George Russell has made it clear that Kimi Antonelli's current advantage in the 2026 Formula 1 drivers' standings is "not even a consideration" for him at this stage of the season. The 19‑year‑old Italian prodigy sits nine points ahead of the seasoned Mercedes driver and is eyeing a third consecutive race victory as the championship heads to Miami for a Sprint weekend.
Antonelli, who became the youngest ever leader of the F1 championship at just 19, is only in his second year in the top tier. Neither he nor Russell has yet mounted a genuine title challenge, but the youngster's rapid rise has sparked plenty of discussion among fans and pundits.
When asked whether Antonelli's position at the top of the table had altered the internal dynamics at Mercedes, Russell responded with a measured analogy. "No, not at all," he said. "I was asked this morning while we were talking about the London Marathon, and it put things into perspective for me.
When you run a marathon, after the first three miles you’re not thinking about the finish line because you still have 23 miles left. We’re only in race four of the season, so his lead is not even a consideration. Of course, he’s done an incredible job so far this year, but there’s a long way to go." He added that his own performance in the previous race had been disappointing, but reminded everyone that championships are long‑term battles. "Things can swing one way one weekend and then swing back later in the year.
I’ve learned enough about how a title fight works to know that we still have plenty of time to turn things around," Russell said. Russell also reflected on his own career trajectory, noting that even when he was a junior driver he never won every single weekend.
"The championships I fought for and won as a youngster weren’t about winning every race. There were weekends when the car broke down, when I got caught up in an incident, or when luck just wasn’t on my side.
The same applied to the drivers who were battling for the title last year," he explained. "If I have a tough weekend and finish second in China or fourth in Japan, that’s still a decent result for me.
I just want to have smooth weekends because when the car is running well, a win is always within reach." Looking ahead to Miami, Russell pointed out that the five‑week hiatus since the last Grand Prix has given every team a chance to bring new parts to the circuit. While Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull have introduced major upgrades, Mercedes has chosen a more incremental approach, spreading its development over the next two rounds – Miami and then Canada. "We were a bit surprised to see some teams already on their upgrades for Miami. Those parts were probably intended for Bahrain or Saudi Arabia," Russell said.
"We expected most upgrades to appear in Montreal, and we have a slightly bigger package planned for Canada, giving us a bit more time to refine the car." Antonelli, returning to the track where he secured his first F1 pole in Sprint Qualifying a year ago, acknowledged that Mercedes’ rivals will be more competitive this weekend. "It’s going to be a very interesting weekend for us. 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 are all bringing something new," he said.
"They’ll definitely be closer, and we may have to fight harder than we did in the opening three rounds. But we’ll keep our heads down, try to extract the maximum performance from the car and see what the result is." The schedule for the Miami weekend is packed with action.
On Friday, May 1, the day starts with an F2 practice session at 2:35 pm, followed by the Miami GP practice at 5:00 pm, F2 qualifying at 7:25 pm, the team bosses’ press conference at 8:10 pm, and finally Sprint Qualifying beginning at 9:30 pm. Saturday, May 2, features the F2 sprint at 2:55 pm, a build‑up to the Miami GP sprint at 4:00 pm, the sprint race itself at 5:00 pm, and a series of post‑race analysis shows throughout the evening, culminating in the main Grand Prix qualifying session at 9:00 pm. Sunday, May 3, includes the F2 feature race at 5:25 pm, a build‑up to the Grand Prix at 7:00 pm, the Miami Grand Prix at 9:00 pm, and post‑race reaction programmes into the early hours of Monday.
All of this will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW without a contract and the option to cancel at any time. While the headline of the weekend may be Antonelli’s youthful lead, Russell’s seasoned perspective reminds us that a championship is a marathon, not a sprint, and that the real story will unfold over the remaining races of the 2026 season.