Former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer has cautioned against prematurely labelling Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli as a fundamentally better driver than his team-mate George Russell.
The intra-team dynamic at the Brackley outfit was under scrutiny once again at the British Grand Prix. While Russell inherited second place behind Ferrari's race winner Charles Leclerc, it was Antonelli who demonstrated superior underlying speed.
The Italian driver was on course to fight Leclerc for the win before a dislodged wheel shield left him struggling to steer and keep the car on track. He finished the race but dropped to 15th after a track limits penalty.
Despite securing a podium finish in front of his home crowd, Russell admitted post-race that he "didn't deserve to stand where I stood."
During the latest episode of the F1 Nation podcast, Palmer acknowledged that Russell is in a difficult place at the moment, but also argued that the "sample size" is not big enough to confirm that Antonelli is a better driver.
"He's in a difficult spot. The only thing I would say is the sample size isn't huge enough to say Kimi is just the better driver," Palmer explained.
"He's young. He's obviously a prodigy. Mercedes has seen him from such a young age. And when you have these talents coming through so quickly, obviously, you're thinking Max [Verstappen], you're thinking various other drivers that parachuted in a generational way, it feels that at the moment, but is it a quirk of the car?
"They need to be driven slightly differently than the previous regs, as we've already mentioned. Max doesn't seem as comfortable with this car. Charles [Leclerc] certainly isn't. Lewis [Hamilton] has come back.
"Different driving styles may be working, and so maybe it is a bit of troubleshooting for George. Maybe as the cars evolve in this era or change again maybe we'll see that iron out.
"I feel like the sample size is quite small that we're seeing Kimi in an absolute sweet spot, and until things evolve, then we'll see if he's a champion and a generational talent and all the rest."
