George Russell insists that the 2026 F1 drivers' title is now Kimi Antonelli's "to lose" as he issues a fresh Mercedes demand.
The Italian now holds a 43-point championship lead over Russell following his engine failure in Canada, which handed Antonelli a fourth-straight win.
Since 2010, only Sebastian Vettel in 2012 (44 against Fernando Alonso) and Max Verstappen in 2022 against Charles Leclerc (46) have overturned such a deficit to claim the title, with Russell sure that the title is now in Antonelli's grasp.
The Briton also spoke of Mercedes needing to "trust" its drivers in battle, after the two did not make contact in Canada, despite some near-misses.
"If I look at it from my competitor's position, you're kind of in a position now that you've got such a buffer, it feels like you can only keep it or you can only lose it," Russell explained, as quoted by BBC Sport.
"It's his to lose. My mindset is to enjoy every single race, try to win every single race, the same as I've done this whole season.
"I'm going to fight the same. I'm not going to change my mentality at all, nor am I going to let this put any more pressure on me."
Later, addressing media including RacingNews365, Russell spoke of his desire for the team to "trust" its drivers in wheel-to-wheel combat.
"There are no concerns at all; we have to be trusted," he said.
"This is what we do, we're drivers, we push ourselves to the limit every single lap, and when we race with one another, we push each other to the limits as well.
"When you're sitting on the sidelines, on the pit wall, or even like, Toto, of course, it's so stressful and tense because you can't control what is about to happen, and you want to be able to control it.
"But ultimately, we have to be trusted, and we are trusted, and that's how it's been left.
"So, we'll continue fighting hard. We know the boundaries with one another."
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