Silverstone is regarded as the temple of motorsport, just as Monza is considered the temple of speed. The British Grand Prix provided several talking points that deserved a deeper analysis with Riccardo Ceccarelli, founder of Formula Medicine and one of the most respected mental coaches in Formula 1.
George Russell has managed to reduce the gap to Kimi Antonelli in the championship standings, even though the young Italian has consistently looked faster than his Mercedes teammate. At the same time, Charles Leclerc returned to winning ways with Ferrari after what had appeared to be a difficult period.
“One confirmation and one surprise emerged,” Riccardo Ceccarelli explained. “The confirmation, regardless of the points lost, is that Kimi Antonelli is demonstrating an embarrassingly clear superiority over George Russell, even though George is recovering points on the young Italian. The reality is that Kimi should be more than 80 points ahead. Instead, his advantage has been reduced to just 25 points—the equivalent of a single race victory—but that situation is simply the result of circumstances.”
On paper, however, the championship standings tell a very different story from what has been seen on track.
“In recent races Kimi has consistently shown that he is quicker, especially over race distance. We can ignore qualifying in Austria because that was an exceptional situation. Russell is closing the gap in the standings, but I believe he is beginning to realise that his teammate simply has something extra.”
For a driver fighting for a world championship, accepting that another driver is naturally faster is never easy.
“Rationally, no,” Ceccarelli said. “It’s no coincidence that George is constantly looking for explanations. Over the team radio he complains about the engine and about lacking straight-line speed, to the point where the team had to tell him that there was nothing wrong with the car. Russell is going through a difficult phase because he is focusing too much on external factors. He’s nervous, he constantly questions the strategy and the quality of the car. That’s a clear sign of someone struggling, because when your attention shifts to external factors, that’s exactly when you risk losing your direction.”
“Deep down, I believe George is already admitting Kimi Antonelli’s superiority. Instead, he should focus on himself and try to understand what he can improve in his own performances. Looking for excuses related to the car risks undermining the team’s support. That kind of excuse can become very costly.”
Accepting that a teammate may simply be better is one of the hardest mental challenges for any elite athlete.
“That’s true, but we’ve seen it many times before. Gerhard Berger experienced it alongside Ayrton Senna, while Rubens Barrichello lived through it with Michael Schumacher. Both Berger and Barrichello were outstanding drivers capable of winning Grands Prix, but compared to those teammates they eventually accepted that someone else simply operated on another level.”
Yet Barrichello would begin every new season by saying he intended to fight for the world championship.
“I remember a driver I have enormous respect for, both as a person and as a racing driver. I’m talking about Riccardo Patrese, an incredibly competitive man who hated losing even in football or tennis. One day, during a Drivers’ National Team football match, he told me a story from when his teammate was a young Michael Schumacher. The circuit was wet, Michael’s car broke down before qualifying, and with just ten minutes remaining the team handed him Patrese’s car after making only a quick adjustment to the pedals because there wasn’t enough time. Within just two or three laps, Michael was two seconds faster than Patrese.”
“Riccardo honestly admitted, ‘That guy is an alien. What he did was unbelievable.’ He didn’t look for excuses about the car or the setup. He simply accepted that Schumacher was extraordinary. From that moment on, Riccardo accepted that there was someone with something extra.”
“That’s what happens in the minds of honest drivers—people like Patrese, who had enough experience to recognise someone else’s talent. Right now, Russell is struggling to accept that someone as young as Kimi can consistently outperform him. Gradually, he will have to come to terms with the idea that the Italian possesses that extra quality which could one day lead him to multiple world championships.”
The discussion then moved beyond pure performance. At Silverstone, Lewis Hamilton enjoyed overwhelming support from the home crowd, while Lando Norris also had a huge section of fans dressed in yellow. But what about George Russell?
“At the moment, Russell is a bit like Calimero,” Ceccarelli replied.
Even at his home race?
“Kimi Antonelli already has many young supporters. British fans recognise talent when they see it. Charles Leclerc won the Grand Prix ahead of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell—two British drivers—and there wasn’t a single boo. Everyone applauded him. If a British driver had won, of course, the celebration would have been even bigger. But let’s be honest: George still hasn’t truly won over the fans. That’s not helping him because this is exactly the moment when he would benefit from greater support. Russell knows he was fortunate that Kimi retired. He gained valuable championship points, but psychologically I think his self-confidence has taken another significant blow.”
Silverstone also marked Charles Leclerc’s return to victory with Ferrari after appearing to struggle in recent races. Reports suggest that he abandoned the setup direction inspired by Lewis Hamilton and returned to a car configuration built around his own driving style.
“An athlete’s greatest strength is being able to bring out what is already inside them,” Ceccarelli explained. “In motorsport, that also means developing the car together with your race engineer and building complete trust with the technical team.”
“A driver is 50 percent inside the helmet and 50 percent outside it. If, when you’re outside the cockpit, you’re constantly chasing someone else’s ideas, it’s almost like admitting that your own setup choices were wrong while also questioning the work of your engineers. That’s never the right path for someone who wants to become a winner. It may work for someone who is happy being a number two driver. Charles absolutely made the right decision because he had started following the wrong path.”
“Looking at what others are doing can always be useful as inspiration and can broaden your thinking, but it should never become the road you follow. Going back to his own direction has brought him victory. I’ve never doubted Charles because I’ve known him for many years. He’s a fighter and incredibly determined. After all, even Lewis Hamilton looked almost unrecognisable last season. We all said that a seven-time world champion in his forties, without a winning car, struggled to find the motivation that has clearly returned this season.”
Should Ferrari continue allowing both drivers to fight freely?
“They should compete on equal terms. Lewis Hamilton has been more consistent so far and has more points, but I believe they are very evenly matched. I don’t think one is truly superior to the other. Small circumstances and tiny details will make the difference. Both see themselves as team leaders. It’s fine to occasionally look at what your teammate is doing in the other garage, but if you simply copy and paste his setup, you’ve accepted becoming the second driver. And that’s simply not Charles Leclerc.”
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