George Russell has offered a frank explanation for the lack of rivalry between himself and Kimi Antonelli, admitting his Mercedes team-mate has operated at a higher level this season.

Antonelli is expected to wrap up the championship this weekend, as he needs just two points from the Mexican Grand Prix to win the title for the first time. It has been a disappointing campaign for Russell, who was the pre-season favourite, but is now locked in a fight with at least three other drivers for second in the standings.

Russell admits that his relationship with Antonelli has remained strong this season, although a big factor behind that is down to the level of their respective performances.

“On a personal level, Kimi’s obviously a great guy and lots of energy,” he said during Thursday's press conference. “We’ve had no reason this year not to continue a great relationship.

“I think a lot of these on-track rivalries start because of on-track incidents or actions, and the truth is he has been at a higher level than me this year. So we've not been in that situation too often, we have had one or two races. And when it comes to the race itself, we sort of keep ourselves to ourselves."

Russell to give up Mercedes seat for FP1

Russell, who is 123 points behind Antonelli in the standings, is immediately on the backfoot going into this weekend's race, as he will not be taking part in FP1 on Friday.

The Brit will be replaced by Mercedes test driver Frederik Vesti, who this season, has driven in two FP1 sessions. He replaced Kimi Antonelli on both occasions in Barcelona and at the Hungaroring.

This means that Russell will have to give up his seat once again during the final rounds of the 2026 season.