– “I’m actually not thinking about the World Championship at the moment,” said Mercedes driver George Russell before the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid (follow all sessions here in the Formula 1 live ticker!). This is not surprising: a few days ago, Russell had to endure a very painful defeat against his teammate Kimi Antonelli in Monza. As a result, his championship deficit grew to 66 points.
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Russell is therefore entering the remaining Grands Prix of the 2026 Formula 1 season as an underdog. Or as Sky expert Ralf Schumacher recently put it: “He just has to realize that at the moment he is number two.”
Russell himself, however, does not feel like number two. He is also not treated as number two at Mercedes but receives the same opportunities as Antonelli.
Why George Russell does not feel disadvantaged
The Grand Prix in Monza showed him this again: “When Kimi came into the pits during the race, I initially even thought that my strategy was right. Because in the strategy meeting in the morning, we had said that the fastest option was to start on the hard tires and not make any pit stops at all. That was faster than a strategy with a pit stop.”
So there can be no talk of disadvantage, Russell explained. “The reality is simply: Kimi is currently driving better than I am. If I had come into the pits and he had stayed out, he might still have won the race. Maybe not. Who knows?”
The answer to this question is not decisive for him, Russell emphasized. What is important from his point of view is above all to become faster and to catch up with Antonelli again.
How much George Russell believes in the turnaround
According to Schumacher, this is not impossible: “Things can also change. George is not doing so well at the moment and he has to get through this now. He is a top driver. He has proven that often enough.”
In fact, Russell finished twice better than the seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton in the overall championship standings at Mercedes over three years. However, in 2026 Russell is being dethroned by Antonelli: the 20-year-old Italian has already achieved as many wins during the season as Russell has in his entire Grand Prix career. (Statistics comparison: Russell vs. Antonelli in the Formula 1 database)
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But Russell does not seem demotivated. On the contrary: he has an “answer” to the current dominance of his teammate Antonelli, and he is working on his form, Russell said. “I believe it has already improved significantly.”
Why George Russell is currently “very satisfied”
At least the third and second places in Zandvoort and Monza mark an upward trend for Russell. Added to this are a pole position and the sprint win in Zandvoort. But overall, Antonelli still stands better with his results – albeit only narrowly: since the Formula 1 summer break, Antonelli has scored only seven points more than Russell.
That is why Russell showed himself “very satisfied” with his form for the moment: “I would say that the past two race weekends were probably two of my strongest weekends this season.”
Russell referred to the adjustment of his driving style: “Fundamentally changing the driving style is, in my opinion, feasible for many drivers. But actually being fast with this changed driving style is another matter.” He therefore sees himself as “significantly improved” compared to the time before the summer break and especially “at Kimi’s level”.
But is that enough to catch Antonelli in the championship? Russell was realistic: “It’s still a long way to go. But I definitely need some luck and have to deliver good performances.”
But the outcome of the Formula 1 drivers’ standings does not depend only on Russell’s own results. The Mercedes driver is aware of this: “Kimi is driving exceptionally well and has not had a single really bad weekend so far. But I am not focusing on that. I am focusing on finding more performance.”
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