Russell insists Mercedes will ‘work as a team’ in Monza Qualifying before Antonelli grid penalty

George Russell has revealed that Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli is primed to help him with a tow during Qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, despite their respective quests for the 2026 world title.

Russell arrives at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza 59 points behind Antonelli in the Drivers’ Championship standings, having claimed two Grand Prix victories to the Italian’s six so far this season.

Antonelli, however, will drop to the back of the grid for his home race due to a full power unit change, ruling him out of pole position contention before the weekend has even started.

That has raised questions over whether Antonelli might be used to support Russell’s own bid for pole by providing a slipstream along one of Monza’s many long straights – in turn giving the Briton a valuable top-speed boost.

Giving his response during Thursday’s media duties, Russell initially smiled, “I hope so”, before explaining that “they offered it” and “we’ll go for it, see if it works” as Qualifying develops.

He continued: “It’s not maybe as powerful as it once was with the wings open in [Straight Mode] the whole time, but we’ll work as a team. That’s how we do things.”

In terms of Antonelli’s impending grid drop having any other impact on his preparations and approach to the weekend, Russell’s take was clear.

“For me, it doesn’t change anything, because I always want to focus on myself, focus on my limitations and the areas I want to improve,” he said.

“I always said it doesn’t matter if I have a seven-time World Champion as my team mate or a rookie. The job is still the same, so my approach will be exactly the same.”

He added: “I think I’m feeling much better since the summer break, and hoping just to continue building on that momentum.

“Of course, we know we’ve got fierce competition at the moment with McLaren and Ferrari bringing upgrades. We’re still on the back foot in terms of bringing these upgrades to the car.

“We know in that interim it’s not going to be as straightforward as it once was, but hoping to fight for pole and the win again.”

Nonetheless, Russell suggested that “any of the top-four teams” have the potential to succeed this weekend – again being quick to highlight McLaren after their back-to-back victories in Hungary and the Netherlands.

“We can say all we want [about the pecking order], but we’ll soon find out,” he commented. “I think there will be a lot of tough competition.

“The momentum is with McLaren right now. Ferrari has upgrades this weekend. We know Red Bull has a strong power unit. So, I honestly think this weekend it could be between any of the top-four teams, but I hope it’s us.”