– Although George Russell won the 2026 Formula 1 season opener in Melbourne and is currently second in the drivers’ championship, the Briton could rather be counted among the losers of the first three races of the season. Because Russell had actually started the new year as the top favorite.
Read more Max Verstappen advised Gianpiero Lambiase to switch
The bookmakers already saw the 28-year-old ahead in the winter, and numerous Formula 1 experts also tipped Russell as the 2026 world champion before the first Grand Prix. After the first three races, however, he is behind his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli in the championship.
Ralf Schumacher can therefore imagine that Russell is slowly becoming “nervous” because he “just can’t get it together,” according to the expert in the podcast Backstage Boxengasse from Sky. Antonelli recently celebrated two wins in a row, while Russell even missed the podium in Suzuka.
Although there were reasons for this that Russell partly could not control himself. But Schumacher still believes that the Briton went into the forced Formula 1 break in April feeling annoyed. “Of course, he’s fed up with it,” says Schumacher with regard to the current championship standings.
Photo gallery: Suzuka: The driver ratings from Marc Surer and the editorial team
“He thought now: ‘Okay, this year is my year. The Mercedes is great,'” the expert suspects. But instead, Antonelli is now ahead for the time being. “That shows that he is probably not as good as he should be at first,” Schumacher criticizes.
Because Russell is already driving his eighth Formula 1 season in 2026 and his fifth for Mercedes. Antonelli, on the other hand, is only in his second year in the premier class and therefore, according to Schumacher, has “a lot of potential” to improve even further.
Read more Exclusive: Yamaha signs Ai Ogura as teammate of Jorge Martin 2027
Schumacher: Russell is putting on an act in interviews
“The biggest problem for George is that he is not fast enough at the moment. He knows that himself,” Schumacher suspects. Publicly, the Briton appeared deliberately calm after the race in Suzuka and the associated loss of the championship lead.
But Schumacher doesn’t buy it. “I believe that George is not authentic in terms of personality,” explains the six-time Grand Prix winner, adding that Russell is actually “much more dogged” but doesn’t want to show it publicly.
“I think he’s playing a certain game there,” says Schumacher, who explains that Russell shows his true face on the radio, for example. “In the car, he has it less under control than outside,” says the expert, who explains: “He’s trying to play something there that doesn’t fit.”
Japan data: Why Antonelli would have won even without a safety car!
In his opinion, that is not the right approach. Schumacher reveals that long-time Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug gave him an important piece of advice in his own career. He said to him: “Ralf, you can do anything in life.”
“You can also be an asshole sometimes, but be it in a way that people can understand,” Haug advised him and explained: “If you are not authentic, if you are always playing a role, no one will believe you in the long run.”
Read more Starting grid NLS3 2026: KCMG-AMG secures pole
Schumacher currently sees exactly this problem with Russell.
