Russell dismisses Antonelli momentum shift after Japanese GP setback

Updated: 16:06, 02 Apr

byOlly Darcy

George Russell dismissed any worry about a momentum shift towards teammate Kimi Antonelli in the World Championship fight.

The young Italian took the lead in the championship after winning his second Grand Prix in as many races at the Japanese Grand Prix, opening up a nine-point lead over championship-favourite Russell.

Battery deployment issues and an untimely safety car saw the Brit miss out on a chance to win at Suzuka, unable to add a second win to his name in 2026 after a dominant display at the Australian Grand Prix.

Now, a four-week stoppage in racing will follow after the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix due to tensions in the Middle East, potentially hindering Russell once again.

However, when asked whether the month-long hiatus could be another momentum shift towards Antonelli before the Miami Grand Prix, Russell quickly said, "No, not at all.

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"It's three races down out of 22, and one different lap today, and the victory would have been on my side, and I'm confident of that.

"In China, I was three-tenths ahead in sprint qualifying, so without that issue, maybe I could have been on pole there and won that race."

"It's just how it turns out. It's that race, and now it's a four-week break, so there's no momentum to be carried. Then, we reset and go again for the next race."

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George Russell with teammate Kimi Antonelli after the Japanese Grand Prix - Photo: Race Pictures

Russell struggling for "pure luck"

Russell has been hampered over back-to-back Grand Prix weekends, causing him to drop behind his teammate in the drivers' standings.

F1 Standings 2026

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	72
2	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	63
3	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	49
4	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	41
5	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	25
6	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	21
7	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	17
8	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	15
9	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	12
10	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	10
11	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	4
12	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	4
13	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	2
14	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	2
15	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	1
16	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	1
17	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
18	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	0
19	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
20	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
21	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	0
22	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0

Show Full Standings

Before the race weekend in Suzuka, a qualifying issue at the Chinese Grand Prix saw the Brit finish well off the pace of Antonelli, a margin he could not overturn during Sunday's race, with Russell finishing P2 when the chequered flag fell.

Two weeks later, Russell continued to be out of luck after the safety car and battery misfortunes in Japan, saying: "It just feels like, at the moment, these last two weekends, every issue we've had has been on my side, and we're just going through that pain."

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