George Russell blasts Miami GP track as Kimi Antonelli has advantage | F1 | Sport

Kimi Antonelli thought he had got the better of Russell to pip the Brit to fourth place. However, minutes after the chequered flag was flown, it was confirmed that the Italian had been given a five-second time penalty for too many track limits violations while defending against his Mercedes team-mate, dropping him to sixth while Russell inherited fourth and Max Verstappen split them.

It was a race of attrition for every driver as track temperatures exceeded 51 degrees, leaving them all dripping with sweat after climbing back out of their cars. It also made grip hard to come by and Russell pointed to that factor as he explained why he’s not a fan of the Miami international Autodrome.

He said: “Miami is a low-grip circuit and the cars are sliding around a lot, even the McLarens who are quickest. It’s a track I’ve never really liked in terms of how you have to drive the cars. It’s one I struggle at – it’s definitely one my team-mate excels at. Sometimes you have to accept that’s the case and maximise the points. I don’t think I could have achieved more than the result I got today.”

Not that Antonelli really looked any more comfortable than his team-mate, despite Russell’s claim that the Italian feels more at home on this track. He stayed ahead of Russell throughout the Sprint, exept for one brief moment which saw Russell overtake before Antonelli got him back a few corners later, but slid off track too many times while trying to stay ahead.

He would not have had to battle his team-mate at all had it not been for another slow launch off the line. Antonelli has openly admitted he has made mistakes on that front in previous races this year, but this time felt the poor start was not his fault.

The 19-year-old said: “The start procedure was all good, so we need to check what happened. The drop was good on my side. For once, I did everything right so it was a shame again to have a really bad start. It compromised the race. We’re struggling a little bit this weekend, but the pace was not too bad at the end. It was difficult out there.”

Antonelli still leads the drivers’ championship, though that penalty has now seen his advantage narrowed slightly to just seven points. Despite their one-two finish, the relatively few points handed out for a Sprint race means McLaren remain a long way off the top in the constructors’ championship, sitting third with 61 points while Mercedes remain well clear at the top with 143.