George Russell concedes he is waiting for ‘click’ moment with new F1 cars

George Russell said he is waiting or to to ‘click’ as it has done for Kimi Antonelli when it comes to driving the 2026 regulation of cars.

After a strong start in Melbourne, Russell’s form has fallen away since the Canadian Grand Prix and he has gone from title favourite to outsider.

George Russell waiting for ‘click’ with new F1 cars

Russell looked to be in prime position for the World Championship following Mercedes’ emergence as the leader and Antonelli’s status as a second-year sophomore and yet that title has slipped out of his grasp with the Briton now in third, 50 points adrift.

As for what is behind the cause, it would appear to be a difficulty in adapting to the new style of F1 car following the 2026 regulation overhaul, something that Antonelli has taken to very quickly.

Asked why that might be, Russell said he was still waiting for it to “click” for him as it has done for his team-mate.

“There always needs to be improvements, because when you’re driving with a new car and new tyres, you need to evolve,” he said. “But what I’ve observed, and this is different for everybody, but what I’ve observed from myself when I look back over the years is that my driving style naturally evolved to the limitation of the car and the tyres, again by chasing the stream.

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“I didn’t chase the solution, I didn’t deep dive into the data, spending so much time trying to work out what the problem was, and then on track thinking how I’m going to solve the problem, it just naturally evolved.

“I had an example on on the sim a couple of years ago I did two days in a row, first day I was driving really well, and I did a whole day in Barcelona, and I came in the next day on my second lap I went two times faster, and I thought to myself, How on earth did I just go two times faster on my second lap the day compared to doing 100 laps the day before.

“I spoke with somebody about this. You just subconsciously learn what happened yesterday. I didn’t think I was driving any differently, but the brain just automatically learns, and that’s where I want to find myself.

“I want to go back to that place where I’m subconsciously learning how. I’m not chasing those answers, because I know I can do it, and I’ve done it my whole career, and that’s what I’m excited about.

“And, of course, Kimi is doing such an amazing job at the moment, but his driving style is exactly the same as his driving style of last year, and it’s clicking.

“So he hasn’t chased it. It’s just clicking for him perfectly well, and I know it can click for me again, as it did in Melbourne.”

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