Jenson Button on Kimi Antonelli and George Russell: A warning for Mercedes

Mercedes driver George Russell did everything right at the Red Bull Ring: he secured pole position, won the race and reduced the gap to championship leader Kimi Antonelli. He’ll be hoping to continue in the same vein at his home Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Jenson Button, a 15-time Grand Prix winner and 2009 Formula 1 World Champion with BrawnGP, assesses the situation for the two Mercedes drivers on Viagogo as follows: “The weekend in Austria was crucial for George – winning there ahead of his home race at the British Grand Prix. Russell has now gained a great deal of confidence.”

“He’s not thinking that Kimi is faster than him. I wouldn’t think so at the moment. Russell is mentally very strong. He’s ready to go all out at Silverstone.”

“George is a phenomenal driver. I was a bit surprised at how tough it was for him at the start of the year. He had the pace, but he was unlucky in a few areas. Of course, luck was often on Kimi Antonelli’s side, but when a driver wins five races in a row, it would be wrong to talk only of luck.”

“Kimi is doing an exceptional job, and that has put Russell – as the more experienced driver in the team – in a tricky position. He felt that 2026 would be his year, and then suddenly a 19-year-old is leading by so many points.”

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Mercedes has been on pole every time so far in 2026 and, apart from the Barcelona race, has always been in the lead. But that doesn’t mean things have to continue that way at Silverstone. Button says: “The Ferrari is very good in fast corners and during sharp changes of direction. I see a risk for Ferrari in that the tyres on their cars tend to buckle more than on the Mercedes. At least, that was the case in Austria.”

“Everyone also knows how well Lewis drives at Silverstone. So he’ll be just as much in the running for victory in England as Hamilton, and I hope Charles Leclerc can get in on the action too.”