F1 sensation Kimi Antonelli eyes six wins in six races

SPAIN: This was supposed to be George Russell 's chance to shoot for the Formula 1 title.

Coming into the season as Mercedes's presumptive lead driver, with his team producing the best car after a rulebook overhaul, Russell looked perfectly positioned to compete for the world championship after winning the year's opening race in Australia.

That was when his second-year teammate Kimi Antonelli blew past him and took the Formula 1 circuit by storm. Antonelli has made F1 history on several counts this season. At age 19, he became the youngest pole-sitter en route to his first win in China, followed by becoming F1's youngest points leader after a win in Japan.

The bushy-haired Italian just kept going, sweeping the alliterative triple of Miami, Montreal and Monaco to make it five in a row and tie the longest winning streak ever managed by F1 victory leader Lewis Hamilton. He will now try to make it six of six at the newly renamed Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - the race formerly known as the Spanish GP - on Sunday.

And while he's perfectly aware that he is now the driver to beat, Antonelli is trying not to let it get to him.

"About the championship, I am not really worrying about it," he said on Thursday at the Montmelo track. "I know the opportunity that is on the table and I want to make the most out of it, but at the same time I don't want to drive a race thinking about it.

"I want to enjoy the weekend as much as possible and drive as fast as possible and we will see at the end of the season where we are."
Last season, Russell outperformed Antonelli, scoring two victories and earning 319 points, the fourth-most points of the grid, while his new partner was seventh with 150 points and no victories. Now, Antonelli's winning run has him leading the championship with 156 points after six races. Hamilton, who is enjoying a resurgence at Ferrari, is next with 90. Russell is third with 88.