Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix: Kimi Antonelli says he still has a lot to prove

He said: “A lot has changed. The one-year experience itself has played a huge role; creating your own experiences, understanding what’s good for you on the weekend and off the weekend, what’s not good.”

“The experience of being able to come back to the weekend and having done it the year before makes a big difference. You know the track development better and you can balance your energy better, so you feel better energy-wise in the car.”

“You become more aware of your potential and know the team better; these are all little things that play a big role.”

Antonelli said that so far the pressure of competing for the title has not affected him.

“I’m actually not worried about it,” he said.

“Of course I know there is an opportunity on the table and of course I want to make the most of it.

“But at the same time, I don’t want to drive or race with that in mind.

“I really want to focus on the process and what I need to do, enjoy the weekend as much as possible and ride as fast as possible. Then we’ll see where we get at the end of the year.”

Russell said that with “neutral” chances he would be “slightly behind Kimi in the standings” but “could be on the podium in five out of six races, maybe get a few wins”.

He added: “To be honest, I feel like the pressure is off now. I’ll just try to enjoy every race, not think about the championship.

“It’s just out of reach at the moment, just to go and enjoy the races and have fun, drive fast and do what I know I can do and what I’ve done my whole career in Formula 1 and yeah, I’m excited about that.”