George Russell's major threat as he seeks a maiden Formula 1 Title in 2026 came from within Mercedes in the form of teammate Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli heads into the Miami Grand Prix as the youngest ever F1 Championship leader after two wins in China and Japan as Russell trails him by nine points.

With an internal title fight brewing within Mercedes, the team's second since the Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg era, Russell is adamant it would be a fair one.

Speaking to a select group of media outlets, including GrandPrix247, Russell said: “Firstly, 100% [Mercedes will] give the same opportunity to the two of us. That's always been the case for Mercedes ever since the Lewis [Hamilton] and [Nico] Rosberg days."

In 2025, Miami became the track where Antonelli took a breakthrough Sprint pole while he also outqualified Russell for the Grand Prix.

But the Briton is not worried about this year's Miami Grand Prix despite the momentum being with his teammate.

When asked if he had any concerns, Russell said: “Not at all because that was his strongest track last year, but I had 20-plus other tracks that were very strong for me.

“A championship is won over the whole season, and as long as I maximize my points by the end of the season, what happens race by race, no one remembers.

“That is my goal," he added. "That is what I'm confident in achieving over the course of the championship. Consistency, good results on the bad days, victory on the good days, and that is going to continue to be my goal every single weekend.

“So, as I said, I'm not thinking about Kimi; I'm not thinking about the championship. I'm focused on myself," Russell concluded.

While Antonelli has been enjoying a good run of form, it will be crucial for him to maintain a consistent level of performance, something Russell has the experience to do over the course of an F1 season.