George Russell 'mentally beaten' after Kimi Antonelli 'ate him alive'

1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has stated George Russell looked “mentally beaten” in Spain when Kimi Antonelli applied pressure during the race.

Antonelli entered the weekend with a mammoth lead in the F1 drivers' standings, having won five grands prix in a row.

Russell started the Barcelona race from pole position, and despite a strong opening stint, he was soon under pressure from Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and team-mate Antonelli.

Late in the race, Russell was demoted to third when Antonelli made his way past before being forced to retire with a car issue.

While Russell managed to close the points gap to Antonelli, Villeneuve stated the grand prix was a devastating blow for the Briton.

“It was obvious that Russell was being hunted and was done,” Villeneuve told Sky F1. “He wasn't in the same fight, he wasn't in the same game anymore. 

“He got his qualifying all right, he got that little moment where he started believing again.

“But once we got in the race, surprisingly, because I didn't expect Antonelli, with his driving style, I didn't expect it to work in Barcelona.

“But once they got racing, it worked. He was quick, he was getting in there, and he was going to eat him alive, and he did. He overtook him.

“Even when you look at the overtaking move, Russell went to the inside a little bit too late. It was a half-hearted move, which is really weird. 

“It looked like mentally, he was already beaten, even before Antonelli overtook him.”

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Russell has plataued as Antonelli 'mistake' relaised

Antonelli's still holds a significant lead in the standings despite his retirement.

The 19-year-old currently boasts a margin of 41 points over Lewis Hamilton, while Russell sits 50 points behind.

The Russell-Antonelli partnership is currently in its second season, and the latter has enjoyed a strong step forward compared to the struggles he endured in his rookie campaign.

Villeneuve has suggested Russell is now regretting voicing his support to be paired alongside the Italian.

“If you look at the Mercedes team, the force to be reckoned with right now is Antonelli,” he said.

“It looks like Russell has plateaued, and he's feeling that pressure from the young kid that's come in.

“Last year, he said he was very, very strong in his chats with Toto, saying, 'Antonelli would be a great team-mate', - only because he thought, 'Oh, he's easy one to beat'.

“Now he's realised, 'Oops, maybe that was a mistake, that's not the team-mate I should have had, because with this teammate, I won't be world champion this year'.”