George Russell has warned Mercedes that pace gains from their Formula 1 counterparts is ‘daunting’ just four races into the season.
Mercedes entered 2026 as the favourites to claim both Championships. The team responded to this by claiming a commanding victory in Melbourne through Russell, followed by consistent performances at the front from Kimi Antonelli.
Whilst Antonelli has claimed victory in the past three rounds, Mercedes’ pace advantage has slowly dissipated. Before the enforced break, Mercedes’ main competition was Ferrari; however, regulation changes have brought McLaren into the mix as well.
The shift in competitiveness became particularly noticeable at the Miami International Autodrome. A venue Russell admitted has never suited his driving style, despite a double P4 finish
“I struggle on this track,” Russell told Sky Sports F1 after the Sprint Race.
“It’s very low grip. There’s a couple of tracks on the calendar that a bit like this. Here was a little example.
I just don’t know what it is, sort of struggle when the car’s four-wheel sliding.”
Russell’s distaste for the Miami International Autodrome was only a minor part of his struggles this weekend. More concerning for Mercedes was the clear improvement shown by their closest competitors.
McLaren securing Sprint pole position with Lando Norris, and then a double podium in the Sprint race, made the pace gains extremely hard to ignore, prompting Russell to describe the advancements that McLaren, Ferrari and even Red Bull made as ‘daunting.’
Despite this, the Briton remained in awe of how far teams had come from the season opener in Australia, describing the progress as “pretty damn impressive.”
However, Russell remained satisfied with elements of his performance across the weekend, particularly his race pace despite the difficulties he faced in qualifying.
Reflecting on the Sprint, Russell explained that he felt confident in the car during the race itself. Even if the results did not fully reflect the pace Russell believed he had.
“I was pretty pleased with the race this morning,” Russell said.
“My pace was good and obviously. Maybe if I did think slightly different, I could have held position when I initially overtook Kimi.
“It’s just qualifying I’ve been struggling with this weekend.”
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