George Russell insists his biggest competition is himself as he bids to keep pace with young team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the title race.
Mercedes have hit the ground running under Formula One’s new regulations and have won the opening four races of the season.
Russell, 28, was widely expected to take control of the championship and an opening victory in Melbourne only added to that view.
But Antonelli, only 19 and in his second season in F1, has won the last three races and heads into the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend 20 points clear of the British driver.
Montreal is a race Russell enjoys, unlike last time out in Miami where he finished only fourth, and won from pole last year. That adds to the expectation on him this weekend but he says his only focus is his own performance.
“At the moment, I see my competitor as myself because I know if I tick all of my boxes, I can beat anybody,” Russell said.
“Miami can happen and I know my struggles at a track like Miami.
“At the moment, I’m just really focused on getting the most out of myself and my team and the rest just sorts itself out. That’s the approach I’ve always had.
“Nothing really changes for me because it’s still such early days and I know how to deal with it. It’s not the first time in my career that I’ve had a bad race or two, but in this sport it does change so quickly.
There's been six different podium-sitters so far in 2026 🍾🏆#F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/uIpOJtbNew
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 21, 2026
“One weekend you have a tough race and the next weekend you come back and everything goes back to normal. I’m in a good place because I think I’ve come away from Miami – I learnt more in Miami than I learned in the first three races of the season.
“Of course I didn’t want to finish fourth and I wasn’t happy about it, but I’m very happy with what I’ve taken away from it.”
Mercedes are expected to bring a sizeable upgrade to Montreal, which if it works could further stretch their advantage of the rest of the grid and continue to tee up a two-way title tussle.
Antonelli has significantly raised his performance in 2026, having endured an up-and-down debut season in which there were even questions over whether he would complete it.
But Toto Wolff and Mercedes had total faith in the Italian, who was chosen to replace Hamilton upon his departure to Ferrari, and Russell is aware of his talent.
“I saw how good he was last year. There’s no surprise at all,” Russell added.
“He’s an exceptionally fast driver and talented kid and you never win what he’s won without being that good.
“He was on pole in race five of the season last year and that was probably more of a surprise to me, how quick he was at that point. He’s a really great driver.”
