Mumbai: When George Russell was a Formula 1 rookie in 2019, Kimi Antonelli was just a teenager, though he had already shown promise as he climbed the karting ranks. Fast forward to 2026 and it’s a fascinating story set on the track, with two racing drivers at the heart of the action. It’s not Russell, the experienced dog, leading the F1 drivers’ championship, but his Mercedes team-mate Antonelli, still a teenager, who sits at the top with a 40-point lead ahead of Sunday’s British Grand Prix. Watching a young face grab the limelight you probably thought was yours, especially in a sport as unique as F1, can be an ego-crushing experience. If that’s the case with Russell, then it’s a sentiment the Briton’s compatriot and former F1 champion Damon Hill can easily relate to. “As a driver, if you spend a number of years with a team, there are two ways you can look at it. You either become part of the furniture or you feel at home,” Hill, who became a champion with Williams 30 years ago, told a select group of reporters during a call on Friday. “When a driver is in a team, I can’t feel that they are the primary concern of that team. They will get a new driver and if that driver is better for them, then the loyalty and interest will go to another driver. “So the problem with being a racing driver in our sport is that you’re not really part of the team. While you’re there, you’re part of the team, but you still have to prove yourself against the other guy. So you’re in a constant battle to establish your position.” Unless, as Hill explained, you have a Max Verstappen situation with Red Bull Racing. “(Max) is able to maintain that dominance in the team to the point where the team then turns to him. That’s much, much more difficult in a team like Mercedes. And it’s difficult when you have a guy coming on like I had with David Coultard during my season,” Hill recalled. “I fought Michael Schumacher for the ’94 championship, and I’d have David Coultard coming and going and taking points from me or Nigel Mansell. “And I kept saying to the team, ‘how am I supposed to win it? I’m the guy who stays here until the end of the season to fight Michael Schumacher for the championship, and you keep throwing in wild cards like Nigel Mansell and David Coultard, who also have to race, but they’re only there for a short time’. “It seems to me that it is not a good move strategically, but it is very disturbing.” The only way to deal with it? Prove you’re a better driver, Hill said. “If that person is getting attention because they’re doing great things and getting results, then the only answer to that is, well, you’ve just got to be better than them. “They know the deal, but it might seem like they’ve let you down a bit if they’ve hired someone else who’s better,” the 65-year-old laughed. In what is shaping up to be a title battle involving two drivers from the same team for the second consecutive season, Hill tipped the 19-year-old Italian to be the best. “I think the favorite is Kimi because he has the equipment. Mercedes has been the most consistent and has the points lead. And I think he’s still on the learning curve. So George has a mountain to climb to contain him. I’m not saying he can’t do it, but I think this guy is something else from what I’ve seen. So we’ll see,” Hill said. (Fans can watch the British GP exclusively on FanCode)
