George Russell said his “soft” driving style, which did not suit him at the Miami International Autodrome, was the reason he suffered a significant deficit to Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli at the Florida event.
Antonelli, who leads Russell by seven points in the Drivers’ Championship, took outstanding pole position for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix, beating his team-mate by almost four-tenths of a second as the Briton took fifth on the grid.
The results showed the pair’s momentum continued throughout the weekend, with the 19-year-old Italian finishing second in Friday’s sprint heat and Russell sixth.
Antonelli overcame a poor start to finish fourth on track, four seconds ahead of Russell, but was relegated to sixth, below team-mate and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, after receiving a five-second penalty for breaching track limits on four occasions.
“I struggle on low-grip circuits, so I’m here (Miami) in Zandvoort, Brazil,” Russell said. Sky Sports F1 After passing.
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2026 Miami Grand Prix qualifying highlights.
“It was the same thing last year. It’s something I want to work on, but there are three tracks out of 24 that are exceptional and Miami is definitely at the top of that list.
“I’m a pretty smooth and precise driver. That’s always been my style. On this track, you have to be content with just letting the car slide.
“I like cars on the edge, but it’s like putting a set of 200-lap old tires on a car and running around with it, and it skids and oversteers and understeers. It’s the same for everyone.
“It doesn’t feel that good because it’s so hot, the tire pressure is high and the grip is so low, but on a track like Saudi, the grip is very high.”
After Russell won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix from pole, Antonelli bounced back with poles and wins in China and Japan to build a nine-point lead in the championship before the season was halted for five weeks due to the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
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Highlights from the 2026 Miami Grand Prix sprint race.
A lot has happened since it was revealed that Russell, a clear pre-season favorite for the drivers’ title, was trailing his much less experienced team-mate after round three.
Russell actually reduced his deficit in the Miami Sprint, but it was only an unforced error when Antonelli had a clear speed advantage over his teammate.
Russell insisted he would not be thinking about “damage limitation” at Sunday’s race, where the start time was moved three hours earlier to 6pm UK time amid forecast thunderstorms.
“I don’t think about damage limitation,” Russell said. “I just go out there to maximize the results.
“It was the same in the sprint. Tomorrow was a different day with different weather on the radar. As the race started, I saw again that everything can change in the first few hundred meters.”
‘George must be annoying’
Sky Sports F1’s Naomi Schiff said Russell would be “annoyed” to have fallen behind Antonelli for the third successive qualifying session.
In response to Russell’s comments, Schiff said: “The worst thing you see is your team-mate going out every session and opening up the gap faster than him.
“And whether it’s the driving style or not, if he goes toe-to-toe with a teammate, he’s going to be better than that every time he goes out there. It might turn around, but obviously George will be annoyed by that.”
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Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secured his third consecutive Grand Prix pole position by coming off a difficult sprint and setting a dominant lap in Miami. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen improved to second on the grid but is still more than a tenth adrift.
“George is a great driver and he won’t like the situation, but it’s going to be a long season ahead. He’s consistent. Obviously he’s not up to speed this weekend, but he’s always there and he’s always going to score.”
Sky Sports F1 expert and former world champion Jenson Button added: “If you’re a precision driver, it’s really difficult when you’re sliding into a corner and you can’t pick the apex or exit you want.
“And the situation is worse because there are other teams that are very competitive. He has McLarens in front of him and Red Bull has Ferraris and Max.”
Antonelli: I was happy with my knees.
Antonelli, who admitted he made too many mistakes during the sprint, said he was “happy” with the lap that secured him pole.
The decisive effort was actually the first of Antonelli’s two flying lap attempts in Q3, the second of which was blown off by a mistake at the first corner.
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Kimi Antonelli said he was delighted to secure pole position in Miami after battling difficult weather and winds all weekend.
Antonelli said Sky Sports F1: “This weekend was not easy. It was very hot and the track was very slippery and it was also difficult to keep all the sections together.
“I think it was a good thing I had a knee. I may have been on the table a little more, but we don’t know because I haven’t done a single corner.
“I’m delighted with the performance. It was a little more difficult for us, especially with others bringing in big upgrades this weekend, but the team did a tremendous job.”
Sky Sports F1 Miami GP Schedule
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The Miami Grand Prix is a unique experience. Take a look at some of our favorite moments from the past few years!
Sunday, May 3
2:25 PM: F2 Feature Race
4 p.m.: Building up to the Miami GP: Grand Prix Sunday.
6 p.m.: Miami Grand Prix*
8pm: Miami GP Reaction: Checkered Flag*
9 PM: Ted’s Note*
*Applies to Sky Sports main event as well
Formula 1 is in Miami when the season resumes in 2026. Catch the Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 on Sunday at 6pm. Stream Sky Sports NOW – No Commitment, Cancel Anytime
