Russell celebrates pace “very similar” to Antonelli at Dutch GP: “A step forward”

Key takeaways

• Pace recovery: George Russell welcomed matching Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s pace at Zandvoort, calling it a personal step forward after recent struggles.
• Sprint win & team orders: Although Russell cut the deficit by winning the Sprint, letting Antonelli past under team orders in Sunday’s Grand Prix reset the gap back to 59 points.
• Upcoming challenges: Russell expects a tough stretch ahead as Mercedes balances mismatched update schedules relative to rivals.

Although he was unable to reduce Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s lead in the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, George Russell viewed the Dutch Grand Prix weekend as “very positive.” Speaking in a press conference attended by GRANDE PRÊMIO, the British driver highlighted that he matched his Mercedes teammate’s pace—something he had struggled to do in recent rounds.

Arriving at Zandvoort trailing the Italian rookie by 59 points in the Drivers’ Championship, Russell initially trimmed the margin by three points after winning Saturday’s Sprint race. However, after being instructed by Mercedes to let Antonelli past on Sunday to help defend against charging Ferraris, Russell finished third behind Antonelli’s second-place result, leaving the championship deficit unchanged.

“To be honest, I’m feeling good. Overall, it was a very positive weekend. I hadn’t been on the podium for three races or so. Considering we aren’t as dominant as we once were, I think it was a very solid weekend,” Russell said. “There were times when I wasn’t on the podium while Kimi was fighting up front with the best car. Now, the pace between the two of us was very similar, and that is a good step forward for me.“

“It was a cleaner weekend. I’m not dealing with as many issues as I faced at the end of the first half of the season, and that is allowing me to focus on the job,” Russell explained. He also cautioned that development delays could impact performance in the coming rounds: “I think the next two or three weekends will be challenging for both of us, simply because we are out of sync regarding updates compared to our rivals.”

Russell’s debrief comes as Mercedes justified the team orders at Zandvoort to save race time for Russell and Lewis Hamilton accepted responsibility for his heated radio messages. Meanwhile, Ferrari faces dyno delays on its updated engine ahead of Monza, while Luke Browning prepares to replace Alexander Albon in FP1 for Williams.

Formula 1 returns from September 4–6 at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, the 13th round of the 2026 season. GRANDE PRÊMIO provides complete live coverage of all track action. Follow all updates on our news page.

World Championship Standings (Top 5 after Dutch GP)

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

1. What is the points gap between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli after the Dutch GP?

George Russell trails Kimi Antonelli by 59 points in the Drivers’ Championship, the same margin as before the weekend.

2. Why did Russell swap positions with Antonelli during the Dutch GP?

Mercedes ordered the swap on lap 66 to let the faster Antonelli chase leader Lando Norris without losing race time fighting Russell, which protected Russell from being caught by Lewis Hamilton.

3. When is the next race on the 2026 F1 calendar?

Formula 1 resumes from September 4–6, 2026, for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.