Will Buxton sneers at George Russell’s ‘level of entitlement’ in the 2026 F1 title fight

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Will Buxton has claimed that there is a ‘level of entitlement’ from George Russell amid the Formula 1 title fight with Kimi Antonelli. 

Russell and Antonelli are currently locked in a close battle for the 2026 F1 world championship, thanks to Mercedes’ early-season dominance.

Despite being many people’s favourite, Russell is now trailing Antonelli by 20 points after the Italian secured a hat-trick of victories in China, Japan and Miami.

As a result, Russell is left searching for answers, and the pressure is now mounting on the 28-year-old to bounce back when the 2026 season continues in Canada later this month.

Do you think Kimi Antonelli will become Mercedes’ No. 1 driver?

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Will Buxton senses a ‘level of entitlement’ from George Russell

Speaking recently on the latest episode of the Up To Speed podcast, journalist and commentator Buxton claimed that he is sensing a ‘level of entitlement’ from Russell.

The 45-year-old also stated that Russell is starting to become frustrated at the fact that Antonelli has burst onto the scene and overtaken him as the favourite to win the world title.

Buxton said: “I saw a quote out of him today in which he sort of said, you know, if I’d got to Formula 1 five years earlier, I’d probably have a couple of championships by now.

“And I fear a level of entitlement there that he thinks this should naturally be his or that he’s starting to feel that, you know, maybe Kimi’s come in and has overtaken him in pure performance.

“So, there is that frustration in him of, well, I should already have been a champion. I don’t know, there is just something that really, it kind of chews at me.”

Will the Mercedes drivers fall out this year?

Or will Toto Wolff keep the peace like McLaren did?

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READ MORE: George Russell’s ‘weird’ radio message after the Miami Grand Prix is a warning to Kimi Antonelli

Will Buxton doubts George Russell would have got a seat if he had arrived in F1 earlier

Buxton went on to say that he thinks Russell feels he would have managed to win a few titles if he drove for Mercedes during their dominant era.

However, the journalist claimed that Russell had no chance of beating Hamilton or Nico Rosberg in their prime. 

Buxton added: “I think he means if he’d been with Mercedes during their kind of glory days in the late 2010s, then because he beat Lewis when they were teammates, then maybe he might have beaten Lewis.

“If he made it to Formula 1 in 2014, he wouldn’t have got a seat at Williams like he did in 2019 because they had Massa and Bottas, and George isn’t outperforming either one of them.

“Which leaves him probably with a seat at Marussia or Caterham, and he wouldn’t have got the Marussia seat because that was Bianchi, who was a Ferrari junior. Which puts him in a Caterham, so he probably gets what, half a season, if that.

“He’s definitely not sliding into a Mercedes seat at that time because you’re not beating Hamilton at his peak or Rosberg. So, a couple of championships from where?

“I don’t like that level of entitlement. If I were here five years earlier, I’d be a double world champion by now, would you? Really? I don’t think he would.”