George Russell has put pressure on Kimi Antonelli ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, saying the driver's championship is "his to lose".
The Briton heads into the weekend 43 points behind the Italian after retiring from the Canadian Grand Prix with engine failure.
Antonelli has won the last four races in a row, with Russell only claiming one win in the opening race in Australia.
In the build-up to the Monaco Grand Prix, the British driver commented on Antonelli's standing, saying: "If I look at it from my competitor's position, you're kind of in a position now that you've got such a buffer, it feels like you can only keep it or you can only lose it.
"It's his to lose. My mindset is to enjoy every single race, try and win every single race, the same as I've done this whole season.
"I'm going to fight the same, I'm not going to change my mentality at all, nor am I going to let this put any more pressure on to me."
Anotenlli rejected Russell's comments, saying: "I don't really give weight to that line because it's still so early in the season.
"I continue trying to excel, trying to maximise the car and see where we end up at the end of the season.
George Russell has put the pressure on Kimi Antonelli
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"It's difficult to think you can lose something when you don't have the championship. How can I lose it when I didn't win it yet?"
Russell admitted that the Canadian Grand Prix "hurts", but noted that is "just the way racing goes".
He said: "I don't feel like I need to get every single result possible, because the season's long enough that over the course of the season, it will swing if you're the guy who's on top.
"So I just need to continue being the guy who's coming out on top, even if he's the one at the moment who's getting the results."
Antonelli rejected Russell's claims
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The Mercedes driver continued: "In Formula 2 (in 2018), I had, I think, five failures over the course of a year.
"In Formula 2 (in 2018), I had, I think, five failures over the course of a year," he said.
"I came to Monaco, never been to Monaco before, and I broke down on the out lap in practice. And then went into qualifying, 15-minute session, four laps, and didn't qualify anywhere decent.
Russell admitted his retirement in the Canadian Grand Prix 'hurts'
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"I broke down on other occasions. The engine stalled, but then still went on over the course of a year to win the championship.
"So I take inspiration from those moments. And I think for everyone every year, you have a run of races where, I don't know why or how, everything just goes your way.
"And that's just how it goes sometimes when things turn. It's just a mentality I've got. I'm in a very good head space. The pressure feels off now. And there's just a huge amount of time to go."
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