George Russell remains confident of developing his title challenge with Kimi Antonelli, saying he has “not forgotten how to drive” despite being clearly outclassed by his Mercedes team-mate at the Miami Grand Prix.
Russell confirmed his status as a pre-season title contender by winning the opening race in Australia and the first sprint in China, but then had to watch Antonelli achieve his first career three Grand Prix wins in back-to-back races.
The gap between the two at Miami was the largest of any race this year, with Russell finishing 43 seconds ahead of the 19-year-old Italian in fourth place, with Antonelli taking pole and winning.
The result extended Antonelli’s lead over Russell at the top of the drivers’ standings to 20 points after four of 22 rounds, with the teenager now replacing Antonelli as the British bookmaker’s favorite for the title.
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Highlights of the 2026 Miami Grand Prix.
Immediately after the race, Russell told Sky Sports F1: “He (Antonelli) is a great driver, exceptionally fast from day one. He has won all the championships since he was young.”
“I still have confidence in myself and I’m getting there. I haven’t forgotten how to drive. It’s been a bit of a tricky run, but we’re four races behind and we still have a long way to go. I think we’ll re-evaluate things in the coming weeks.”
In fact, the final result of the weekend was significantly better than expected for Russell. Russell said after qualifying that he considers the Miami International Autodrome to be a kind of bogey track, as it has low grip and does not suit his precise driving style.
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Watch the last lap drama as Kimi Antonelli wins the Miami Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc spins and George Russell limps home with a damaged wing.
Instead of losing one point to Antonelli, who finished behind his teammate in Saturday’s sprint, Russell gained two points for Antonelli. That’s because the Italian inadvertently received a five-second time penalty for violating track limits multiple times, knocking him down two places.
And in Sunday’s race, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc spun and crashed into the barriers on the penultimate circuit, giving Russell an extra place and two extra points on the final lap.
Reflecting on Sunday’s action, Russell added: “It was a difficult race. I felt okay at first. I was able to join the fight in the early laps, but on the hard tires I was nowhere to be found.”
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Charles Leclerc was given a 20-second penalty for cutting several corners on the final lap, which resulted in the Ferrari driver spinning and damaging his car.
“I got some ideas in the last 10 laps. We were competitive the whole time. We made some pretty big changes to the differential and brake bias to get a lot closer to what Kimi was running all weekend, and that had a bigger impact than I expected.”
“It wasn’t a good weekend. I know this is a really tough place for me. The real test will come in the next few innings.”
Button: Russell is probably thinking, “What just happened?”
Sky Sports F1 pundit and former world champion Jenson Button believes Russell will be shocked by Antonelli’s form, but supports Russell fighting back at the next race in Canada in late May.
“I think George is probably thinking, ‘What just happened?'” Button said. He was the fastest favorite to win at the beginning of the year and Kimi has an extraordinary talent.
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Toto Wolff says George Russell will never stop fighting and the 20-point gap to teammate Kimi Antonelli won’t faze him.
“But the thing about George is that he’s confident in himself. He knows he has the skills and he’s really happy to let us know that certain things aren’t right. I think that’s the best way to put it, so we can move forward and work on those issues.”
“If you hold it in your heart, that’s the worst thing that can happen. He’s doing the right thing and I think he’s going to come out strong in Canada.”
Sky Sports’ F1 pundit Naomi Schiff said Russell would at least take comfort from the fact that Antonelli had made some mistakes this season, including one in Saturday’s sprint.
“He’s a very hard worker, but no driver wants to lose to a teammate, and certainly not George,” Schiff said.
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Check out the best moments from Martin Brundle’s star-studded Miami Gridwalk.
“He spent many years at Williams and eventually moved to Mercedes without a competitive car. Now he has a competitive car and his teammates are beating him.”
“I think he will be reassured that Kimi is not without fault and will make mistakes this season too and maybe George’s consistency will help him.
“But he has to contend with Kimi’s raw speed and the fact that he can do unbelievable lap times. That’s not always a good thing, but I’m sure he’ll bounce back.”
F1 then heads to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix and another sprint weekend. Watch Sky Sports F1 live from 22nd to 24th May. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
