Kimi Antonelli and George Russell’s World Championship battle: just like Hill and Villeneuve?

In the battle for the World Championship title, the two Mercedes drivers, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, have been joined by another contender: Lewis Hamilton has recently put in some strong performances, securing second place in the provisional standings before heading into the summer break. The seven-time world champion still trails the Italian leader by 50 championship points. Russell currently lies in third place, 59 points behind his team-mate.

The Briton had a run of bad luck in the first eleven rounds of the World Championship this year, which partly explains the gap. This is one of the reasons why some Grand Prix experts agree that Russell can still hope to win the title. However, the 28-year-old must hold his own against the 19-year-old rising star, and the situation reminds Damon Hill of his successful 1996 season, as he explains in the ‘Formula1.com’ expert panel.

“Kimi has completed his first season in Formula 1, and over the winter there’s always a sort of maturing process, during which everything you’ve learnt over the course of the year can really sink in before you return to the track full of fighting spirit. That was astonishing. He clearly possesses incredible talent and a maturity that’s remarkable for a 19-year-old,” says the 1996 champion.

Reflecting on Russell, the 65-year-old Grand Prix veteran recalls: “For me, it was a bit like when Jacques Villeneuve joined Williams. He was ten years younger than me, but had just completed a championship-winning season in IndyCar and had been very successful in another senior formula series.” The 22-time Grand Prix winner then admits: “So it was a bit different from how things are at Mercedes now.” And he adds: “In the end, I beat Jacques. George has to manage that somehow now too.”