George Russell has openly declared that he "hasn't forgotten how to drive" and remains confident in his evolving championship fight against his teammate Kimi Antonelli, even though the Italian prodigy clearly outpaced him at the recent Miami Grand Prix. Russell entered the season as the bookmakers' early favourite after clinching victory in the opening Australian Grand Prix and then winning the inaugural Sprint race in China. Since those triumphs, however, he has watched Antonelli secure his first three Formula 1 wins in consecutive events, turning the young Italian into a formidable title contender.
Miami produced the widest performance gap between the two teammates all season. Antonelli captured pole position and went on to win the race, while Russell could only manage fourth place, finishing a full 43 seconds behind the 19‑year‑old.
That result widened Antonelli's lead in the Drivers' Championship to 20 points after just four of the scheduled 22 rounds, prompting UK bookmakers to flip the odds and list the teenager as the new favourite. Speaking to Sky Sports F1 immediately after the race, Russell praised his teammate: "He is an outstanding driver and has been incredibly quick from day one. He's already won every junior championship he entered." He then turned the focus back on himself, adding, "I still have confidence in my abilities.
I haven't forgotten how to drive. It’s a tricky circuit, we’re only four races in, there’s a long way to go, and we’ll reassess things over the coming weeks." Russell admitted that the Miami International Autodrome does not suit his precise, high‑grip driving style, describing it as something of a "bogey track" because of its low‑grip surface. Despite that, the weekend ended slightly better than it could have.
In the Sprint race, Antonelli received a five‑second penalty for repeatedly exceeding track limits, which dropped him two places and allowed Russell to close the points gap by two. On race day, Russell gained another position – and two extra points – when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc spun into the barriers on the penultimate lap. Reflecting on the race, Russell said, "It was a difficult weekend. The start felt decent – I was in the mix for a while – but once the hard tyre came on I fell off the pace.
In the final ten laps I started to feel more competitive. I made significant adjustments to my differentials and brake bias, bringing my car much closer to what Kimi was running all weekend, and that made a bigger impact than I expected." He added, "This circuit is a real challenge for me.
The real test will be the next few races." Former world champion and Sky Sports F1 analyst Jenson Button believes Russell will be surprised by Antonelli's rapid rise but trusts the Briton to bounce back at the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix. "George is probably thinking, ‘what just happened?’ He started the year as the favourite and the quickest, and Kimi is exceptionally talented.
But George knows his own skill set and isn’t shying away from the issues he sees. If he bottles it up, that would be disastrous. He's doing the right thing by addressing the problems, and I think he’ll come out strong in Canada." Sky Sports analyst Naomi Schiff echoed a similar sentiment, noting that Antonelli has already made mistakes this season, such as the penalty‑inducing error in the Sprint.
"He's a hard worker, but no driver wants to be beaten by their teammate, especially not George," she said. "He spent many years at Williams before moving to Mercedes, finally getting a competitive car, only to have his teammate out‑perform him.
He can take some comfort from the fact that Kimi hasn't been flawless; his own consistency could be the key to turning the tide." Looking ahead, the Formula 1 calendar now turns to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix, which will also feature a Sprint race. Fans can watch the action live on Sky Sports F1 from May 22‑24, with streaming available via NOW without a long‑term contract. Russell’s challenge will be to translate his confidence into results, adapt his setup to circuits that don’t naturally suit his style, and close the points gap to Antonelli before the season truly gets underway. The next few weekends will be crucial in determining whether the early‑season favourite can reclaim his momentum or if the Italian rookie will continue to dominate the championship narrative.