George Russell expressed optimism that Mercedes' long-awaited upgrade package at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia will boost his title challenge against teammate Kimi Antonelli. Russell reduced Antonelli's championship lead from 81 to 66 points with his dominant Azerbaijan victory, his first win in seven races.
The British driver feels more confident with the W17 car since the summer break after making conscious adjustments to his driving style. He described no longer feeling lost with the car and said his confidence has returned to more natural, intuitive levels.
Mercedes will introduce their first significant upgrade since the Canadian Grand Prix in May, representing what Russell calls a normal trajectory from May to October. The team hopes the aerodynamic changes will improve performance on circuits requiring medium-high downforce levels.
Russell emphasized that all championship pressure now rests on Antonelli, calling it the Italian's title to lose. With eight rounds remaining including a Sprint weekend, Russell needs to outscore Antonelli by an average of 8.25 points per race to claim the championship.