Antonelli's Pole Streak Continues
Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position at the Miami Grand Prix, extending his run of consecutive poles to three after earlier victories at China and Japan, according to L'Équipe. The Mercedes driver comprehensively outperformed his team-mate throughout the weekend, with Antonelli qualifying four tenths clear of Russell in fifth place, as reported by Motorsport.com.
Russell was second-best to Antonelli across both sprint qualifying and the main qualifying session on Saturday, indicating a consistent performance gap between the two Mercedes drivers at this particular venue.
Russell's Smooth Style a Disadvantage
George Russell has pinpointed the reason for his deficit. According to Sky Sports F1, the British driver stated that his smooth driving style is not suited to the Miami International Autodrome, which is characterised by very low grip levels. This setup preference, which typically yields advantages on other circuits, has worked against Russell in Florida.
Motorsport.com reported that Russell believes Antonelli is simply more competitive than him at Miami due to these specific track characteristics, suggesting the performance gap is circuit-dependent rather than indicative of a broader competitive imbalance.
Miami Grid Context
De Telegraaf noted that Max Verstappen made a strong impression during qualifying, securing second position on the grid behind Antonelli, with the Red Bull driver the only other competitor approaching Antonelli's pace.
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