George Russell reflects on a challenging first few days in Miami. The British driver had a strong start in the recent Grands Prix, but consistently fell short against his much younger teammate in Florida. Kimi Antonelli first secured pole position for the sprint race and also outpaced Russell in the regular qualifying. The latter admitted that he is struggling with the competitiveness of his Mercedes in Miami.
Russell qualified fifth in Miami, just under two-tenths behind pole sitter Max Verstappen. After being outperformed by teammate Antonelli during the sprint qualifying, he had to concede to the young Italian – for the first time this season – in the regular qualifying as well. In the sprint race, Russell did cross the finish line first, but this was entirely due to the incident between Antonelli and Verstappen in the pit lane.
Reflecting on his own qualifying, Russell admitted that he is finding it tough this weekend. “To be honest, it was a really tough day today,” began the Mercedes driver. “The whole weekend is not going as I had hoped. The qualifications have been my strong point in recent weeks, but what worked so well for me this year clearly does not work here in Miami. On top of that, Kimi (Antonelli) has of course performed wonderfully.”
Low Expectations
“For me, this was the worst qualification of the year, although it could have been worse,” added Russell. “I was genuinely surprised that I was so close to pole position, as it didn’t feel right at all. I lacked confidence in myself and knew that I couldn’t reach my full potential. On days like these, it’s about limiting the damage – and all things considered, a fifth starting position is still a decent result.”
In recent weeks, Russell has shown remarkable consistency. The Briton has already made it to the podium three times and has never finished lower than P5. This has earned him fourth place in the championship, just 26 points behind Oscar Piastri. In this respect, the disappointing results in Miami come as a surprise. Russell explained why he is struggling so much this weekend: “Your driving style always puts the tires in a slightly different window, and Antonelli has done a great job from the first round this weekend.”
“He has been exceptionally fast and has done a fantastic job,” he praised his 18-year-old teammate. “I’ve taken a step back – what worked for me before doesn’t seem to be effective here in Miami. Especially in the middle part of the circuit, sector two with the chicane and the long straight, I struggled. That’s where I completely lost the front of the car. Moreover, of all the top teams, we have the most difficulty getting the tires up to temperature. Over one lap, that’s manageable, but I fear the difference will be more apparent tomorrow.”
