George Russell has all-but conceded his chances of winning the 2026 Formula 1 world title, though he has found “an answer” as to why this year has been such a struggle.
The Mercedes driver trails his championship-leading team-mate Kimi Antonelli by 66 points with 10 rounds remaining, despite entering the new regulations as the pre-season title favourite.
But Russell claimed in Monaco earlier this season, amid Antonelli’s five-race winning streak, that his smoother driving style does not suit the 2026 cars as much as the 20-year-old’s aggressive approach.
So the Briton has spent much of the year working on that, showing some signs of improvement post-summer break by outqualifying Antonelli in the last three sessions, but he is still behind on race pace.
That was evident in Monza last weekend, when Antonelli overtook Russell - who started second - to claim a sensational win from 19th and very much put one hand on his maiden title.
When asked if he could explain why Antonelli is quicker, Russell responded ahead of this weekend’s Madrid race: “I do have an answer and I'm working on it.
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
“I think it's been much improved. So I'm very pleased with that sort of step I've taken because fundamentally changing the driving style, I think, is achievable for a lot of drivers.
“But then actually being fast with it is another topic and I feel my performance since the summer break has been, you know, I've qualified ahead of him in the three qualifying sessions.
“My race pace has been on a par with him in these two races and I couldn't say that pre-break. So, as I said, I'm definitely very pleased with that progression. We'll have to see where the rest of the season takes us.”
The 28-year-old can see that the writing is on the wall though when it comes to the championship outcome, which many would not have predicted coming into the campaign.
That’s because Russell arguably enjoyed his best season yet in 2025, maximising the W16 to finish fourth while seventh-placed Antonelli endured a very up-and-down rookie season.
“I definitely need some luck and I need some good performances,” added Russell. “It's not really something I'm thinking about because, as I said, right now he's performing better than me.
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan / LAT Images via Getty Images
“So he deserves to be leading the championship. There's still a long way to go, but he's yet to have a bad weekend in terms of performance. So he's performing exceptionally well.
“My performances are better, but if I want to win this championship, I'm going to need some luck on the way.
“But it's not something I'm focused on. I'm focused on driving faster and just finding more performance.”
Antonelli isn’t exactly thinking about the championship either though, as he reckons his comeback in Italy, where an engine change gave him a grid penalty, is proof of why he shouldn’t be getting carried away.
“I don't even know how many races are left. Eight? Ten, so still a long way to go,” said Antonelli.
“I don't really want to drive thinking about the championship. Monza was proof that I wasn't driving, thinking about or worrying about the championship, I was just driving to win, to do my best and that's the mindset.
“Of course, there might be an occasion in the future where, before taking a certain decision, I might think about the championship.
“But the thing I want to avoid is driving, going on track for a free practice or a qualifying or even a race, thinking about or worrying about the championship. That's the thing I want to avoid at all costs!”
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Originally published by motorsport.com —
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