Russell Content with Fifth on Miami Grid Despite..Read More
George Russell expressed satisfaction with securing fifth place on the grid for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix, despite experiencing difficulties in single-lap pace during qualifying. The Mercedes driver admitted he struggled to find confidence in his W16, particularly with managing tyre temperatures across one flying lap, which limited his ability to match the pace of team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli, who has quickly made an impression in his debut Formula 1 season, continued to build momentum by delivering a stellar qualifying performance. The Italian teenager narrowly missed out on a front-row start, finishing just 0.002 seconds behind second-placed Lando Norris to take P3. His strong showing followed a challenging sprint race, in which he fell down the order due to wheelspin at the start and later collided with Max Verstappen. Despite those setbacks, Antonelli rebounded impressively in the main qualifying session.
Russell, by contrast, had a smoother sprint, avoiding incidents and finishing fifth. However, he found qualifying more difficult. He ended the session in the same position and cited front grip issues as a limiting factor. He explained that he was unable to get his front tyres into the optimal temperature window, which affected his performance over one lap.
“Qualifying has usually been one of my strengths this season, but for whatever reason, it just didn’t come together either yesterday or today,” Russell said. “Given that, I’m relatively pleased to be starting fifth. It’s a solid place to be in such a tight field.”
Despite his own frustrations, Russell was quick to praise Antonelli’s efforts, acknowledging his teammate’s consistency and speed. “Kimi did a fantastic job again in qualifying,” he added. “He’s been very consistent, and it’s great for the team that we’re both starting near the front. We’ve got a real chance to score good points tomorrow.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s Grand Prix, Russell was optimistic about improving on his qualifying result. He emphasized that race pace and strategy—especially in unpredictable weather—will play a crucial role in determining the final outcome.
“We’ll reset tonight and make sure everything is in place for the race,” Russell said. “The sprint race didn’t quite go our way—we gained one position due to a penalty, but we might have done better had we switched to slick tyres earlier. Still, the real focus is on the Grand Prix. That’s where the big points are, and we’ve seen how quickly conditions can change here in Miami. If it’s mixed weather again, we’ll be ready to capitalize.”
Russell remains hopeful that with better tyre management and a clean race, he can challenge for a strong finish and contribute to Mercedes’ ongoing fight in the constructors’ standings.
