Former Formula One World champion Damon Hill praised Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli as a special talent and backed him for the F1 drivers’ title this year.

“I think the favourite is Kimi because I think that he’s got the equipment. Mercedes has been the most consistent, and he’s got an advantage (40 points), and I think that he’s still on a learning curve. So George (Russell) has got a mountain to climb, I think, to rein him in. I’m not saying he can’t do it, but I think from what I’ve seen this guy is something else. So we’ll see,” said Hill ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

Antonelli’s teammate Russell heads into his home race after winning the previous round in Austria last weekend, only his second of the year. Hill felt it should give the local hero a much-needed boost at a time when the crowd would have heightened expectations.

“George having got a win and closed the gap to Kimi, that’s going to be a positive for him and a massive relief because it was, as he said at one point, he didn’t know what to say. He was at a loss for words given the amount of bad luck he had, but he finally got a good victory; a genuine win, he got pole position and so forth. I think that’s going to restore some of his confidence,” the 1996 F1 champion added.

When asked if Russell was a bit unsettled by Antonelli hogging all the attention when he won five races on the bounce, Hill remarked that it was something a driver has to deal with, even if he had been at a place for longer.

“When a driver is in a team, they can’t consider that they are the primary concern of that team. The problem with being a racing driver in our sport is that you’re not really part of the team. For the time you’re there, you’re part of the team, but you still have to prove yourself against the other guy. So you’re in a constant battle to establish your position”.

(Watch the British GP live on FanCode)