George Russell has said it was "hard to deal with" the way his season "fell apart" as his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli moved towards the championship title. Russell admitted that his struggles during 2026 had left him "often confused".
Russell started the season as a favourite and won the first race, but soon began to falter as Antonelli built unstoppable momentum. In an Instagram post, he congratulated Antonelli on an "absolutely incredible season" and stated that he "truly deserved the title".
"This season started exactly how I hoped, but it fell apart very quickly with bad luck and poor performances," Russell said. "This is the first real season in my career where I have had more bad days than good. Was it hard to deal with? Yes, very. Was it hard to bounce back week in, week out? Yes, very. Confusion at times? Often." He added: "I just know that I gave it my all and that 2026 was not my year."
Russell won three times this season, while Antonelli has nine victories. On Sunday, he finished sixth in the Mexico City Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton first and second ahead of Antonelli. Russell dropped to fourth place in the standings, while Verstappen climbed to second place ahead of Hamilton.
The race in Mexico was another example of Russell's bad luck — he started second, behind Hamilton, but a power delivery fault at the start left him without power, allowing the competition to overtake him. A misjudgement led to him hitting Red Bull's Isack Hadjar in turn six and sending him into a spin, resulting in a 10-second penalty.
Russell thanked the team for "producing the best car and power unit this season" and said it had been "inspiring to see everyone come together over four difficult years to bring Mercedes back to the top". He entered the race knowing it was highly likely that Antonelli would secure the title. After the race, emotions got the better of him and he was close to tears while on the scales.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff saw Russell at that moment and allowed him to skip his post-race media obligations. "I saw George after the race on the FIA scales. He was clearly devastated by the situation. It was a great example of sportsmanship to go and see Kimi," Wolff said. "I have known George for a long time. And I know that, for an athlete, he is going through a difficult period, but he was also responsible for this young man coming to this team. So I am very much with him now. I have been in situations where it is very, very hard to endure. So his not doing media work or leaving the track is absolutely understandable. If he had stayed, that would actually have surprised me. It is absolutely fine. Yes, we told him he could go."
Russell added on Instagram: "I can only promise now that I will give absolutely everything until the end of this season and into the next to find the performance I have been capable of for most of my career, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that a bit of luck returns."
Antonelli said of Russell after the race: "I definitely think he has also had bad luck at some point in the season. Honestly, I would say he has had a bit more than me. But he will certainly bounce back. He is super fast. This season has shown that when he is in form, he is very hard to beat. From my side, it is just about continuing to stay focused on myself, continuing to raise the bar, progress and develop, because at the end of the season it will not just be a matter of George. And next season Red Bull, especially with Max, Ferrari and possibly McLaren, will all be at the top and it will be a tight fight, so it will be important to be on top of your game, not just against your team-mate but against everyone else."
