Oscar Piastri rules out F1 rival from title fight

Oscar Piastri does not believe George Russell is a contender in this year's F1 title fight despite his victory at the Canadian Grand Prix. 

The Briton sealed Mercedes' first victory of the season with an assured win over Max Verstappen and team-mate Kimi Antonelli at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

It marked the first grand prix of the season a McLaren driver failed to finish on the podium, with Piastri crossing the line in fourth despite a late-race collision with team-mate Lando Norris. 

Following the victory, Russell sits fourth in the F1 standings and 62 points down on title-leader Piastri.

When asked if he considers Russell a championship protagonist, Piastri told media including RacingNews365: “I don’t think so.

“I mean, George is quite a long way behind.

“They were quick [in Montreal] last year — I feel like this is kind of the result that they should have achieved last year, I guess. So, we’ll see.”

Mercedes has shown flashes of speed throughout the season to date but until Montreal, it has failed to convert the pace into a position atop the time sheets.

With McLaren being the benchmark throughout the opening 10 races, Piastri hinted he expects the Woking-based squad to maintain its advantage in the coming races.

“I think they’ve been very promising at a lot of races, especially in qualifying.

“They finally converted it in a race, but I still am confident in our team for the long term.”