Ralf Schumacher thinks George Russell is ‘frustrated’ by what Kimi Antonelli is now doing in F1

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George Russell has seemed to be more fired up in recent race weekends, and Ralf Schumacher thinks something Kimi Antonelli is now doing in Formula 1 may be the root cause of his frustrations.

In a season that has seen the top step of the podium being dominated by the current championship protagonists, Russell has offered some respite for F1 fans who want to see someone other than Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri or Max Verstappen take the chequered flag.

The Mercedes driver has been one of the best performers of the season, regularly finding himself in contention for a podium off his own merit and claiming two Grand Prix victories thus far as the cherry on top.

His impressive performances have been magnified due to the struggles that his rookie teammate, Antonelli, has experienced intermittently during his maiden campaign.

However, if recent results are anything to go by, Russell may have his work cut out for him alongside the Italian youngster next season.

READ MORE: George Russell’s F1 rivals must take note of how he’s ‘helping to raise’ the level at Mercedes

George Russell is now being ‘frustrated’ by Kimi Antonelli, says Ralf Schumacher

During the most recent round of racing in Mexico, Russell shared a ‘fiery’ message over the Mercedes team radio as he demanded that Antonelli concede his position in order for the Brit to have a go at the cars in front of them.

After several laps of unsuccessfully trying to get ahead of the Haas of Oliver Bearman in front, Mercedes swapped their drivers back to the original order before Russell’s request.

The result marked the first time in the current campaign that the 19-year-old finished ahead of his vastly more experienced teammate.

Speaking on an episode of the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher highlighted Antonelli’s apparent emergence in the W16 as the cause of Russell’s frustrations.

He said, “George Russell was a bit frustrated, maybe as his little teammate, who was more or less there for the first time except for a free practice, was faster.

“One has to mention that at this point, Kimi Antonelli is already having more fun, since he is also learning. 

“He is also in full focus because he is driving with a top team from the very beginning, which is something that very few have done in their careers.”

READ MORE: James Hinchcliffe ‘couldn’t believe’ one radio message Mercedes sent George Russell at the Mexican GP

Ralf Schumacher also highlighted how Kimi Antonelli’s rollercoaster of a debut season shows how good Max Verstappen is

Continuing on his assessment of the Italian’s recent form, Schumacher drew a comparison between Max Verstappen’s early days in F1 compared to those of Antonelli.

The former driver said, “Most of the time, you start somewhere in a smaller team, have a bit of time to develop, swim under the radar, and can draw attention to yourself through great successes here and there.

“With Kimi Antonelli, it has, of course, been different from the start. But that makes the difference when you have such phases and come out of them again.

“However, the only driver who really makes the biggest difference in that regard is actually Max himself, because I can’t even remember such phases for him.

“With all the others, yes, it somehow always comes up and down, this and that. But he is already an exception.”

Jolyon Palmer previously compared Verstappen and Antonelli through their maiden terms in the category, offering a verdict that stated the Dutchman had it far easier due to the fact that he was pitted against a fellow rookie in Carlos Sainz.

With Antonelli up against a well-established driver of Russell’s calibre, he has suffered from rightfully trying to match the performance of the British driver from day one.