Jul.23 (GMM) George Russell has opened the Hungarian GP weekend by insisting Mercedes is not favouring championship leader Kimi Antonelli, dismissing the growing narrative as media-driven “nonsense”.
Russell was furious after his first-lap retirement at Spa, where an electrical failure left him vulnerable before contact with Lewis Hamilton.
“Guys, unacceptable,” he said over the radio after retiring. “Un-f***ing-acceptable this whole weekend.”
Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher subsequently claimed Russell had “cracked” under the pressure of his 19-year-old teammate, who left Belgium with a 50-point championship lead.
But Russell and Antonelli have now travelled together to Budapest, with the Briton sharing an Instagram photograph of the smiling Mercedes pair aboard a private jet.
Russell now insists the perception of an internal divide bears little resemblance to reality.
“Look, the media are looking for the best possible story to get the most clicks and sell lots of newspapers,” he told Sport Bild.
“If they wrote the truth, they’d probably have trouble achieving their goals.”
So when asked about the picture that is being painted, he responded: “I think that’s nonsense.”
“Kimi isn’t given preferential treatment.”
“I know the truth and I know how much I’m valued in the team. Toto doesn’t have a favourite driver.”
Russell said his approach to Antonelli has not changed despite the teenager becoming his direct championship rival.
“I treated Kimi with the same respect last year as I do this year, and the same respect I showed Lewis in previous years. It doesn’t matter to me whether someone is driving their first season in Formula 1 or is a seven-time world champion.”
“Whoever my teammate is, he’s the one I share the garage and the meetings with the engineers with, and he’s the one I want to beat.”
He also insists Mercedes cannot afford secrecy between its drivers while still learning the new generation of cars and power units.
“There are no secrets between us because we can’t afford that as a team,” said Russell, 28.
“We learn so much about this new generation of cars every weekend that if we were to limit ourselves, the competition would overtake us.”
Despite Antonelli’s growing advantage, Russell has not abandoned his own championship ambitions.
“I’ve been on pole position in almost half the races this year, but I’ve only managed to win two Grands Prix,” he said. “That shows I have the speed I need to win the World Championship.”
Russell also dismissed renewed speculation that Max Verstappen could take his Mercedes seat in 2027.
“I’ll be driving for Mercedes in 2027,” he stated emphatically.
“It’s the same thing – many think they know the truth, but actually only a few do.”
“I have a contract for next year. That settles it.”
