Jacques Villeneuve: Russell psychologically lost to Antonelli

      In Barcelona, George Russell gained 18 points on Kimi Antonelli in the personal standings thanks to the young Italian's retirement, but during the race, Kimi easily overtook his teammate. 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes that George has already psychologically lost to Antonelli, and it will be difficult for him to win the title with such a mindset.

      Jacques Villeneuve: "During the race, it was clear that Russell was under pressure and losing the battle, not fighting on equal terms.

      In qualifying, he did well, and for a while, he believed in himself again, but after the start of the race, everything changed. Honestly, I didn't expect Antonelli's driving style to be so effective in Barcelona, but over the course of the race, Kimi's approach worked. He was fast, constantly attacking, and ready to literally 'eat' Russell alive. In the end, he 'ate' him, making the overtake.

      If we look at the overtake, we can see that George moved to the inside line too late. It was some sort of indecisive defensive attempt, which looked very strange. It seems that psychologically he lost even before Antonelli overtook him.

      Speaking of Mercedes, right now, Antonelli looks like the force that everyone will have to reckon with. It seems that Russell has reached the limit of his abilities and feels the pressure from the young teammate.

      Last year, he spoke very confidently about Antonelli in conversations with Toto Wolff, stating that Kimi would make a great teammate. I think he was then under the impression that he would be easy to beat.

      Now, however, he probably realizes that it was a mistake to choose such a teammate because with such a partner, he won't become champion this year."