Kimi Antonelli told he can take ‘more risk’ in F1 title fight as warning sent to George Russell 

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Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli has been told that he can take ‘more risk’ in his Formula 1 title fight against teammate George Russell. 

Antonelli, 19, is looking to rewrite F1 history in 2026 as he bids to become the youngest driver to win the world championship. 

Currently, the young Italian’s season has gone well, having secured back-to-back victories in China and Japan.

However, Antonelli will know that the current nine-point gap has to be much bigger if he is to fend off the challenge of Russell, who is also gunning for his maiden world title.

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Tom Coronel says Kimi Antonelli can take ‘a bit more risk’ than George Russell

Speaking on the recent episode of the RacingNews365 podcast, Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel stated that Antonelli is the ‘underdog’ and that he can afford to take more risks because of his age and a lack of experience. 

Coronel also sent a stern warning to Russell, reminding the Brit to stay calm and use his experience, or he will start to ‘go backwards’ if he pushes too hard.

The Dutchman said: “Well, you know, look, he is kind of the underdog. If he makes a small mistake, they still say ‘Yeah, he’s young, it’s okay’. So, he can take a bit more risk, so to speak, than Russell.

“But, Russell is seriously going a bit crazy now, because he suddenly thinks ‘Yeah, I’m getting what’s coming to me, that youngster and he’s ahead of me in terms of points’

“And now, you still have to average it, you know, we still have a lot of racing to go. You can go a long way with the experience Russell has. But with such a major rule change, it could very well be that it just suits Kimi just a little better.

“And then, you become very careful, you start going a bit crazy in the head, then you start pushing a bit harder, and then you will only go backwards.”

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READ MORE: Bradley Lord reveals how Mercedes feel about Kimi Antonelli and George Russell fighting for F1 title

Kimi Antonelli feels ’stronger’ and ‘more in control’ in 2026

Despite having to deal with the pressure of leading the world title and being chased by his own teammate, Antonelli recently admitted that he has felt stronger and more in control this season.

The Italian teenager spoke about enduring difficult moments during his rookie season as one of the reasons for his change in mentality.

As reported by F1, Antonelli said: “I think, overall, I feel stronger. I feel more in control of the situation. Obviously, having done all the tracks last year, definitely it’s helping this year so far. 

“Also, having done a race weekend also helps because I know better what to expect. I know better how to move around, how to manage myself during the weekend.

“Definitely, the experience of last year is playing a massive role into this year so far. I just feel more relaxed, more confident. For sure, this might even help in those tracks where last year I struggled a lot.”