– After Kimi Antonelli already secured his third consecutive Grand Prix win in Miami, George Russell is now 20 points behind his Mercedes teammate in the Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship. Converted, that is almost a whole race win.
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According to expert Martin Brundle, Russell does not need to worry yet given these numbers. “There is still a long way to go. There are still 482 points to be won in this championship,” explains the former Formula 1 driver to Sky.
He therefore does not think, “that the points deficit is such a big problem for George Russell. For example, last year Lando Norris had an awkward crash with his teammate Oscar Piastri at McLaren in Canada,” he recalls.
After the crash in Montreal, Norris was already 22 points behind Piastri in the championship, and after another retirement later in the year in Zandvoort, his deficit was even 34 points. Nevertheless, the Briton became world champion at the end of the season.
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Mathematically, Russell therefore does not need to worry yet, says Brundle, who nevertheless emphasizes: “George needs to put a damper on Antonelli and make up a few points on him. But I think that is more a psychological than a mathematical question.”
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Because after Antonelli’s last three consecutive wins, Russell, who actually started the season as a championship favorite, urgently needs a success experience again. The Italian has recently been “impressive,” praises Brundle and explains: “In Miami, he also kept a cool head under pressure.”
Russell, on the other hand, struggled in Miami but is traditionally “very strong” in Canada, the expert recalls. Russell won in Montreal in 2025. Brundle therefore assumes that Antonelli will face “a tougher fight” this weekend than recently in Florida.
At the same time, however, this also increases the pressure on Russell. Because if Antonelli also finishes ahead of him again on his “parade track” in Canada, it would give the teenager another psychological advantage.
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