Major George Russell question posed over Kimi Antonelli threat

George Russell's reaction to potentially being beaten by Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli has been questioned ahead of a crucial year for the Briton.

Russell steps up to become Mercedes team leader in 2025 following Lewis Hamilton's defection to Ferrari, and has been paired with protege Antonelli - who once raced in Nico Rosberg's karting school.

The four-time grand prix winner is also entering the final year of his Mercedes contract, with boss Toto Wolff making no secret of his desire to lure Max Verstappen away from Red Bull, a scenario that would see either Russell or Antonelli removed from their race seat. 

During his three years alongside Hamilton, Russell finished ahead twice in the standings, in both 2022 and 2024, and enjoyed his most successful season in the last campaign, comprehensively out-performing the out-going septuple champion.

Antonelli is regarded by some as 'the new Max Verstappen', and has proved quick during his testing runs and practice sessions thus far, with former Red Bull driver Christian Klien intrigued to see how Russell would react to being beaten by Antonelli.

"It is still a little unclear to me exactly where Mercedes stands, but the fact is that I am looking forward to Antonelli's season," Klien told RacingNews365.

"From what I have seen, he has a very aggressive driving style and I am always a fan of such drivers.

"Despite the fact that it is still unclear how good the Mercedes will be, I do think it will be a nice battle between Antonelli and George Russell. 

"Antonelli also makes it interesting to see how Russell would handle it if such a young guy suddenly beat him. 

"I don't think Antonelli will be very consistent right away, but from what I've seen of him I definitely think he can start surprising positively during some race weekends, and when that happens, it will be interesting to see how Russell deals with it.

"Russell starts a season for the first time as Mercedes team leader, and he now has to step up and I am curious to see how that will go for him. I think he can do that, but still the role has changed a bit.

"With the departure of Hamilton, Mercedes is dealing with a breath of fresh air within the team and that may also just have its advantages."