A champion celebrates, a team-mate disappears
Mercedes had a world champion in Mexico City on Sunday, and a driver who did not want to talk. Toto Wolff says George Russell was “distraught” after watching Kimi Antonelli seal the 2026 title, and described the moment as “catastrophic” for a racing driver. Russell skipped his post-race media duties, and the FIA fined Mercedes 5,000 euros for the absence.
Wolff did not seem surprised. “Him staying would have actually surprised me,” he said. Russell did make one stop before leaving the circuit, going to congratulate Antonelli in person.
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A race that slipped away
Russell had every reason to be frustrated. He started second but fell to sixth on the opening lap after a slow getaway caused by a fault he could not control. He was then judged to have caused a collision with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and picked up a ten-second time penalty. He finished sixth.
Wolff said Mercedes had the pace to win. The team lost ground on the first straight, he explained, because energy delivery fell short of what it had expected.
Antonelli’s day
While Russell’s afternoon unravelled, Antonelli took third place and, at 20, became the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history, with four rounds still to run. Max Verstappen won the race and Lewis Hamilton finished second. Russell dropped from second to fourth in the Drivers’ standings.
He is due to speak to the media on Thursday in Brazil, ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix from November 6 to 8.
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