George Russell says he has “not forgotten how to drive” and retains confidence in his developing title battle with Kimi Antonelli despite being clearly outperformed by his Mercedes team-mate at the Miami Grand Prix.
Russell backed up his status as pre-season title favourite by winning the opening race in Australia and then the first Sprint in China but has since had to watch Antonelli claim the first three grand prix wins of his career in successive races.
The gulf between the pair in Miami was the biggest it has been between them at any race this year, with Antonelli taking pole and winning as Russell finished 43 seconds behind the 19-year-old Italian in fourth.
The result extended Antonelli’s lead over Russell at the top of the drivers’ standings to 20 points with four of 22 rounds complete, with the outcome seeing the teenager replacing the Brit as the title favourite with UK bookmakers.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights from the 2026 Miami Grand Prix.
Speaking straight after the race, Russell told Sky Sports F1: “He [Antonelli] is a fantastic driver and has been exceptionally quick since day one. He’s won all of the championships as a youngster.
“I’ve still got confidence in myself and have also been there. I’ve not forgotten how to drive. It’s just a little bit of a tricky run but we are four races down, a long way to go and I think, we will reassess things over the next few weeks.”
The end result of the weekend was actually notably better than it might have been for Russell, who said after qualifying that he considers the Miami International Autodrome something of a bogey track due to its low-grip nature not suiting his precise driving style.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Watch the last-lap drama that saw Kimi Antonelli win the Miami Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc spin, and George Russell limp home with wing damage.
Instead of losing a point to Antonelli when he finished a place behind his team-mate on track in Saturday’s Sprint, Russell gained on him two because the Italian sloppily earned a five-second time penalty for breaching track limits too many times, which dropped him two places.
Then in Sunday’s race, Russell gained an extra place – and two extra points – on the final lap after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc spun into the barriers on the penultimate circuit.
Reflecting on Sunday’s action, Russell added: “A difficult race. The beginning felt OK. Those early laps I was in the fight, then the hard tyre I was nowhere.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Charles Leclerc was given a 20-second penalty for cutting several corners on the final lap, a result of the Ferrari driver spinning and damaging his car.
“I got some ideas in the last 10 laps. We were much more competitive. I made some quite big changes with my differentials and brake bias and was much closer to what Kimi was running this whole weekend, and it made a bigger impact than I thought.
“Not a good weekend. I know this place is a real tough one for me. The real test will come at the next few.”
Button: Russell 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 is backing the Brit to hit back at the next round in Canada later in May.
Button said: “I think George is probably thinking, ‘what just happened?’ He was the favourite, the quickest at the start of the year, and Kimi is exceptionally talented.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Toto Wolff says George Russell will never stop fighting and that the 20-point gap from teammate Kimi Antonelli won’t deter him.
“But the thing with George is he’s confident in himself. He knows he’s got the skill and I’m really happy he’s letting us all know certain things aren’t right. I think that’s the best way to say it because then you can work on those issues moving forward.
“If you bottle it up inside, it’s the worst thing possible. He’s doing the right thing, and I think he will come out strong in Canada.”
Sky Sports F1 pundit Naomi Schiff says that Russell will at least take reassurance from the fact that Antonelli has made some mistakes this season, such as the ones in Saturday’s Sprint.
“He’s a very hard worker but no driver wants to be beaten by their team-mate, certainly not George,” Schiff said.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Watch the best moments from Martin Brundle’s star-studded Miami grid walk.
“He’s spent a lot of years at Williams, then finally made the move to Mercedes without a competitive car. Now he’s got one and his team-mate has been beating him.
“He will take reassurance in that Kimi hasn’t been faultless and he will make mistakes this season and maybe George’s consistency is what helps him out.
“But he’s got to contend with Kimi’s raw speed and the fact he can deliver incredible lap time. It’s never nice but I’m sure he can bounce back.”
Formula 1 next heads to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix and another Sprint weekend. Watch live on Sky Sports F1 on May 22-24. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
