George Russell says his “smooth” driving style not being suited to the Miami International Autodrome has been the reason for his significant deficit to his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli at the Florida event.Antonelli, who leads Russell at the top of the Drivers’ Championship by seven points, took a superb pole position for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix, beating his team-mate by almost four tenths of a second as the Brit was left to settle for fifth on the grid.
The result represented a continuation of the pair’s form throughout the weekend, with the 19-year-old Italian having taken second in Sprint Qualifying on Friday as Russell came sixth.
Antonelli overcame a poor start to finish fourth on track in the Sprint itself, four seconds clear of Russell, but was demoted below his team-mate – and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen – to sixth after receiving a five-second penalty for breaching track limits on four occasions.”I just struggle on these low-grip circuits, so here [in Miami], Zandvoort, Brazil,” Russell told Sky Sports F1 after qualifying.
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Highlights from qualifying for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix.
“It was the same last year. It’s something I want to work on but there are three tracks out of the 24 that are outliers, and Miami is definitely top of that list.
“I’m quite a smooth, precise driver. That’s always been my style. On these tracks you have to be happy with the car just sliding.
“I like the car on the edge, but this is like you have a set of 200-lap old tyres on your car and you go around and it’s just sliding, oversteer and understeer. That’s the same for everyone.”It’s so hot, the tyre pressures are high, the grip is really low, so it doesn’t feel that pleasant, whereas tracks like Saudi the grip is super high.”After Russell won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix from pole, Antonelli hit back with poles and victories in China and Japan to secure a nine-point championship lead before the season paused for five weeks as races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were cancelled.
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2026-05-03 01:00:00
