What does Antonelli's improvement mean for Russell? F1 Q&A

Breaking news from the world of sport: What does Antonelli's improvement mean for Russell? F1 Q&A To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, 'He's gone missing' - Hill questions Russell's mindset at Mercedes Published 19 minutes ago Following an enforced five-week break, the Formula 1 season resumed with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli taking his third consecutive victory from pole position at the Miami Grand Prix.

The 19-year-old Italian now leads team-mate George Russell, who struggled for most of the weekend and finished fourth, by 20 points in the title race. In the sprint event, world champion Lando Norris became the first non-Mercedes driver to win a race this season in the upgraded McLaren. F1 correspondent Andrew Benson answers your latest questions.

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With Kimi Antonelli now showing his talent, and being a protege of Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, what does this mean for George Russell? - Gary The start of the 2026 Formula 1 season has not been easy for George Russell. He entered the year as championship favourite, and four races in he is looking at a 20-point deficit to his team-mate Kimi Antonelli.

That is clearly not a comfortable situation for Russell, but it's no reason to panic. Russell was open in admitting a number of times in Miami that he was struggling at the track, and said on Sunday: "It was a very tough race. The pace was really, really poor on my side.

" There is no question that Antonelli had a decisive advantage over him all weekend. But that has not been the case at any of the previous races. Russell probably would have been on pole in China, were it not for a series of car problems in qualifying .

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In Japan, the timing of a safety car in Japan handed victory to Antonelli and worked against Russell , who otherwise was on course for at least second place. There is certainly a case to be argued that, having suffered those problems, his race craft was not as clinical and decisive as it might have been in both those grands prix. But that did not stop him eventually getting second place in China, and in Japan, where he was fourth, making an overtake stick is difficult even in the new style of racing this year.

Russell said after the race in Miami: "I want to get back on to the top step of the podium. The first three races, I had the performance to do that, but this weekend I absolutely did not. "I could be standing here now with three very different results in previous races, with this one being a bit of a one-off.

"Obviously things worked out differently in Japan and China, but that's Formula 1 sometimes. " He added that the championship picture was "no major cause for concern" because "momentum swings throughout the year". Yes, Antonelli is a protege of Wolff.

The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.