Russell disappoints in Miami: “I’ll be back at the front, I haven’t forgotten how to drive!”
A bittersweet fourth-place finish for George Russell at the end of the Miami Grand Prix. Consistently outside the podium fight, the British driver managed to capitalize on a chaotic final phase of the race, overtaking a struggling Max Verstappen dealing with tire issues and taking advantage of Charles Leclerc’s mistake on the final lap. Nevertheless, the overall impression is that of a driver not entirely comfortable with the W17 and, above all, significantly off the pace compared to teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who secured victory ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Russell in Miami: “I still have a lot of confidence in myself, I haven’t forgotten how to drive!”
“A difficult race, that’s all,” the Brit admitted candidly. “The start wasn’t too bad, to be honest, and in the opening laps I was fighting in the middle of the pack.” However, the first issues soon emerged: “The hard tires didn’t take me anywhere and, frankly, I have some ideas about why. The car only came alive in the last 10 laps, where I was really competitive and managed to close the gap significantly to Verstappen.”
Still, the gap to Antonelli remained substantial: “Towards the end, I made several changes to the differential and brake settings to get closer to Kimi’s configuration, and that had a bigger impact than I expected. Overall, it wasn’t a good weekend. I know this circuit has always been particularly difficult for me, so I hope to do better in the next races, which will be an important test for me. I still have a lot of confidence in myself. I certainly haven’t forgotten how to drive!”
Wolff on Russell’s race: “He minimized the damage, he’ll bounce back in Canada”
It was, in George Russell’s own words, an “unpleasant” Miami weekend, with the driver admitting he was “just glad this weekend is finally over. I can’t wait to get back to racing on more traditional circuits. The performances in the first three races give me confidence; here in Miami there were no external factors influencing the result, it was simply a frustrating weekend.”
Looking ahead, George Russell added: “I’m really looking forward to Canada for the next race. It’s a track I enjoy and where I’ve had good results in the past. From Montreal onwards, we’ll have seven races in a short period leading up to the summer break. They will be very important for us, so I’m eager to find the right rhythm again.”
“I think it was simply a matter of minimizing the damage,” Toto Wolff commented regarding Russell’s race. “You know, George is such a competitive driver, and I have no doubt he will return to the front and win several races this season. His race was undoubtedly complicated. He doesn’t particularly like this circuit, and this weekend he didn’t feel as comfortable in the car as Kimi. However, he is a true fighter, and he proved it by still bringing home important points with a fourth-place finish. I’m sure he will bounce back strongly in the next race in Canada.”
That view was echoed by Andrew Shovlin: “As for George, in the coming days we will work hard to understand why we weren’t able to put his car in the optimal window. We know for certain that he has a much more competitive pace than what he was able to show here in Miami, and that he will come back stronger in Canada.”
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