George Russell was relieved to secure podium in F1 Miami GP after troubled run, as Andrea Kimi Antonelli just didn’t have late pace to push on.
Despite lapping some good times, Mercedes’ Russell didn’t feel 100% in all of F1 Miami GP weekend. He was beaten by teammate Antonelli in both sprint qualifying and main qualifying – the Italian was on pole in the former. But he finished both the races behind his senior teammate.
The sprint race was undone in the pits for Antonelli, while in the main race, he initially lost out under VSC but then didn’t have enough legs late in the grand prix. Russell, meanwhile, had enough to end up third after leapfrogging Max Verstappen via strategy.
Russell missed the post-race media conference due to stomach cramps, but spoke before the podium celebrations. “To be honest, really happy to come away with P3 because I’ve been struggling this weekend, personally, and always on the back foot,” he said. “But ultimately, when it mattered, got a really good result. But well done to the McLarens – they’re just down the road.
“I was pretty calm and I felt really good with the car to keep him [Max] behind me, so it was good. I felt positive on the Medium tyre and knew I could manage my pace to keep him behind,” summed up Russell. Red Bull protested the Brit not reducing his speed enough under yellow flag.
But he was given all-clear by the stewards to retain third. Teammate Antonelli had fifth at one point, but surprisingly lost it to Williams’ Alexander Albon. More so, the Italian didn’t have the pace to retake the place. He was being chased down by both the Ferraris, but had enough in the tank to retain sixth.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t just have the pace to fight for much more than what we achieved,” said Antonelli. “I made a good start and was running P2, but the McLarens had too much pace for us, and we dropped behind them. I still felt good on the Medium compound in the opening stint but I struggled a little more on the Hard tyre in the second half of the race.
“Our pace wasn’t great and that contributed to our P6 finish. We will have to analyse why that was as a team and see where we can improve. Overall, though, I am pleased with how the weekend went. Our qualifying pace was strong, and it was nice to take my first Sprint pole position. I’m still gaining experience in terms of my race management, and I am sure that will continue to get better as the season progresses,” summed up Antonelli.
Team boss Toto Wolff felt his one-lap pace was on point in all of Miami weekend, but conceded that the long run wasn’t as much. Much like Antonelli, the Austrian put it down to experience and part of learning curve. “I think the high point, definitely seeing his speed on a single lap, great,” he said to media.
“That’s another proof of his talent and a good indication to how the future can be. In the race, [it was] challenging because it’s so difficult here to find a reference. You can say it was the medium stint, quick enough, with George holding on in the back, on the hard tyre? [It was] not good. And then when he went onto the hards, he just lacks experience managing it the right way.
“Bono really tried to guide him, but when he’s in the car, it’s not easy. And I think it’s just part of the learning curve. There’s nothing that is disappointing. Overall, I go away with the feeling that he’s done a good job. I think for Kimi at that stage was about bringing the car home in that position, it is difficult to overtake, the moment you catch the dirty air. I think we had a few laps margin to that, yeah with the Ferrari.”
Here’s George Russell ahead of Max Verstappen: https://www.formula1.com/en/video/2025-miami-grand-prix-russell-emerges-from-the-pits-ahead-of-verstappen-to-take-p3.1831225524696902461
