Juan Pablo Montoya doubts George Russell can recover if Kimi Antonelli wins the Miami Grand Prix

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Juan Pablo Montoya has questioned whether George Russell will be able to ‘recover’ if Kimi Antonelli wins the Miami Grand Prix.

The 2026 Formula 1 season picks back up this weekend after a month off. The break came after cancellations in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, giving teams extra time to prepare.

Mercedes have looked strong early on, with Russell taking the first win in Australia before Antonelli followed up with back-to-back victories in China and Japan.

Antonelli, just 19 years old, now holds a nine-point lead over Russell. Despite being tipped as the title favourite at the start of the year, Russell is already playing catch-up.

Montoya unsure if Russell can bounce back from another Antonelli win

Speaking to AS Colombia, Montoya called the Miami Grand Prix ‘decisive’ in shaping the title fight.

The former Williams and McLaren driver wondered whether Russell could recover if Antonelli claims another victory this weekend.

He also mentioned the possibility of growing divisions within Mercedes as the season progresses.

Montoya said: “I think this weekend is, this is very decisive for the future of who will be world champions.

“Because, if Antonelli can beat George again, it will put a strong mark on George’s head, and I don’t know if George will recover. If George does recover, Antonelli will be a bit like ‘Well, the last two times I was lucky I won, this guy messed everything up and beat me today’.”

“They are two teams, and each one wants to beat the other, and the more competitive they are, the more the separation will happen. That is where Toto has to come in and keep the core group working together.”

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