Martin Brundle: No difference between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli' in Mercedes F1 battle

Ex-F1 driver and Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle says there’s “nothing to choose” between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli at the moment.

The pair later resolved their differences following a frantic Canadian Grand Prix sprint race in which Antonelli accused his Mercedes team-mate of forcing him off the track, before resuming their tense on-track battle during the grand prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve."There's nothing to choose between Russell and Antonelli at the moment, experience and wisdom seems to match unbridled speed and enthusiasm perfectly, and that's why they keep meeting in the middle of a corner," Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports column.

They always seemed to be side by side, especially if either driver braked a touch deep into the Turn 10 hairpin. That is until Russell's Merc expired for good with some rare technical failure somewhere in the power unit. And he was out of here."

After a few laps of a thrilling rivalry between the two team-mates Russell was forced to retire with a battery failure. Antonelli made it four wins in a row and extended his lead in the drivers’ championship to 43 points over Russell.

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was second and Red Bull's Max Verstappen third to join Antonelli on the podium. “Three different teams on the podium, and while not an all-time classic this was a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable Grand Prix as far as I’m concerned,” Brundle added.

George Russell now trails his teenage team-mate by 43 points which is like a first and second place and he has to believe that what goes around comes around. There is a long way to go yet but McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull won't be standing still either.

Next up is the Monaco Grand Prix 5-7 June.