Kimi Antonelli could have George Russell "mentally covered" if he wins in Canada, says former driver

Juan Pablo Montoya believes Kimi Antonelli could gain a major psychological edge over George Russell if he beats his Mercedes team-mate at the Canadian GP

Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes that Kimi Antonelli could get the edge over his Mercedes team-mate George Russell at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Montoya argued that if Antonelli beats Russell at a track that the Briton has previously found success at, the Italian will gain a mental edge over his team-mate.

While Antonelli secured his third consecutive win at the Miami Grand Prix and extended his lead in the drivers' championship to 20 points, Russell struggled at the Miami International Autodrome.

"He [Antonelli] is a fantastic driver and has been exceptionally quick since day one. He's won all of the championships as a youngster," Russell told Sky Sports F1 after the race.

"I've still got confidence in myself and have also been there. I've not forgotten how to drive. It's just a little bit of a tricky run but we are four races down, a long way to go and I think we will reassess things over the next few weeks."

Russell was a favourite heading into the 2026 season, but his team-mate has become an unexpected threat just four race weekends in. As he now looks ahead to the next round in Canada, where he won in 2025, the 28-year-old driver will be hoping to break Antonelli's momentum.

George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

"Kimi knows that George is really strong there, and in his mind, he knows he needs to beat [him]. If he can beat George there, he has him mentally covered and that's a big thing," Montoya said during the F1 post-race show of the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix.

"The other thing is everybody else that brought upgrades here, one of them struggled with the car. So that's going to be a big question mark. Once you put the upgrades in the car, yes the car goes faster, but it behaves differently. Who's going to like the car? That's another big question."