Russell: I've been a little on the back foot

Russell has been solid so far in the 2025 Formula 1 season, taking over the team leader role after Lewis Hamilton's departure to Ferrari and the arrival of rookie Antonelli, but the latter has consistently been the faster Mercedes driver in Miami, taking the Sprint Pole and outqualifying his teammate in Qualifying for the Grand Prix.

However, in race conditions, Russell has been able to show that experience counts, and while he was lucky with the timing of the Virtual Safety Car, which meant he overtook Max Verstappen for third, he had put himself in such a position and reaped the rewards.

Red Bull Racing protested that Russell did not slow enough under Yellow Flag conditions after the race, but their protest was not upheld by the stewards.

"I am really happy to come away with P3 today in Miami," Russell said in Mercedes' race report. "I've been struggling a little more than usual this weekend and not felt as comfortable in the car as at previous races this season.

"I've been a little on the back foot, but when it mattered, we've put in a good performance and come away with another strong result.

"Verstappen was close behind me after we pitted, but I felt positive on the Medium tyre and knew I could manage my pace to keep him behind.

"Ultimately the McLarens had a decent advantage over the rest of the field, so congratulations to them. It will be a tough ask to close them down, but we will keep working on doing that.

"We're looking forward to the upcoming triple header in Europe, starting at Imola," the Briton concluded.

Antonelli emerged from the first corner fight in second place after Lando Norris lost out to Verstappen, but he was soon passed by both McLaren drivers and pitted before the Virtual Safety Car. He finished sixth.

Commenting on his race, the Italian F1 rookie said: "Unfortunately, we didn't just have the pace today to fight for much more than what we achieved.

"I made a good start and was running P2, but the McLarens had too much pace for us, and we dropped behind them. I still felt good on the Medium compound in the opening stint, but I struggled a little more on the Hard tyre in the second half of the race.

"Our pace wasn't great, and that contributed to our P6 finish. We will have to analyze why that was as a team and see where we can improve.

"Overall, though, I am pleased with how the weekend went," Antonelli insisted. "Our qualifying pace was strong, and it was nice to take my first Sprint pole position.

"I'm still gaining experience in terms of my race management, and I am sure that will continue to get better as the season progresses. I am now excited for the next race at Imola and my first ever home Grand Prix.

"I am sure the atmosphere and support will be incredible, so I am very much looking forward to the weekend there," the 18-year-old concluded.

While he was satisfied with the performance of both of his drivers in Miami, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was wary of the fact that Russell finished over half a minute behind the McLarens.

He said: "George drove a great race today and did everything he needed to do to claim third. It was another mature performance where he got everything out of the car that was there.

"Obviously, the gap to the McLarens was large, though," he pointed out. "That is disappointing, but we are working hard to bring updates that will hopefully close that deficit.

"We've seen these performance gaps fluctuate over these first six races, and some weekends other teams get right in the mix at the front, but they are the team to beat right now.

"Kimi, meanwhile, showed his talent this weekend but had a race where he will take away some good learnings," Wolff said of his latest protégé. "That is completely normal for a rookie driver, and one that is just 18 years old.

"The race management will come as he continues to build his experience, and we're now looking forward to the upcoming triple-header in Europe.

"The next race will mark Kimi's first ever home Grand Prix at Imola, and I am sure he will be looking forward to that," Wolff concluded.

Mercedes remain second in the F1 Constructors' Championship, 105 points behind McLaren, while Russell is fourth but only six points behind Verstappen in third. Antonelli is sixth.