(Motorsport-Total.com) – George Russell was quite surprised by the strong performance of McLaren and Ferrari. While the Brit starts the sprint race in Miami only from sixth place, Lando Norris is on pole.
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“The leap that McLaren and Ferrari have made is really surprising,” said Russell after the sprint qualifying. “That is very impressive.”
Furthermore, the Mercedes driver emphasizes: “We knew they would close the gap, but not that they would overtake us.”
Outpaced by teammate
Nevertheless, no Ferrari driver is next to Norris in the first starting row. Instead, it is Kimi Antonelli who was able to place his Mercedes in second position for the sprint race. In the end, Russell was about four tenths behind his teammate.
“We had big problems on this side of the garage today,” said the Brit. “Honestly, I’m not a fan of this track, especially in warmer temperatures, but it’s only the sprint qualifying. So, let’s see what tomorrow brings.”
Russell explains his performance in more detail as follows: “I overheated my tires in the twisty middle section of the track. I had trouble finding the right balance for the car. There’s not much more to say about it. As I said, the progress of the other teams is surprising, but tomorrow is a new day.
Little hope for the sprint
The Mercedes driver’s forecast for the sprint sounds anything but rosy: “I’m not in a good position. Sprint races don’t offer much, but obviously China was a bit more interesting this year because you could really race there.”
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Furthermore, Russell emphasizes: “I want to get a good start. Hopefully, I don’t lose any more positions and then see what we can do.”
Starts have so far been a major weakness for Mercedes. The spectacular duels between Mercedes and Ferrari in the first two races were not least possible due to this problem and the outstanding starts of the team from Maranello.
The end of the Mercedes streak
With the pole of the reigning world champion, for the first time in the 2026 season no Silver Arrow from Brackley is at the top of the qualifying session. Norris was able to take a full two tenths from the championship leader in the end.
Ferrari was convincing in the first two segments of the sprint qualifying but still only stands with Leclerc and Hamilton in fourth and seventh starting positions. Max Verstappen also squeezed in between Russell and the leading group with fifth place on the grid.
Nevertheless, Mercedes is considered the favorite for Sunday in Miami, especially due to the strong race pace. Besides the competition from Woking and Maranello, the weather could especially spoil the plans of the Mercedes driver.
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