The winter rumours—later confirmed as reality—that had positioned Mercedes as clear favourites at the start of the season created major expectations around George Russell. Since arriving in Brackley, the British driver has never had a title-winning car, and after two highly competitive seasons in 2024 and 2025, this was expected to be the year he would take the final step forward. However, after four Grands Prix and two Sprint races, it is Andrea Kimi Antonelli who leads the World Championship, thanks to three consecutive wins, including the Florida round where car number 63 struggled significantly to find competitiveness.
“I’m really happy it’s over and I can’t wait to get back to more traditional circuits. It was clearly an unusual weekend for me,” Russell said after completing Sunday’s 57 laps. His overall race pace was around seven-tenths slower than Kimi, who benefited from better track position throughout the race.
“Miami is one of the three most difficult circuits for me,” admits George Russell
On Saturday, Russell explained the technical reasons behind his difficulties after finishing four-tenths behind his teammate—the largest gap in dry qualifying conditions since the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix. Low grip combined with high temperatures is a combination that often leads to a more unstable rear end than what George prefers.
“I struggle on these low-grip circuits, so here [in Miami], at Zandvoort and in Brazil. It was the same last year: out of 24 circuits, there are three outliers. I’m quite a smooth and precise driver—that has always been my style. On these circuits, you have to accept a car that slides. It’s extremely hot, tyre pressures are high, grip is low, and it’s not a pleasant feeling.”
The qualifying comparison between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli highlighted a gap that mainly originates in the slowest sections of the track, where the Italian is able to carry significantly more speed into corners and minimise traction losses thanks to excellent rotation. The very smooth asphalt also contributed to destabilising the Mercedes W17 for car number 63. A similar issue had previously been analysed during Oscar Piastri’s difficult autumn phase in 2025.
Race struggles and tyre management difficulties
The cumulative gap during the race further highlighted Russell’s struggles, with multiple battles affecting lap time consistency and indirectly impacting tyre management.
“In the early laps I was in a fight, then with the hard tyres nothing worked anymore.”
During the first stint, the gap was close to half a second, increasing to nine-tenths on the hard tyres, partly due to a five-lap difference in tyre age. Throughout the race, discussions with his race engineer focused heavily on the Snake section, particularly turns 7 and 8.
In the final stages, engineer Marcus Dudley suggested changes to the “diff magic” and mid-corner differential settings to resolve snapping in Turn 8:
“I got very close to how Kimi has driven all weekend, and it had a bigger impact than I expected,” Russell explained.
The adjustments helped eliminate time loss in the faster section of the track by improving the feeling with the W17. However, the gap returned to levels similar to qualifying and the first stint, with more than four-tenths separating the teammates—almost entirely generated in low-speed corners.
Not just Miami: data shows a wider seasonal pattern
“It’s a bit frustrating, but over the course of a year it always happens. I’m here with my head held high because in Australia I was the fastest, took pole and won. In China I had the right pace and won the Sprint, but had a problem in Qualifying. Even in Japan there was potential for victory if it weren’t for the unfortunate Safety Car. With a few small details going my way, I could consider Miami an isolated case and my first negative weekend of the season,” Russell analysed, defending his early-season performances.
However, it would be inaccurate to say Sunday performances have been outstanding. After a relatively balanced start in Melbourne and Shanghai, Antonelli’s race pace in Suzuka after the opening ten laps was several tenths faster. The trend is clear, even if limited Suzuka data reduces the sample size: in qualifying, the gap in slow corners exceeds three-tenths per lap. Even in Australia, where Russell took pole position, Antonelli gained more than two-tenths in low-speed sections.
The constant factor is the young Italian’s ability to enter corners more aggressively and reduce exit losses thanks to strong rotation. For drivers who prefer a more stable rear end, such as Russell and Piastri, this characteristic is more difficult to replicate and control.
Canada as a key turning point for Mercedes development
There is no doubt that difficulties in a couple of weekends will not define the entire season. Last year, Norris was 31 points behind Oscar Piastri with eight races remaining. At this stage of the championship, the standings matter far less than they may appear.
“George will definitely be very strong in Canada, he has always gone well there, so he will surely be back at the front,” Antonelli admitted.
A season can also be turned around by an upgrade package, such as the one planned for the W17 in Montreal. Mercedes are well aware of the importance of the first major development step in a year defined by upgrade efficiency, correlation between data and track performance, and budget cap optimisation.
McLaren has already taken a step forward, significantly reducing the gap—especially in race conditions—and now the pressure shifts back to Brackley. In Canada, George Russell has previously won in 2025, finished on the podium in 2024, and secured two pole positions, underlining his strong historical performance at the circuit.
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