Martin Brundle: George Russell “lost his head” in Japan as Kimi Antonelli threatens title charge

Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports F1 analyst Martin Brundle argued that George Russell "lost his head a little bit" during the Japanese Grand Prix. 

The Briton started the 2026 season as the favourite as Mercedes was expected to bring dominant machinery to the new era of regulations.

And while Russell started off strong with wins in the Australian Grand Prix and Chinese sprint race, his team-mate Kimi Antonelli secured back-to-back wins in the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix, which have placed him in the lead of the standings.

A well-timed safety car for Antonelli saw the Italian driver take the lead of the Japanese Grand Prix while his team-mate fumed over the team radio after pitting just before it was deployed. 

Russell also faced issues with his battery on the race restart and hinted over the team radio that Antonelli was not following what had been planned by the Brackley outfit. "Mate, what is Kimi doing? Is he following the restart plan? He's completely erratic right now," he said, adding, "Are we doing the agreement or not? We had a plan for this exact scenario. Are we going to do that?"

Discussing the race during the Sky Sports F1 Show, Brundle explained: "On that restart, George got mugged, didn't he, after the restart, like he did in China.

"So if there's an agreement, we will do this on a restart, that's what he was saying, 'Actually, are we going to do that?' And he didn't get the answer he wanted, and he ended up on the restart clearly without his battery where he needed to be because the Ferraris were all over him once again.

George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

"I think George was frustrated, lost his head a little bit. He had that race under control. He probably would have got past Piastri later on. So, all in all, yeah, he needs a reset on that. But he goes to Miami nine points behind his team-mate.

"It's difficult times for George, and he's got to treat Kimi Antonelli just as if he's Lewis Hamilton in his peak and a threat for the championship."