George Russell had to concede defeat after a spectacular Italian Grand Prix; teammate Kimi Antonelli was unstoppable at Monza and incredibly took his home race. It also dealt a heavy blow to Russell’s World Championship hopes, who should have maximized the advantage after the young Italian’s grid penalty. Afterwards, he – somewhat surprisingly – accepted the result. For now, he puts the title fight out of his mind.
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Due to Antonelli’s surprising victory, the Italian has extended his lead in the World Championship standings. Russell, who was caught at the last moment by his teammate, now faces a 66-point deficit. “Honestly, I’m not even thinking about the title fight,” Russell responded when asked. After another defeat against the Italian, the Brit remains level-headed. “We are where we are. He (Antonelli, ed.) is driving incredibly well this season, he deserves to be leading the championship, and he has a very comfortable lead.”
“I’m not even going to dwell on the championship battle or a comeback,” he continued. “For now, I’m just focusing on every race and trying to win them, and we’ll see how it turns out. I don’t put pressure on myself by saying I have to do this or that. I just have to try to win more races.”
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