George Russell stated that Formula 1’s five-week break before the Miami GP, caused by the war in the Middle East, represents a ‘reset’ in the season and eliminates any momentum advantage between drivers. The Briton downplayed recent setbacks and said he is not concerned about the loss of points in the last rounds.
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The Mercedes driver faced problems in the two most recent races, which left him nine points behind teammate Kimi Antonelli in the championship. Still, Russell highlighted that the season is only at the beginning and believes he could have won under different circumstances.
In China, Russell struggled as early as the qualifying session. A problem at the start of Q3 left the Briton at a disadvantage, forcing him to return to the pits and complete only one flying lap. The situation opened the way for Antonelli to take his first career pole position and, subsequently, win for the first time at the Shanghai circuit.
At the Japanese GP, the scenario was again unfavorable for Russell. Although he was slightly slower than his teammate for much of the weekend, the Briton was ahead in the race until the safety car intervention. The timing of the neutralization favored Antonelli, who managed an advantageous pit stop and took the lead.
From then on, the young Italian’s second consecutive victory was not threatened. Russell ended up dropping to fourth position after facing additional difficulties with energy management and delivery during the battle with the Ferrari cars.
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Even with these setbacks, Russell remained confident in the championship title race: “It’s been three races out of twenty-two, and as I said, one different lap and the victory would have been mine, I have confidence in that,” the Briton told the press. He also recalled that, without the problem in the qualifying session in China, he could have started on pole and won that race.
The British driver also highlighted that the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs creates a significant break in the season. For Russell, this prevents any driver from carrying a psychological or technical advantage into the next round in Miami.
“That’s how it goes, that’s racing. Now there’s a four-week break, so there’s no momentum to be carried, it’s a reset and we go again for the next race,” the Briton concluded, showing confidence for the rest of the season.
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