“At this moment – said the British driver – it is important to realize Mercedes’ advantage. Last year Norris and Piastri risked losing the title at the end of the season”
George Russell seems to have arrived in the Miami paddock with one objective: to demonstrate that he can immediately regain the leadership of the Formula 1 World Championship and re-establish the team hierarchies with his young teammate Kimi Antonelli. The Italian, winner of two out of three GPs archived this year, said he is ready to get back on track after the long four-week stop with enthusiasm and awareness, while the Briton preaches calm: “We are only at the beginning of the season and at this moment it is important to materialize Mercedes’ advantage to be sure that only the two of us will be contenders for the world title”. An attitude that is the result of Russell’s experience in Formula 1 but also of what the teams saw happen last season, when Max Verstappen managed an incredible comeback from mid-championship that seemed to be able to destroy the dreams of glory of a previously uncatchable McLaren: “Last year no one considered Verstappen – recalled Russell – while Norris and Piastri fought with each other all the time, almost risking losing the title at the end of the year”.
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However, regarding the direct comparison with Antonelli, the Briton did not say he was too worried at the moment, preferring to focus on his performances and what didn’t work in the last Grands Prix: “At the moment the internal rivalry is not a concern for me. We continue to work as usual with the team – he concluded, however issuing a warning to the young Italian -: we will fight hard, we will fight fairly, and this is how we will face the challenge”. It is no secret that Russell’s goal is to win the world title, and the driver himself has underlined his ambitions in 2026 which could be his big opportunity: “Our main interest is to bring Mercedes back to success but I also want to win the title and if I have the opportunity I will do everything to make this happen.”
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Starting from Miami, where the second Sprint weekend of the season will take place with the uncertain weather that continues to worry the paddock ahead of Sunday, with the possibility of bringing forward the Grand Prix to avoid the peak of rainfall: “It will be a challenge because it is the first time for everyone with these cars in the rain but after all this is Formula 1. Someone asked me if there will be too much power with these single-seaters in the rain. What I think, however, is that we race in Formula 1 and not in Formula 4. These must be the fastest cars in the world and if the conditions are right we will race.”
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