George Russell has made it clear that Kimi Antonelli's current advantage in the 2026 Formula 1 drivers' standings is not something he is worrying about. The young Italian sits nine points ahead of the Mercedes driver and is eyeing a third straight victory as the series heads to Miami for a sprint‑race weekend. Despite Antonelli’s remarkable achievement – he is the youngest points leader in F1 history at just 19 and only in his second season – Russell insists the gap does not alter the internal dynamics at Mercedes.
When asked whether Antonelli’s position changes the atmosphere within the team, Russell responded with a marathon analogy. "I was asked about it this morning while we were chatting about the London Marathon," he said. "When you’re three miles into a marathon you’re not thinking about the finish line because you still have 23 miles to cover. We’re only in race four of the season, so his lead is "not even a consideration".
Of course, he’s performed brilliantly so far, but there’s a long way to go." Russell also reflected on his own recent performance, noting that the previous race was “a little bit unfortunate” for him. He reminded everyone that championships are rarely decided in the early stages; they swing back and forth throughout the year. "I’ve learned enough about how a title fight works to know there’s plenty of time left," he added.
The Mercedes driver believes he has already extracted the maximum he can from his car under the current conditions. He pointed to his junior‑formula days when he never won every single weekend, saying, "The championships I contested and won as a youngster weren’t about winning every race. There were mechanical failures, incidents and plain bad luck – the same story for the title‑contenders last year." He went on to explain his mindset for the upcoming events: "If a weekend is tough, I’m happy with a P2 in China or a P4 in Japan. Those results are still decent.
My goal is to have smooth weekends because when the car runs cleanly, a win is within reach." The five‑week hiatus since the last Grand Prix has given every team a chance to bring upgrades to Miami. Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull have introduced substantial new components, while Mercedes has opted for a more gradual approach, spreading its developments over the next two rounds – Miami and then Canada. "We were surprised to see some teams bring their upgrades to Miami," Russell observed.
"Those parts were probably intended for Bahrain or Saudi Arabia. We expected most of the upgrades to debut in Montreal. We’ll have a slightly bigger package for Canada, giving us two more weeks after Miami to refine it. Hopefully the rivals haven’t closed the gap too much in the meantime." Antonelli, returning to the circuit where he claimed his first F1 pole in sprint qualifying a year earlier, expects the competition to be fiercer than in the opening three rounds.
"It’ll be a very interesting weekend for us," he said. "We’re not bringing anything major, just a few small tweaks, while other teams are rolling out big upgrades – Ferrari, McLaren and even Red Bull have new parts. They’ll get closer, so we’ll have to fight harder." He added, "We’ll keep our heads down, I’ll try to get the most out of the car and give my best performance, and then we’ll see what the result looks like." The weekend schedule is packed with both Formula 2 and Formula 1 action.
On Friday, May 1, F2 practice starts at 2:35 pm, followed by the Miami GP practice session at 4:30 pm (the session itself begins at 5 pm). Later that evening, F2 qualifying runs at 7:25 pm, the team bosses’ press conference at 8:10 pm, and sprint qualifying at 8:40 pm (the session begins at 9:30 pm). Saturday, May 2, features the F2 sprint at 2:55 pm, the build‑up to the Miami sprint at 4 pm, the sprint race itself at 5 pm, and a series of post‑race analysis shows. Qualifying for the Grand Prix starts at 8 pm, with the session kicking off at 9 pm, followed by another analysis segment at 11 pm.
Sunday, May 3, includes the F2 feature race at 5:25 pm, the Grand Prix build‑up at 7 pm, the main race at 9 pm, and post‑race reaction and commentary throughout the evening and into the early hours of Monday. All of these sessions are also broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event, with the option to stream via NOW without a contract and cancel at any time.
Fans can also follow live updates on Sky Sports’ WhatsApp service. In summary, while Antonelli’s early lead is historic and impressive, Russell treats it as a temporary blip in a long championship marathon. Both drivers acknowledge the importance of staying focused, maximizing performance on the days when the car is reliable, and adapting to the rapid development race that unfolds over each weekend. With major upgrades arriving for several teams in Miami and a further upgrade window before the Canadian Grand Prix, the next few races will be crucial in shaping the battle for the 2026 title.