George Russell plays down ‘really poor’ pace as Antonelli builds early momentum
George Russell finished fourth in Miami, in what he admitted was not his best afternoon.
George Russell admits momentum is swinging towards Kimi Antonelli, but insists there is “no major cause for concern” despite a rare off-weekend.
Antonelli has opened up a 20-point lead over his Mercedes teammate with the Drivers’ Championship still in its infancy, and Russell explained how he has looked to take lessons from the Miami Grand Prix.
George Russell admits ‘really poor’ pace but ‘no cause for concern’
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Antonelli recovered after slipping back from pole position to take a third consecutive race victory, with Russell crossing the line fourth after a last-lap overtake on the damaged Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.
Admitting his own speed was not on a par with his teammate’s, Russell revealed he took the opportunity to learn more about his car when it became clear that a podium opportunity would not be on the cards in Miami on Sunday.
“The result could have been worse,” Russell told PlanetF1.com and others after the race.
“The pace was really poor my side. I’ve got some ideas, to be honest, so I used the last sort of 20 laps to kind of test for myself, try out some quite drastic changes with my driving style and some of the differential and brake settings on my car, and it improved things – but I just can’t wait for the next race where it’ll be slightly more normal conditions. Yeah, no major cause for concern.”
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For Russell’s teammate, Antonelli became the first driver ever to convert his first three Formula 1 pole positions into race victory, but the teenager is not getting carried away about early title prospects.
Russell, meanwhile, is taking the championship out of his mind entirely at this point, given the amount that can change over the course of a season.
In the here and now, the Briton’s main priority will be challenging for race victory at the next round in Canada.
“Clearly, he’s in a really great place at the moment and momentum is with him,” Russell said of Antonelli, “but I’ve experienced myself in championships I’ve won on how momentum swings throughout the year.
“Also, looking at the championship last year, to be honest, I’m not even considering it. It’s just I want to get back onto the top step at the podium.
“The first three races, I had the performance to do that. This weekend, I did not have the performance to do that. So I could be standing here now with three very different results from the previous races, and then this just being a bit of a one-off. But obviously, things worked out differently in Japan and China.”
Mercedes already holds a 70-point lead in the Constructors’ standings over Ferrari, with McLaren having closed the gap to the Scuderia over the weekend.
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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