George Russell, Mercedes driver, has expressed his surprise at the pace difference with his teammate and championship rival, Kimi Antonelli. The latter secured pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix, marking a time of 1m12.051s, just 0.043s ahead of Max Verstappen.
This result left Russell in sixth place, over three tenths off the pole pace, frustrating his title aspirations after starting the season as one of the favorites.
Currently, Russell is 43 points behind the leader, Antonelli, despite having won the opening race in Melbourne from pole. However, Antonelli has dominated the last four races, leaving Russell struggling to catch up.
Russell commented that he does not fully understand his lack of performance: “I don’t quite know what’s happening, it’s clear that there’s something with my driving that isn’t benefiting the car at this moment. At the start of the season everything looked much more promising.” He observed that his driving style may not be suited to the more agile 2026 cars, as Antonelli has shown superior skill in this regard.
Additionally, Russell acknowledged that they need to analyze the data to better understand his performance and find solutions. “The difference in driving style has a significant impact on the tires. They adapt better to the operating window than I do,” he added.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI