“It won’t break me”
George Russell began 2026 as the title favourite. He arrives in Mexico City watching a team-mate prepare to take the crown. Kimi Antonelli has won nine races this year to Russell’s three, and he could be champion as early as Sunday, which would make him the youngest in F1 history at 20.
Speaking on media day, Russell said the season has taught him more about himself than he wanted to learn, but he rejected the idea that it will define him. At 28, he pointed to Lewis Hamilton, 41, and Fernando Alonso, 44, still going strong, and noted that Hamilton won most of his titles in his thirties. By his own count he has 12 to 15 years left in the sport.
He also sees a pattern in his own results. After a bad weekend in Madrid, where Antonelli won, he came back with pole and victory in Baku. Russell joked that he may need to work out why his best form follows his worst races.
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Same garage, separate worlds
Austin was the latest sore point. Russell finished eighth while Antonelli won, and he admitted Mercedes needs more consistency from his side of the garage. He said Antonelli has simply performed at a higher level this year.
The relationship between the two stays cordial, according to Russell. They keep to themselves on race weekends and lean on their own engineers. Toto Wolff has also rejected accusations that Mercedes favour Antonelli.
Antonelli’s health the only question
The only cloud over Antonelli’s weekend is a viral illness that kept him away from Thursday’s media day. He is expected to be fit for Friday practice, and he says he wants to finish the year strongly to build momentum for 2027. Russell currently sits second in the standings, one point ahead of Hamilton.
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