George Russell’s consecutive qualifying defeats to Kimi Antonelli now ‘weigh heavily’ on Mercedes

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George Russell losing in four consecutive qualifying sessions to Andrea Kimi Antonelli is now thought to have started to weigh heavily on the internal dynamic at Mercedes.

The head-to-head battle at Mercedes was a one-sided show of authority by Russell in 2025, as Antonelli struggled to match the Briton amid the Italian’s rookie season. But the shoe has been on the other foot thus far in 2026, with the 19-year-old already rising to the top of F1.

Russell beat Antonelli 21-3 in Grand Prix qualifying sessions and 4-2 in Sprint Qualifying last year. The 28-year-old even opened the 2026 campaign with a 2-0 record after qualifying for the Grands Prix in Australia and China, yet he has not led Mercedes’ qualifying efforts since.

Antonelli claimed his maiden F1 Grand Prix pole in China, and he has now also joined Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher as the only drivers in history to achieve their first three pole positions in a row. The Bologna boy also beat Russell in Sprint Qualifying in Miami last week.

Here’s how the championship standings look after the Miami GP! 🏆

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George Russell losing to Andrea Kimi Antonelli in qualifying is changing the dynamic at Mercedes

Antonelli became the youngest-ever F1 Grand Prix polesitter at the Chinese Grand Prix, and he backed up his result that was aided by Russell’s gearbox issue in Shanghai by taking pole in Japan. He beat Max Verstappen of Red Bull for pole in Miami, as Russell only qualified P5.

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Russell was even 0.402s slower than Antonelli in Sprint Qualifying and 0.399s in Grand Prix qualifying in Miami. And Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Russell’s run of four consecutive qualifying defeats are ‘starting to weigh heavily’, including on Mercedes’ ‘internal narrative’.

Antonelli was Mercedes’ only hope during both qualifying sessions at the Miami Grand Prix, as Russell struggled to adapt to the circuit during a weekend that the Silver Arrows’ rivals all revealed upgrades. Mercedes will reveal the bulk of their upgrades in Canada next time out.

Russell admits that Miami is not one of his favourite circuits, and that he feels the lower grip levels in Florida do not suit his driving style. But Mercedes expected more from the Briton in Miami – both for their own interests and his own after Antonelli’s results in China and Japan.

Now, Russell will have to try to reclaim his authority over Antonelli when F1 heads to a track that he does perform well at next time out. Russell took pole at the past two editions of the Canadian Grand Prix, and he converted pole into the race win in Montreal last year, as well.

Antonelli also enjoyed his maiden trip to Montreal as a Formula 1 driver in 2025, though. He qualified P4 for last year’s Canadian GP, and an early overtake on McLaren’s Oscar Piastri led the Italian to his debut podium with P3. So, Russell may face a tough test in Canada, as well.