Russell admits Mercedes team order ‘the right decision’

George Russell was not exactly thrilled when Mercedes told him to move aside for Kimi Antonelli in the closing stages of the Dutch Grand Prix. But once the dust had settled at Zandvoort, the Briton had little interest in complaining about a decision that he knew made sense.

Russell had spent the closing stages defending second place on older hard tyres after Mercedes chose not to pit him during a late virtual safety car.

Antonelli, meanwhile, had stopped for fresher rubber and was rapidly closing in. With Lewis Hamilton also in the hunt, Mercedes eventually instructed Russell to surrender the position to his championship-leading teammate.

It was a potentially awkward moment, but Russell ultimately accepted the call — and, more importantly, accepted that Antonelli was always likely to get through.

“Kimi was ahead of me anyway, so he deserved to finish ahead,” Russell said.

No hard feelings over Mercedes swap

Russell had initially questioned the instruction while behind the wheel, hardly surprising given that a podium was at stake and drivers are rarely eager to surrender a position without a fight.

But the circumstances left Mercedes with little room for sentiment. Antonelli's fresher tyres gave him a substantial advantage, while Russell's ageing hards were becoming increasingly difficult to defend on.

“When you're in the race, you want to fight for every single position. But with the pace, with the new tyre, he would have overtaken anyway, so it was the right decision,” the Briton added.

“I'm just happy to be standing on the podium. It's been a little while for me. It's been a strong weekend overall, so I'll take the positives.”

That podium was Russell's reward for a weekend in which Mercedes had looked considerably more convincing than it had during several recent races. He had won Saturday's Sprint from pole and started Sunday's race second, ultimately finishing third behind Norris and Antonelli.

The late swap therefore cost him nothing in terms of the final result. Another brief VSC helped Russell keep Hamilton's Ferrari behind, allowing Mercedes to leave Zandvoort with a double podium despite McLaren once again proving the stronger package.

Antonelli acknowledges Russell's sacrifice

For Antonelli, the outcome was another important step in a championship campaign that continues to gather momentum.

The 19-year-old extended his advantage over both Russell and Hamilton and had no hesitation in acknowledging his teammate's willingness to put Mercedes' interests first.

“George was a great team player and really happy for him to have held on to P3 as well,” the Italian added as he reinforced his championship lead over Hamilton.

Antonelli's victory bid ultimately faded when Norris found a way past, with the Mercedes driver admitting that his car became increasingly difficult to handle as the race progressed.

“It was a very intense race and I managed to get the lead. In stint one I felt okay, but then from stint two onwards, I just didn't have the feeling with the car,” he said.

“I was sliding a lot overall and at the end Lando passed me and I knew I had no chance after that. We need to find a little bit of time because McLaren have made a huge step.”

• 2026 Dutch Grand Prix - Race results

That last point may matter more to Mercedes than the internal order of its drivers. Antonelli remains firmly in control of the championship, Russell has rediscovered some momentum, and Mercedes secured another double podium.

But McLaren has now won the last two grands prix while looking increasingly difficult to contain.

For Russell, at least, there was no lingering resentment over being moved aside. He had wanted to fight for second – as any racer would – but he also knew when the fight was already lost.

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