Ralf says Antonelli already Mercedes number 1

Ralf Schumacher believes Kimi Antonelli has already established himself as Mercedes’ clear number 1 ahead of George Russell.

Speaking on Sky Deutschland, Schumacher pointed to the 20-year-old’s remarkable consistency in his first title-contending season.

"Certainly, Kimi Antonelli has only won once in the last six Grands Prix, but this also needs to be emphasised - in twelve starts, Kimi Antonelli has been on the podium ten times."

"In the two races where he didn’t manage to do that, there were technical problems. So Antonelli’s record is already very impressive."

Schumacher says the Italian’s biggest strength is how rarely he makes mistakes.

"Kimi usually delivers his performance perfectly, does solid work, and makes almost no mistakes."

"From this perspective, he is clearly the better driver in the team, and he will only get better," he said.

"At 20 years old, he is still far from realising his full potential, considering how little experience he has compared to others."

Antonelli leads the championship with 242 points, 59 ahead of both Russell and Lewis Hamilton, with Lando Norris a further 24 points back after consecutive victories.

"That’s why, in my opinion, he’s clearly the number 1 at Mercedes," Schumacher said. "And I think Russell understands that."

"I think the Englishman would be well advised to accept the situation, take things race by race, and try to drive as strongly as possible."

"Clearly, his goal has to be to finish stronger than Kimi, but I reckon he needs to take a step back in terms of how he deals with the situation internally."