Montreal (AFP) – George Russell said on Thursday that this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix is “just another race” for him, even though he has been trailing teenage Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli in recent races. Antonelli’s stunning run of three straight wins has put him clear at the top of the standings 20 points ahead of Russell.
The 28-year-old Briton, who has been on pole position in Montreal for the last two years and who won this season’s opener in Melbourne, needs to beat the precocious Italian to reassert his status as the Silver Arrows senior driver. Russell said his fourth place in the most recent race in Miami might have signalled a change in form.
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“It’s been a kind of turbulent start to the season, but for me, the truth is that Miami felt like my first tough race this season,” he said. “Now, I am in a good place because I think I learned more there in Miami than in the first three races. There was a lot of learning from that race. This season, we’ve been so focussed on the energy that the basics have been almost put on the back burner – to get the tyres in the window, to get the set-up right… It’s all been about energy management.”
“I haven’t thought for a moment about the championship. There’s such a long way to go and I am looking forward to getting into a rhythm with a run of races, back to back races and some consistency. Of course, I didn’t want to finish fourth in Miami and I wasn’t happy about it, but I am happy with the lessons learned. It will improve me for other tracks where I sometimes struggle during the season.”
© 2024 AFP
