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George Russell’s advantage over his teammate Kimi Antonelli has been spotted and explained at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Throughout the opening two rounds of the 2026 Formula 1 season, George Russell has been a dominant force as he claimed pole position and won the opening Grand Prix, before taking Sprint pole and winning the Sprint Race in China.
The closest rival that Russell has had across the opening weekends has been his Mercedes teammate, Kimi Antonelli, who finished in second place at the Australian Grand Prix.
However, Russell’s advantage over the field and his teammate may have been spotted and explained during Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix.
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Sam Bird on George Russell’s ‘altered’ braking technique
During the BBC’s coverage of the Chinese Grand Prix, Formula E driver, Sam Bird, spotted what Russell is doing differently to his teammate.
Russell has been ‘prolonging’ his braking zone, which allows him to recharge his battery quicker and forces his teammate into mistakes.
Bird said, “The thing I think George Russell is doing really well is I think he has altered his braking style for these cars here in 2026.
“I feel like he is braking slightly softer at the beginning and basically prolonging his braking zone in comparison to Kimi Antonelli, who always looks to gain time on him under braking.
“Then, because George has recharged the battery quicker, he is able to deploy more in certain zones.”
George Russell suffered reliability issues but will start the Chinese GP from P2 on the grid
Who was your star of qualifying?
Kimi Antonelli claims pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix
After a dominant start to the year, Russell was dethroned in the final Qualifying session at the Chinese Grand Prix as he qualified in second place.
It was Antonelli who secured his first pole position in Formula 1, and became the youngest driver to claim a Formula 1 pole position for a Grand Prix, taking the record away from Sebastian Vettel.
However, Russell ran into technical issues during Q3 on Saturday afternoon as he stopped on track at the start of the session. After eventually returning to the track, he was able to secure second place on the grid.
It was a big day for Antonelli, as many had suggested he was too young to deserve a seat with Mercedes as a teenager. But Toto Wolff has always believed in his driver, and he ‘had a lump in his throat’ after the Italian secured pole.
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