An upgraded car and a “painful” reminder not to lose sight of the Formula One fundamentals could be George Russell’s path back to the front of the field at the Canadian GP.

Russell’s fourth-place finish at the last race in Miami handed his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli a 20-point lead in the drivers’ standings after four outings. The 19-year-old Italian is currently on a three-race winning streak.

Russell admitted that he lost ground partly because he focused too much on the standout features of the 2026 cars and neglected the basics. “Dealing with the tires, dealing with the set-up, just fundamentals of racing... they have kind of been put on the back-burner because we are so focused on energy management,” the Briton said.

“As painful as it was, it was very much needed because I think it is going to prove very beneficial,” added the 28-year-old.

Antonelli’s lead grew in Miami after McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull brought upgrades that helped them fight for the podium places. Now it is Mercedes’ turn to elevate the level of the car that has won all four races so far this campaign.

It is too early to talk about the title in just the fifth round but a fourth win in a row would put Antonelli in an exclusive club. Every driver who has won four or more consecutive GPs has been an F1 champion at some point in his career.

History, though, offers some encouragement to Russell. The one time that a driver won four consecutive races in a season but not the title came in 2016 when Lewis Hamilton was beaten by his then Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.

Meanwhile, the extra engine power agreed for 2027, with electrical power turned down and less need to recharge batteries, got a cautious welcome from Max Verstappen.