Portugal Colonial - Antonelli seeks to extend sensational start with fourth win

The 19-year-old rising star of Italian sport leads the Briton, nine years his senior and the pre-season favourite for the title, by 20 points after four rounds of the 22-race championship as Mercedes unveil a major upgrade package.

For Russell, it is important to re-establish his authority in the team after two fourth-place finishes allowed his team-mate to revel in being the sole Silver Arrows man, astride the top of the podium.

"I am expecting George, for sure, to be super-strong again in Canada," said Antonelli, whose precocious talent, wide smile and curly hair have become an image Italian sporting optimism following their football team's failure to qualifying for the World Cup.

"He's always been strong in Montreal and he won last year so I have to be ready and be fully focused. I will do my best."

In addition to his hat-trick of pole, victory and fastest lap last year, Russell took pole at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2024 and will fancy his chances of winning both Saturday's sprint race and Sunday's Grand Prix.

Last year, Antonelli was fourth on the grid and finished third, his first podium finish.

This time, he hopes to be the first Italian since Alberto Ascari in 1952 to claim four straight wins, when he reeled off six.

Mercedes' team chief Toto Wolff has side-stepped frenzied talk of Antonelli's prospects to concentrate on keeping balanced and cool.

"Performance is only performance when it is delivered on track," he stressed.

"We are just four races into the season and there is a long year ahead. It is an important race for us, but it does not decide anything. So, we stay balanced, keep learning and execute as well as we can."

- Mercedes' challengers hopeful -

The championship-leading Silver Arrows men are likely to be challenged by Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull, with four-time champion Max Verstappen, who took part at the Nurburgring 24-Hours race last weekend, aiming to add to his three previous wins for Red Bull.

World champion Lando Norris won the sprint last year ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, but the pair collided in the Grand Prix which ended up finishing behind a safety car.

Lewis Hamilton and his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc will also be strong contenders despite team boss Fred Vasseur grumbling about rule changes, notably to the starting procedures, that have negated an advantage they enjoyed.

"It was a bit harsh for us," he said of the introduction of a blue light five-second warning to ensure teams spooled up their turbos.

"I understand what they did, for safety grounds, but the other option would have been to ask the others to start from the pit-lane if they think it's not safe."

Lance Stroll will be the only Canadian in the race, but like team-mate Fernando Alonso has little optimism as Aston Martin have struggled for performance with an uncompetitive Honda engine.

Alonso has hinted he is likely to retire from F1 and will decide his future during the summer months of the European leg of the season.

J.V.Jacinto--PC