Mercedes driver George Russell should be ’embarrassed’ that he’s not in the top two of the world championship, Jacques Villeneuve says.

After Max Verstappen continued his podium streak with a sensational comeback from the back of the grid to P2 at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, he is now 17 points ahead of Russell.

While Russell beat Kimi Antonelli in a race for just the fifth time all season, he is still 128 points adrift of his world champion teammate.

Jacques Villeneuve: George Russell must finish P2 to avoid ’embarrassment’

Russell raged at his Mercedes team over the radio at the end of qualifying after setting the second-fastest time. He felt that he could have beaten Lando Norris’ benchmark had the team not told him to back off.

It was a surprising outburst given that Russell was facing a grid penalty for an engine component change, but Villeneuve says it speaks to ‘brutal’ experience in 2026.

“It’s because of the way the season went, the fact that he’s lost the championship to his teammate in a brutal way,” 1997 world champion Villeneuve told F1TV.

“He came into Mercedes, beating Lewis, being the future world champion for Mercedes. It started like this, and then he got hammered by his young teammate.

“He’s realised he’s not the love child of the team anymore. Antonelli is Toto’s project. He’s been put on the side a little bit, and his value in the paddock has gone down big time.

“He knows he has to react, so there’s frustration coming out. These next few races won’t matter, it’s [all about] next year.

“Unless he comes in next year and is really ahead of his teammate and is the one fighting for the championship, it’s going to be tough for him.”

With three races remaining, 33 points separate Verstappen (P2) and Lando Norris (P6) in a tight battle for the runner-up spot. Villeneuve says it’s crucial for Russell to prevail in a car that won the constructors’ championship easily.

“Super important, because it’s embarrassing in the Mercedes to not be P2,” he said. When you see how many points his teammate has, both cars should be P1 and P2 and that’s it. That’s the kind of season that Mercedes have had.”

He added: “He knows that, unless he finishes second, it’s going to be a long winter.”

Antonelli is responsible for nine of Mercedes’ 12 wins, 16 of their 24 podiums and 390 of their 652 points (almost 60%).