Kimi Antonelli urged to go ‘out for blood’ against George Russell in Canada

Kimi Antonelli should be “out for blood” versus George Russell at the Canadian Grand Prix, so says seven-time grand prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya.

That statement from Montoya comes as a response to the narrative that Miami was a weak track for Russell, who has been tipped to bounce back at the Canadian GP. Antonelli has stolen the momentum from his Mercedes teammate, opening up a 20-point lead at the top of the Drivers’ standings, after three successive grand prix wins.

Kimi Antonelli urged ‘out for blood’ at Canadian GP

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Antonelli had the beating of his more experienced Mercedes teammate in Miami.

Russell feels he has no cause for concern. Over the race weekend, he suggested that Miami has been a bogey track for him.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was singing from a similar hymn sheet, claiming that Russell “never liked the smooth surface” of Miami, and was “looking forward to Montréal.”

Russell said on the BBC Chequered Flag podcast that he was “looking forward to getting back into some more normal tracks.”

Next up is Montréal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, a venue where Russell has traditionally been strong. He won the 2025 Canadian GP, that one of his two victories last season alongside Singapore.

The narrative of Miami being an outlier for Russell, who is being tipped to respond, should motivate Antonelli to go in for the kill, so says Montoya.

Speaking on the BBC Chequered Flag podcast, Montoya said: “I did the TV with F1TV, and they were going, ‘No, no, no. George knows this is not a great place for him. Canada is the best place for him.’

“If I’m Kimi, I’m going out for blood. I’m going out for blood.

“For example, when I had Ralf [Schumacher] as a teammate, I knew how much going well in Germany meant for him. So if I could beat him in Germany, if even it was for a thousandth of a second, it was gold, baby.”

Mercedes will introduce its first upgrade package for the W17 at the Canadian GP. McLaren, having taken a clear step forward last time out, is expected to bring further updates for Montréal.

The F1 2026 development war will be fierce, but Montoya does not believe that Russell needs to worry about Mercedes getting behind Antonelli as their best title bet, and offering upgrade priority.

“I think Mercedes is very neutral,” Montoya claimed. “It’s more neutral than any other team in development. They just bring whatever makes the car faster and they’ve tried to figure out who can drive it.

“I think what George really needs to do is figure out how to match Kimi, because if he starts matching Kimi, Kimi will try to step even further to keep beating him. And I think mistakes can come.”

Podcast co-star Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion, came in with: “Let’s say, Kimi wins the championship. I mean, don’t forget, there’s a threat from McLaren. It’s not a foregone conclusion, but let’s say.

“But, if George wins, then what does that say about Kimi and Toto’s investment in Kimi.”

Montoya is keen to see how Antonelli will respond to a setback in his huge momentum, something which Montoya believes is inevitable.

Antonelli has claimed his first three grand prix wins in consecutive rounds.

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“It’s a long-term investment,” Montoya said of Antonelli. “It’s a good investment.

“The kid is winning races and this is year two.

“Young guys, and I was one of them, you’re like a firework.

“Kimi, the weekend that it doesn’t go his way, how is he going to come back from that. And he’s going to have a bad weekend.”

Like Miami, the Canadian GP will also make use of the Sprint format.

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