'Can we already crown Antonelli the F1 2026 champion?'

Antonelli again showed he had the measure of his teammate, George Russell, who was dubbed the bookmakers’ favourite for the title heading into the campaign. At the race in Miami, he finished 43 seconds ahead of the Brit.

Despite the upgrades from the McLaren team, Antonelli was also able to hold off a charging Russell around the street circuit of Miami. While several individuals, including Toto Wolff inside the Mercedes camp, have continued to temper talk of Antonelli being the favourite for the title, the young Italian continues to eke out a lead in the standings and currently sits 20 points ahead of Russell in second place.

Earlier, Russell also responded to being beaten by Antonelli in the intra-team battle at Mercedes. The British driver noted that he hasn’t forgotten how to drive an F1 car.

Russell currently trails Antonelli by 20 points in the drivers’ standings, despite kicking off the campaign with victories at the Australian Grand Prix and the Chinese GP sprint race. The 28-year-old, however, is currently without a podium over the last two races and will have his sights set on a recovery performance when the sport heads to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the Canadian Grand Prix.