To his credit, George Russell is putting on a brave face. Crouching down for the now customary post-race team celebration photo, surrounded by dozens of colleagues in aqua blue ‘P1’ t-shirts, the Mercedes driver is smiling courteously, doing his bit for the greater good.
In front of the microphones and dictaphones, too, the Briton is showing no signs of feathers being ruffled. On the contrary, after finishing off the podium for the second consecutive race while his teenage teammate Kimi Antonelli claimed his third successive victory of the season in Miami – opening up a 20-point world championship lead in the process – Russell’s message was clear. “To be honest, I’m not even considering it (the gap),” he said.
“Clearly, Kimi’s in a really great place at the moment and momentum is with him. But I’ve got enough experience myself in championships I’ve won on how momentum swings throughout a year and also looking at the championship last year.”
Deep down, however, one wonders whether even a flicker of concern is entering Russell’s demeanour. Antonelli, so poised beyond his 19 years, was again presented with the race-winning opportunity by a clever Mercedes strategy call, with his mid-race undercut seeing him overtake McLaren’s Lando Norris – who otherwise may well have been on for the win around Miami Gardens.
Yet when the opportunity opened up, with the reigning world champion consistently within a second of his gearbox, Antonelli’s pace remained solid. Sure, there were audible anxieties over team radio, dutifully minimised by his experienced race engineer Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington, formerly Lewis Hamilton’s man-in-ear.
But Antonelli was good value for the win, becoming the first F1 driver ever to win his first three races from pole – and consecutively. Strikingly, just four races into his second F1 season, the Italian is also now the championship favourite with the bookies.
Russell, laudably, gave his teammate the plaudits: “Kimi is a fantastic driver and he’s been exceptionally quick since day one. You don’t win all of those championships as a youngster if you don’t have the speed. But I’ve still got the confidence in myself, I’ve not forgotten how to drive.
TOP-10 - F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 100 points
2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 80 points
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 59 points
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 51 points
5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 51 points
6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 43 points
7. Max Verstappen Red Bull) - 26 points
8. Ollie Bearman (Haas) - 17 points
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 16 points
10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 10 points
“It’s a tricky run for me. There are four races down, a long way to go and we’ll reassess things over the next few weeks.”
Of course, Russell is right. There are still 18 races left on the table. Miami has never been a sweet haven for the 28-year-old; he has only been on the podium once at the Hard Rock Stadium site and has made no secret of his dislike of the unique 19-turn track. “Clearly it’s a circuit I struggle at and it’s clearly a circuit that he excels on,” Russell added.
“We have different driving styles, he likes it when the grip levels are low and the cars are sliding around. I like the high grip conditions, the Montreal style, Jeddah, where there’s a lot more grip from the cars and you’re going around the corners much faster, that’s where I have my confidence.”
Montreal, of course, is up next in three weeks. It is a track Russell won at last year and where Antonelli claimed his first-ever podium. Deep-rooted judgement on Russell, with a casting eye on the upcoming European season, should perhaps be saved for post-Canada.
However, Miami did prove one thing: 2026 will not be the return of all-out Mercedes dominance once envisaged. McLaren took a huge step forward this weekend, winning the sprint race via Norris and securing a double podium with Oscar Piastri’s third-place finish. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, prior to his harsh post-race penalty, which demoted him from sixth to eighth, was consistently in the mix and round four also marked the return of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to front-of-the-pack contention.
Refreshingly, the early tweak to the regulations seems to have made a difference in one respect: it has narrowed the field. Tight on-track battles, between cars of different colours, represent Formula 1 at its best. In Miami, we had plenty of that.
However, what it also means is that Russell – no matter the calm exterior he radiates – cannot afford another repeat of the last three days. Because what is unequivocal now is that Antonelli clearly possesses the clarity and composure to win grands prix. Russell’s unflappability can only go so far in the face of Antonelli’s steam train of early-season momentum. And make no mistake: the Brit will quickly grow tired of grinning ear-to-ear in front of the post-race cameras, surrounded by jubilation not in his name.
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F1 standings after Miami GP as Kimi Antonelli extends lead to George Russell
