Lando Norris has delivered a blunt assessment of George Russell's season, saying Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli has been "two levels above" the British driver throughout the campaign. The young Italian is close to securing his first Formula 1 world title, a result that would defy most pre-season expectations.
Russell was widely tipped to win the championship this year, but he now trails Antonelli by 123 points. Antonelli could be crowned world champion this weekend, with only Russell or Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton able to deny him the title.
Norris Praises Antonelli's Progress
Speaking about Antonelli's rise, Norris said: "I think it's very impressive what he's been able to do at his age, in his second year in Formula 1, and he's going to be the youngest world champion ever."
He added: "It's pretty incredible, especially because last year... I wouldn't say he had a bad first season in Formula 1; he was against George, who I think is very good and has performed very well, especially in the last year against Lewis."
Norris highlighted the Italian's improvement and consistency, saying: "He's taken quite a huge step, I would say, from last year to this year in terms of optimising things and understanding how to drive this year's car more than other people as well. Dealing with the pressure, the lack of mistakes that have come from him in both qualifying races, the consistency to beat his team-mate, the way he has is pretty [strong]."
Title Race Heading to Mexico
Norris continued: "As I said, I rate George, and I think he's a very good driver. But Kimi has been two levels above George the whole season, so he's done a pretty incredible job, and I'm sure the world knows that. I don't need to say it. I think it's obvious enough."
With 125 points still available, only Russell or Hamilton can stop Antonelli from becoming the youngest world champion in history. Hamilton is 124 points behind the Italian and must win this weekend's race to keep his hopes alive, while Antonelli can take the title with a top-ten finish. If Russell is to keep the fight going, he needs Antonelli to finish tenth or lower.
Should Antonelli be crowned champion in Mexico City, he will break Sebastian Vettel's record from 2010, when the German claimed his first title at 23 years, 4 months, 11 days. Antonelli will be 20 years, 2 months, 7 days old on Sunday.
Wolff Reflects on Antonelli's Journey
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff reflected on the criticism Antonelli faced early in his career, saying: "The many people that said last year after nine races without points, he shouldn't be in a Mercedes. People in other teams that said, he shouldn't even be in Formula 1, the tears in Spa, in parc ferme. And all of that now is extremely satisfying to see what he's able to deliver, how he's working with the team, with Bono [Antonelli's engineer Peter Bonnington] and yielding the results. But it wasn't an easy road."
Wolff added: "So, I'm happy that, 99.9 per cent, he still needs to finish the race in Mexico. So, it's either going to be a big tequila party or if it's not a tequila party, then it's going to be Caipirinha the weekend afterwards."
He also noted the impact of this year's new regulations, saying: "I think maybe it was to his benefit that the regulations were all new. When last year he came in and those cars existed, those cars existed for four years. The other drivers were used to it. And all new for everyone this year. And he just made it stick with his easiness, with his mindset, with his easiness of approaching things."
