Antonelli set for six to equal Russell's career tally

BARCELONA, June 10 : Formula One leader Kimi Antonelli can deal George Russell another psychological blow in Spain this weekend by equalling his Mercedes teammate's career tally of six grand prix wins after starting the season with none.

The 19-year-old Italian arrives at the Circuit de Catalunya outside Barcelona on the back of an astonishing sequence of five wins in a row that has stunned the sport and left Russell, in his eighth season, with a mountain to climb.

The youngest championship leader in the history of the sport can achieve something that his Mercedes predecessor and seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton has yet to do - a run of six successive victories.

The momentum is all with Antonelli, the teenager now 66 points clear of Ferrari's Hamilton and 68 ahead of Russell who now faces a challenge the 28-year-old never envisaged when he started the campaign as title favourite.

'IN A VERY WEIRD STATE OF MIND'

"I'm in a very weird state of mind because I've had very low moments in my career where I've maybe had a run of two or three bad races on my own personal performance," Russell said after failing to score in Monaco last weekend.

"I've never had a run of bad luck as such like this."

A dominant performance in Monaco, winning from pole with fastest lap and after two standing starts, showed that Antonelli is not just riding his luck and Barcelona could provide more proof of his talent.

Team boss Toto Wolff said the familiar track, now one of two Iberian races with Madrid making its debut in September as host of the Spanish Grand Prix, would give a better reading of Mercedes' performance.

"It will be the first weekend where we can understand more clearly our recent updates and where we sit relative to the rest of the