weekend where he has looked genuinely superior, was down to Antonelli having issues, then there is little evidence to suggest Russell can turn the title battle around.