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Former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr thinks something is going on ‘behind the scenes’ involving George Russell at Mercedes in light of the Briton’s recent poor results compared to teammate Kimi Antonelli.
The Italian driver took his third consecutive victory in the Grand Prix format in Miami this weekend, while his vastly more experienced teammate was unable to score a podium finish as he passed the chequered flag in P4.
It marked Russell’s second fourth-place finish in a row during the 2026 F1 campaign and allowed Antonelli to further bolster his lead over the 28-year-old in the drivers’ championship, which now stands at 20 points.
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In the midst of the race weekend in South Beach, Juan Pablo Montoya believed Russell had ultimately ‘given up’ before the Grand Prix had even started due to his deficit to Antonelli in qualifying.
The 19-year-old’s pole position benchmark of 1:27.798 was some four tenths quicker than his Mercedes teammate’s best effort, quite a sizeable gap between two drivers who have been tipped to be the main championship candidates this year.
- READ MORE: George Russell warned that Kimi Antonelli’s ceiling may actually be ‘a lot higher’ at Mercedes
Nelson Piquet Jr suspects ‘behind the scenes’ Mercedes issues for George Russell
In a recent episode of the Pelas Pistas podcast, former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr theorised on the reason why Russell has struggled in comparison to his teammate at recent race weekends.
While he is under the impression that the Briton will bounce back next time out in Montreal, the former Renault driver can’t help but think something is going on within the confines of Mercedes’ set-up in Brackley.
Do you think Kimi Antonelli will become Mercedes’ No. 1 driver?
“Will he get out of this rut?” Piquet Jr wondered, before adding, “He’ll come back, get his head straight, maybe it wasn’t the setup. We know Miami was a tricky track, which is why I tipped Kimi, because he’d already done really well there last year.
“It’s a track that feels different, a track with low grip, a tricky one. Maybe Kimi really had got the feel of that track right. When you arrive at a street circuit with the self-confidence he clearly had this weekend, it’s a huge advantage.
“Even though we’re talking about drivers at an extremely high level, among the best in the world, when you arrive with that self-confidence on a street circuit like this, it makes a massive difference.
“So, either Kimi has really found his form and he’s going to be one of those who’ll join the top tier. Or, with Russell, I don’t know, either he’s lost his head.
“Maybe something’s going on behind the scenes, something happened one, two races ago, now three, and the gap has widened that much. It’s worrying for us to see what’s going to happen, what Russell’s future will be there.”
- READ MORE: George Russell’s ‘weird’ radio message after the Miami Grand Prix is a warning to Kimi Antonelli
Nelson Piquet Jr also thinks Miami marked the end of George Russell being classed as a top F1 driver
Heading into the 2026 season, many figures inside the F1 paddock had Russell at the top of their lists for their favourite candidate to secure the title this year.
Russell has long been tipped as the best driver on the grid not to have a world title to his name, but Piquet Jr opined that he can no longer be classed as a top-tier driver due to his deficit to Antonelli in recent rounds.
He added during his words on the Pelas Pistas podcast, “I thought during this race, like, it could be the beginning of the end for Russell.
“When I say end, I mean of us thinking he’s one of those four or five, perhaps the best alongside Leclerc, Max, Hamilton, and Alonso.”
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