Kimi Antonelli proved he 'won't be bullied' in Mercedes title fight, says Naomi Schiff

Former W Series driver and Sky Sports F1 analyst Naomi Schiff believes Kimi Antonelli is demonstrating that he is no longer the "little brother" at Mercedes.

The Brackley outfit has enjoyed an incredible start to the 2026 season, winning every grand prix so far, with Antonelli claiming four of those five wins. The 19-year-old became the youngest driver to lead the championship after back-to-back wins in China and Japan, and went on to become the first driver to win his first four races consecutively with wins in Miami and Canada. 

Heading into the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, a lot of pressure was on Antonelli's team-mate George Russell. Given his previous success at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, many saw the race in Montreal as an opportunity for the Briton to stop Antonelli's momentum. But after winning the sprint race, earning pole position for the grand prix and engaging in a tense battle with Antonelli, Russell suffered a battery failure.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

"Honestly, that moment I think was really where the gloves came off," Schiff said of the pair's tense on-track battles during the Up To Speed podcast.

"And I'm almost happy that it happened because on one hand, Kimi is really showing that he's not just going to be bullied or made to feel like the little brother. He was like, 'I'm here. I'm going to race you, and I'm going to race you hard.'

"And George, whilst he's a great driver and he's full of confidence as well, he's so difficult to overtake. That's one thing I will give George so much credit for is he is incredible in his defensive driving in the sense that he never loses time while doing it. It doesn't compromise him too much, but I think it's going to be such an exciting season ahead watching these two go head-to-head."