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George Russell said his “smooth” driving style did not suit the Miami International Autodrome, causing him to lose significantly to his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli at the Florida event.
Antonelli, who leads Russell by seven points at the top of the drivers’ championship, took a commanding pole position for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix, beating his team-mate by almost four-tenths of a second as he settled for fifth on the grid.
The result represented a continuation of the pair’s form over the weekend, with the 19-year-old Italian finishing second in Friday’s sprint qualifying as Russell finished sixth.
Antonelli overcame a poor start to finish fourth on track in the sprint, four seconds clear of Russell, but was relegated to sixth from his team-mate – and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen – after receiving a five-second penalty for four track violations.
“I’m struggling on these low-grip circuits, so here (in Miami), in Zandvoort, Brazil,” Russell said. Sky Sports F1 After qualifying.
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Qualifying highlights 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 24 that are outliers, and Miami is definitely at the top of that list.
“I’m a pretty smooth, precise driver. That’s always been my style. On these tracks you have to be happy with the car sliding.
“I like the car on the edge, but it’s like you have a set of 200-lap old tires on your car and you’re going around and it’s sliding, oversteer and understeer. It’s the same for everybody.
“It’s very hot, the tire pressure is high, the grip is really low, so it doesn’t feel pleasant, whereas tracks like Saudi are very high.”
After winning the season-opening Australian Grand Prix from Russell Pole, Antonelli won and won in China and Japan before the season was halted for five weeks as races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were cancelled.
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Highlights of the sprint races at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix.
Much was made during the break of the fact that Russell, a clear pre-season favorite for the drivers’ title, trailed his far less experienced teammate after three rounds.
Although Russell actually reduced his deficit in the Miami sprint, it was only for an unforced error by Antonelli, when he had a clear speed advantage over his teammate.
Russell insisted he would not worry about “damage limitation” in Sunday’s race, for which the start time has been moved three hours earlier to 6pm UK time amid thunderstorms forecast.
“I’m not thinking about damage limitation,” Russell said. “I’m just going out there to maximize results.
“It was the same in the sprint. Tomorrow is a different day with the weather on the radar, and we saw again as the race starts, everything can change in the first few hundred meters.”
‘George is going to be bored’
Sky Sports F1’s Naomi Schiff said Russell would be “disappointed” to finish behind Antonelli for the third qualifying round in a row.
Responding to Russell’s comments, Schiff said: “The worst thing you can do is see your teammates build a gap, get out of every session and be faster than them.
“And whether it’s a driving style thing or not, if he ends up in a head-to-head battle with his teammate, he’s got to be better every time he goes out there. It could turn around again, but obviously George would be upset about it.
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Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secured his third consecutive Grand Prix pole position with a dominant lap in Miami, bouncing back from a tough sprint. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen improved to second on the grid but remained tenth.
“George is a great driver and he’s not going to like the situation, but it’s a long season ahead. He’s got consistency on his side. He obviously didn’t have the pace this weekend, but he’s always there, he’s always going to score points.”
Sky Sports F1 pundit and former world champion Jenson Button added: “When you’re a precision driver, it’s really hard when you find yourself sliding into a corner and you can’t top pick or exit like you want.
“And it’s worse here because there are other teams that are competitive. He’s got McLarens up front, he’s got Ferraris and Max in a Red Bull.”
Antonelli: I was happy with the lap
Admitting to making too many mistakes during the sprint, Antonelli said he was “happy” with the lap that secured him pole.
The crucial effort was actually the first of Antonelli’s two flying lap attempts in Q3, the second of which was blown due to a mistake in the first corner.
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Kimi Antonelli said he was delighted to secure pole position in Miami after battling tough weather and wind over the weekend.
Antonelli said Sky Sports F1: “It was not easy this weekend – very hot, the track is very slippery, and this track is not easy to combine all the sectors.
“I think I was happy with my lap. Maybe there was a little more on the table, but we don’t know because I didn’t do a corner.
“I’m happy with the performance, especially this weekend where others came with big upgrades, it was a bit more difficult for us, but the team did a fantastic job.”
Sky Sports F1’s Miami GP schedule
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The Miami Grand Prix is a unique experience, check out our favorite moments from the past few years!
Sunday, May 3
2.25pm: F2 Feature Race
4pm: Miami GP Build-up: Grand Prix Sunday
6pm: Miami Grand Prix*
8pm: Miami GP Reaction: Checkered flag*
9pm: Ted’s Notebook*
*Also on Sky Sports main events
Formula 1 resumes the 2026 season in Miami, watch Sunday’s Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 at 6pm. Stream Sky Sports now – no contract, cancel anytime
