– George Russell is 50 points behind Kimi Antonelli in the Drivers’ World Championship after the Belgian Grand Prix. Formula 1 expert Ralf Schumacher emphasizes in the podcast “Backstage Boxengasse” that the Mercedes driver is currently completely overwhelmed by the overall situation.
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“If Kimi Antonelli is the faster one,” says Schumacher, “then George Russell will eventually break under the pressure. That’s what’s happening right now.”
The Belgian Grand Prix was over for Russell after just a few meters. The Mercedes driver collided with his former teammate Lewis Hamilton at the entrance to Les Combes. After the collision, Russell had to abandon his race prematurely in the gravel trap and was anything but pleased on the radio: “Un-fucking-acceptable,” were the 28-year-old’s words.
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“That reminds me a bit of Hamilton last year,” explains Schumacher. “He was almost in tears […], and that does something to a driver. I think for him [this is] now also a very, very difficult situation.”
Aside from his collision with Hamilton, Russell has also recently struggled with technical problems. Mercedes is still investigating why the deployment of his battery does not match Antonelli’s.
Regarding the 19-year-old, Schumacher mentions: “The regulations practically play into his hands. He doesn’t have to think much about it.”
“This combination is simply incredible and works. And George Russell? He’s tensing up right now and looking for a mistake.”
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In this situation, the team, especially team principal Toto Wolff, continues to stand behind Russell. Experts like Juan Pablo Montoya praise the team for this and emphasize that other racing teams tend to criticize their drivers much more aggressively.
But ultimately, as Schumacher emphasizes, Russell still has to drive the car himself. In the podcast, for example, he talks about “these natural processes that Kimi has in the car because he feels at home.”
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Russell, on the other hand, has to think carefully in every corner about how to drive the 2026 Silver Arrow. “I believe,” says Schumacher, “that is his problem at the moment.”
Wolff has also already recognized that his protégé sometimes overthinks in the car. This eventually led to the radio message “George, just drive” during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix. This very message was of enormous importance for Russell in Q3. In the end, the 28-year-old secured not only pole position but also the victory in Spielberg.
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Finally, Schumacher explains: “There are simply regulations that don’t really suit a driver. And I believe that’s the problem he’s currently facing. I’m curious to see if he can get out of it [again] and if he can really return to [his previous] level.”
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