Russell chases momentum shift after ‘tough’ Miami reality check

The British driver entered the 2026 Formula 1 season as one of the bookmakers’ favourites for the world championship, but his title challenge has so far been overshadowed by Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli. The young Italian has emphatically shaken off any lingering doubts from his rookie campaign, winning the last three races after opening the season with a second-place finish in Australia.

Antonelli once again underlined his advantage over Russell in Miami, producing a controlled and dominant victory while finishing more than 43 seconds ahead of his teammate in identical machinery. Reflecting on his difficult spell of form in comparison to Antonelli, Russell admitted the start of the season had been turbulent, with Miami proving especially challenging.

“It's been a turbulent start, but the truth is Miami felt like the first tough race of the season. I'm in a good place because I think I've come away from Miami having learned more than I did in the first three races of the season. Miami was obviously a very tough weekend for me, but a huge amount was learned from that, and I feel great coming into this weekend,” Russell told GPblog, among others.

The six-time Grand Prix winner went on to explain the reasons behind his difficult weekend in Florida, revealing that both he and several other drivers had become heavily focused on energy deployment and the complexities of the current regulations. In doing so, he admitted some of the basic racing fundamentals had been neglected.

“I think for a lot of us, we were so focused on energy management and all of the issues from the past, dealing with the tyres and the setup, that the fundamentals of racing had kind of been put on the back burner because we were focused elsewhere. We missed some key things because of that, and it was a good little reminder. As painful as it was, it was a very much-needed weekend because I think it’s going to prove very beneficial for the rest of the year,” he concluded.

The Canadian Grand Prix has proven to be one of Russell’s favourite tracks, with the British driver finishing on the podium in the last two editions of the race, including last season, when he stormed to pole position and successfully converted it into victory.

For teammate Antonelli, who sits 20 points ahead of Russell in the drivers’ standings, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will always be remembered fondly whenever he looks back on his career, as it was the venue where he secured his maiden Formula 1 podium. The Italian claimed a well-controlled third-place finish in 2025, in a race particularly remembered for Lando Norris crashing into McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.

Former Haas F1 Team team principal Guenther Steiner believes Russell risks falling short in the 2026 title fight if Antonelli continues his current rise at Mercedes.

The 60-year-old admitted he had initially expected Russell to finally establish himself as world champion this season, particularly given both the competitiveness of the Mercedes package and the Briton’s strong reputation within the paddock.

However, Steiner suggested the momentum inside the team has gradually started shifting towards Antonelli, whose calm approach and rapid adaptation to Formula 1 have continued to impress throughout the opening rounds of the season. According to the American-Italian, Russell could ultimately end up settling for second place in the championship should his younger teammate maintain his composure over the course of the year.