Steiner warns Russell that Mercedes sympathy has shifted to Antonelli after five straight wins

Guenther Steiner has warned that George Russell must stay mentally strong as the mood inside the Mercedes garage gravitates toward Kimi Antonelli, whose five consecutive grand prix victories in 2026 have opened a 66-point lead in the drivers’ championship.

The former Haas team principal, speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, argued that Antonelli’s dominant run has naturally redirected the collective enthusiasm of the Brackley workforce — not through any deliberate exclusion of Russell, but through the sheer force of what the 19-year-old Italian has achieved.

“I don’t think [Russell] gets isolated, but for sure the shift of the sympathy of the people in the team is now with Kimi, because he’s doing something special,” Steiner said. “He’s a 19-year-old kid; everybody wants to support him.”

Steiner was careful to draw a distinction between admiration for Antonelli and a withdrawal of respect for Russell, but he stressed that the British driver must not allow himself to interpret the shift as hostility.

“That is where George needs to be strong because he will now think, ‘Oh everybody’s against me,’ but no, you need to keep the people around you, and still motivate them,” Steiner added. “In the team, they still respect George, but you can imagine how these people feel — this kid coming along and winning five races in a row for them. They all want to be associated with him.”

Steiner quantified the imbalance in blunt terms: “If there is a favourite in the team, even if this is only 1% more love he gets, Kimi will get it.”

Russell has endured a frustrating stretch of races as his rookie team-mate has seized control of the championship. The Briton arrives at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix with an opportunity to arrest Antonelli’s streak, having topped the timesheets in the opening practice session — a small but tangible sign that he retains the pace to compete at the front.