George Russell Reverses Claim That Driving Style Explains Pace Deficit to Kimi Antonelli
George Russell has reversed his earlier claim that his driving style was the reason for his pace deficit to Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli. Speaking after qualifying for the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, where Antonelli took pole and Russell finished 0.5 seconds behind, Russell stated that the team has ruled out driving style as the cause after extensive changes. He described the situation as 'battling with one hand behind your back' and noted that the gap has been present since Austria, with losses of up to seven-tenths in practice. Russell qualified fourth but will start third due to a penalty for Lando Norris. Sky Sports F1 analyst Karun Chandhok expressed confusion over the contradiction with earlier team statements. Russell trails Antonelli by 25 points in the championship.
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George Russell Reverses Claim That Driving Style Explains Pace Deficit to Kimi Antonelli
George Russell has reversed his earlier claim that his driving style was the reason for his pace deficit to Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli. Speaking after qualifying for the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, where Antonelli took pole and Russell finished 0.5 seconds behind, Russell stated that the team has ruled out driving style as the cause after extensive changes. He described the situation as 'battling with one hand behind your back' and noted that the gap has been present since Austria, with losses of up to seven-tenths in practice. Russell qualified fourth but will start third due to a penalty for Lando Norris. Sky Sports F1 analyst Karun Chandhok expressed confusion over the contradiction with earlier team statements. Russell trails Antonelli by 25 points in the championship.