– For George Russell, everything seemed set for 2026: internally within the team, he no longer had Lewis Hamilton ahead of him, Mercedes had developed the best overall package over the winter, and Kimi Antonelli did not give the impression after his debut season in 2025 that he would become an uncontrollable rival in the same car.
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But after 14 Grand Prix weekends, the reality from Russell’s perspective is brutal: He did win the season opener in Australia as planned – but by the end of the European season, he is already 81 points behind the dominant championship leader Antonelli in the drivers’ standings. And even Russell himself now admits: “It is extremely unlikely that I am still in this fight.”
For Sky expert Ralf Schumacher, “George Russell is now number 2” at Mercedes, and Marc Surer also thinks that “Russell has already broken down against Kimi Antonelli.” With such a season progression, says the former Grand Prix driver in a recent interview on the YouTube channel of Formel1.de, “he simply did not expect that.”
After Hamilton, everything could have been so easy …
Surer is convinced that Russell is psychologically affected at the latest after Antonelli’s two wins in Monza and Madrid: “We must not forget, he had Lewis Hamilton easily under control. You can already imagine: ‘When I then have the right car, when I can beat a Hamilton, who else is supposed to beat me?'”
But: “Now he has suffered the shock that this young guy is driving circles around him. That is tough, and it does not pass without a trace. At that moment, you then perhaps try to go beyond the limit, you push too much. I often see a car with him that slides a bit. That is clearly because he is driving beyond the limit.”
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“And I believe that does not make these cars faster, but on the contrary, he rather loses time there. But from the feeling, you want to brake even later, take the corner faster and try to make up time. That is a bit stubborn, and that does not bring speed, but rather mistakes.”
It is a vicious circle: the more confused Russell becomes, the more aggressive his experiments possibly become, and the more he moves away from a driving style that would actually correspond to his instincts. Russell admitted this a few weeks ago as one of his problems with the new Formula 1 cars in 2026.
Surer: Biggest Antonelli rival is Lando Norris
Antonelli’s lead is now so large that Surer hardly sees any realistic chances for his pursuers. Most likely for Lando Norris, he believes: “The improvement that McLaren and he have made is impressive. And that’s why I believe he can still win a few races. But of course, it is no longer enough for the world championship.”
The full interview with Marc Surer (14 minutes) is now available in full on the YouTube channel of Formel1.de. In the video, the Swiss TV expert also explains why he considers the recent comparison drawn by Nico Rosberg between Antonelli and Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna to be invalid. (Subscribe to the channel now for free and never miss a new Formula 1 video!)
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