George Russell says he “hasn’t forgotten how to drive” and remains confident in his developing title battle with Kimi Antonelli despite being clearly outclassed by his Mercedes team-mate at the Miami Grand Prix.
Russell backed up his status as pre-season title favorite by winning the opening race in Australia and then the first sprint in China, but has since had to see Antonelli take the first three grand prix wins of his career in consecutive races.
The gap between the pair in Miami was the widest 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 completed, with the result seeing the teenager replace the Briton as title favorite with British bookmakers.
Speaking right after the race, Russell said Sky Sports F1: “He [Antonelli] is a fantastic driver and has been exceptionally fast since day one. He has won all the championships as a youngster.
“I still have confidence in myself and have been there as well. I haven’t forgotten how to drive. It’s just a bit of a tricky race but we’re four races down, a long way to go and I think we’ll reassess things over the next couple of weeks.”
The end result of the weekend was actually significantly better than it could 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 that doesn’t suit his precise driving style.
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Watch the drama in the final lap as Kimi Antonelli won the Miami Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc spun and George Russell limped home with wing damage.
Instead of losing a point to Antonelli when he finished one place behind his team-mate on track in Saturday’s sprint, Russell gained two on him as the Italian sloppily received a five-second time penalty for crossing the track boundaries too many times, dropping him two places.
So in Sunday’s race Russell was given an extra place – and two extra points – on the final lap after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc spun into the barriers on the penultimate lap.
Reflecting on Sunday’s action, Russell added: “A difficult race. The start felt OK. The early laps I was in the fight so the hard tire I was nowhere.
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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 a lot more competitive. I made some pretty big changes with my differentials and brake bias and was a lot closer to what Kimi was driving all weekend and that made a bigger impact than I thought.
“Not a good weekend. I know this place is a real tough place for me. The real test will come in the next few.”
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 is backing the Briton to bounce back at the next round in Canada later in May.
Button said: “I think George is probably thinking, ‘what just happened?’ He was the favorite, the fastest at the start of the year, and Kimi is exceptionally talented.
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Toto Wolff says George Russell will never stop fighting and that the 20 points gap between team-mate Kimi Antonelli will not deter him.
“But the thing about George is he’s confident in himself. He knows he’s got the skills and I’m really glad he’s telling us all that certain things aren’t right. I think that’s the best way to say it because then you can work on the issues going forward.
“If you bottle it up inside, that’s the worst possible thing. He’s doing the right thing and I think he’ll come out strong in Canada.”
Sky Sports F1 pundit Naomi Schiff says Russell will at least take comfort from the fact that Antonelli has made some mistakes this season, such as those in Saturday’s sprint.
“He’s a very hard worker, but no driver wants to be beaten by their teammate, certainly not George,” Schiff said.
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Watch the best moments from Martin Brundle’s star-studded Miami grid walk.
“He spent many years at Williams, then moved to Mercedes without a competitive car. Now he’s got one and his team-mate has beaten him.
“He will be reassured that Kimi has not been flawless and he will make mistakes this season and maybe George’s consistency is what will help him.
“But he has to contend with Kimi’s raw speed and the fact that he can put in an incredible lap time. It’s never nice, but I’m sure he can bounce back.”
Formula 1 then heads to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix and another sprint weekend. Watch live on Sky Sports F1 on 22-24. May. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime