On Saturday, at the Montmeló circuit, the Mercedes AMG Formula 1 team kindly granted us (Formula1.it) an exclusive interview with deputy team principal Bradley Lord. In the first part of this match we wanted to focus on the current situation of the two champions from Stuttgart, both potentially in contention for the 2026 World Cup.
George Russell had started the season as the favourite and, due to some incidents that both the team and the Briton often dismissed as unlucky, he now finds himself third in the standings, 68 points behind his teammate and world leader, Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
On the other hand, Italian seems to be in the middle of its golden age. In Monaco he achieved his fifth career victory, the fifth of the season (in six races) and the fifth consecutive.
Reflecting on this period, below we bring you the questions we decided to ask Bradley Lord regarding the psychophysical state of Mercedes drivers' form.
Russell and ''Lady Luck"
Marco Sassara (Formula1.it): “I think Russell is being haunted by Murphy's Law this year. It's a really strange time for him. Very unfortunate. But this Thursday (at Montmeló) I saw a very calm driver. And you? How do you think I'm handling this period?”
Bradley Lord (Mercedes deputy team principal): "I think you... you're right to say it's been a difficult period for George. He's had a number of races where... in English we talk about "Lady Luck" or, you know, good fortune hasn't smiled on him. If we look at the timing of the safety car in Japan, or if we look at the reliability problem in Canada, for example, or indeed the penalty in Monaco and subsequently the knock-on consequences of that. So he's had some very challenging race weekends, but... and he, first and foremost, George is always very self-critical. So he asks himself as the first thing, not everything that's gone wrong, but: "What can I be doing better? How can I be working? So that's a... a real strength and a real quality that... that is always his approach.
He knows that he is a driver capable of fighting for wins at every circuit and, if we can give him the car and the right opportunity, of fighting for a World Championship. He is mentally very strong and very resilient, and has built a lot of experience in Formula One, both running at the front of the field and fighting further, you know, in the midfield and at the back of the pack as well. And he has all of that experience to fall back on to, so he knows and understands that sometimes things—and events and circumstances—can go against you for... there's no connected reason or no single cause, it's simply how things turn out.
But he also knows that we are not even one-third of the way yet through the season. So a Formula One season is very, very long. And we have had many months since the season started, but not very many races. And so we are now coming into the period where it is important to be performing strongly, racing strongly, finishing strongly up to the summer break, and then we have another very intense period of racing afterwards. So when I speak to George, when we see him in the team, he is realistic but also positive and, I think, optimistic about what this season can still hold".
Antonelli was a surprise, even for Kimi himself
Marco Sassara (Formula1.it): “Antonelli, on the other hand, had an incredible start to the season. Which aspect struck you the most?”
Bradley Lord (Mercedes deputy team principal): "I think for everybody, including Kimi, it's been a very positive surprise to see the... the run of success that he has had. China was obviously a very, very special moment for his first win in the sport and that was... that felt like a... a huge achievement and a very historic achievement.
And I think what has been particularly impressive is that Kimi has been able, after every good race, to reset and approach the next weekend as a new challenge. He is not... he doesn't... he understands that the performance comes from the... the process and the method and the approach, and he is showing real maturity in how he can... he keeps each weekend building his weekend from first practice to second practice, or from first practice into the sprint qualifying and the sprint race. And he's taking things step by step.
And I think there's no sense... there's a lot of excitement around Kimi, but he is very calm, very composed, and has his feet very firmly on the ground, and... and has a very... yeah, he's very concentrated and focused, but also very realistic about where we are in the season and the many things that can still come our way during this year. So I think that has been the... the most impressive thing, is the composure with which he has raced so far in... in 2026, and how he's handling the... the attention and the pressure and the excitement that comes from a success that he has enjoyed".
We thank Bradley Lord (Mercedes Deputy Team Principal) for the friendliness and helpfulness shown in the interview, as well as the Mercedes staff for their support in its implementation. Partial reproduction of this exclusive interview is possible after citing the author (Marco Sassara) and the Formula1.it source with a link to the original content.
Read also in italian language: Esclusiva - Mercedes, Bradley Lord sui piloti e il periodo d'oro di Antonelli
Foto: Mercedes
Read also: FIA wants to change the engines, but Ferrari is holding back
Read also: Antonelli’s father exclusively: «Kimi was born in a garage. The secret? Normality»
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