Russell has been outdriven by his 20-year-old Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli, who has taken nine wins thus far to Russell’s three. Despite suffering with no little bad luck this season, Russell has offered praise to Antonelli, admitting the Italian has been the better driver and is thoroughly deserving of taking his first title in only his second season in F1.
George Russell has insisted he will not let his difficult Formula One season define his career and believes he still has plenty of years left to come back and win the world championship.
The British driver has struggled for consistency in adapting to the demands of the energy management required by the new cars. This issue, alongside the tyres in use this year, does not suit the 28-year-old’s driving style and has contributed to a bruising campaign.
Reflecting on the challenges of the year, Russell noted that he has generally bounced back strongly through his lowest points, only to encounter another bad race afterward. He maintained he would learn from the experience to return stronger in 2027.
"Lewis won the majority of his titles in his thirties and this year is absolutely not going to define my career as a whole,"Russell said."I don’t think any athlete, no matter how great, has every single year of their career performing at their highest level.". Kimi Antonelli did not take part in media duties on Thursday as the team said he was unwell with a viral illness.