Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says sympathy inside Mercedes has moved toward Kimi Antonelli following the Italian driver's five straight Grand Prix wins. Steiner made the comments on The Red Flags Podcast ahead of this weekend's Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
Antonelli, 19, leads the drivers' championship by 66 points after his dominant start to the 2026 season. George Russell has struggled during the same period.
Steiner said the team's internal support has naturally tilted toward the winner. "I don't think [Russell] gets isolated, but for sure the shift of the sympathy of the people in the team is now with Kimi, because he's doing something special," Steiner said.
Russell topped the timesheets in Friday's first practice session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. He aims to end Antonelli's winning streak in Sunday's race.
