George Russell has stated that he found it difficult to cope with the course of a season in which his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli secured the championship. The Briton admitted that his own struggles during 2026 often left him confused.
Russell started the season as a favourite and won the opening race, but Antonelli subsequently built unstoppable momentum as Russell began to falter. In an Instagram post, Russell congratulated Antonelli on what he described as an absolutely incredible season, stating that the title was fully deserved.
"This season started exactly how I hoped, but it quickly dissolved into bad luck and poor performances," Russell said. "This is the first proper season in my career where I have had more bad days than good." 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, at the Mexico City Grand Prix, he finished sixth, with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton taking first and second ahead of Antonelli. Russell dropped to fourth place in the overall 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 distribution fault at the start left him without power, and he was overtaken by the field. Additionally, due to a misjudgement, he hit Red Bull's Isack Hadjar in turn six and spun him out, resulting in a 10-second penalty.
Russell thanked the team for producing the best car and power unit of the season. He also 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 overwhelmed him and he was close to tears while on the weighbridge. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff saw him there and allowed him to skip the post-race media obligations.
"I saw George after the race on the FIA weighbridge. He was clearly devastated by the situation. It was a big sporting gesture to go see Kimi," Wolff said. "I have known George for a long time. I know that an athlete goes through a difficult period, but he was also responsible for this young man joining this team." He added: "So it is completely understandable that he does not do media duties or leaves the track. If he had stayed, that would actually have surprised me. We agreed, he can go."
Russell posted on Instagram that for the remainder of this season and the next, he promises to give his all to find the form he has been capable of for most of his career, hoping that a little luck will also return.
Antonelli said after the race that Russell had also had bad luck at some point in the season, perhaps even more than him. "But he will certainly bounce back. He is exceptionally fast. This season has shown that when he is in form, he is very hard to beat," Antonelli said. He added that next season Red Bull, especially with Max, Ferrari and McLaren will also be at the top, and the fight will be tight, making it important to be at the top of one's game, not just against a team-mate but against everyone else.
