George Russell has described the 2026 Formula 1 season as his first career year with more difficult days than positive ones. His comments follow a challenging Mexican Grand Prix where teammate Kimi Antonelli secured the Drivers’ World Championship. Russell finished sixth in Mexico after encountering a battery issue and receiving a time penalty.
The Mercedes driver started the Mexico City Grand Prix from second position. However, a deployment problem with his power unit on the opening lap caused him to lose multiple places.
Further into the first lap, Russell made contact with Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull at Turn 6. This incident sent Hadjar into a spin, for which Russell was subsequently handed a 10-second time penalty by the stewards.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff confirmed the energy delivery issue, stating the team had ‘let him down on the first straight.’ Wolff also described the race as a ‘catastrophic moment’ for Russell.
Following the race, Russell did not attend his mandatory post-race media commitments. Mercedes was fined €5,000 by the FIA for this breach of Article B10.1.4e of the F1 Regulations.
Wolff supported Russell’s decision to leave the circuit early, explaining that the driver was ‘distraught about the situation’ and his absence was ‘absolutely understandable.’ Russell did, however, congratulate Antonelli and his family after the race.
Antonelli’s third-place finish in Mexico was sufficient to clinch his maiden world title, making him the youngest-ever F1 World Champion at 20 years, two months, and seven days old. He surpassed Sebastian Vettel’s previous record.
Russell, who was considered an early favourite for the 2026 title, has faced a season marked by technical failures and inconsistent performance. He attributes these struggles to the 2026 regulations, specifically the new power units and high rear tyre pressures.
His natural driving style, which focuses on mid-to-exit corner acceleration, has been hindered by the need for more energy harvesting and the limitations imposed by the rear tyres.
Lewis Hamilton noted that ‘most of the problems have been on George’s car this season,’ highlighting a pattern of reliability issues for Mercedes, including battery and electrical problems that have cost the team over 60 points.
Despite a dominant win in Australia and a pole position by eight tenths in Baku, Russell has experienced significant fluctuations in performance throughout the year. He has also recorded three retirements this season.
Mercedes currently leads the Constructors’ Championship with 630 points and has an opportunity to secure the title at the upcoming Brazilian Grand Prix.
Now feels like a pretty suitable moment to speak from the heart. This season started off exactly how I had hoped but it very quickly unravelled with tough luck and poor performances. It is the first season in my career where I have had more bad days than good.
Russell concluded his statement by congratulating Antonelli on a ‘truly fantastic season’ and vowed to redouble his efforts for the remainder of 2026 and into the 2027 season.
