George Russell makes plea to Mercedes as extent of 2026 bad luck revealed
Mercedes driver George Russell
George Russell has told Mercedes not to chalk up the problems he has experienced in 2026 to bad luck, amid his claim that he has only gone six race weekends without an issue.
Despite entering the campaign as the favourite to take the title, Russell has conceded the Drivers’ Championship to teammate Kimi Antonelli with four rounds still remaining.
George Russell discusses title-denting misfortune in 2026
Russell lived up to his pre-season billing when he prevailed in the opening race in Australia, but he has won just twice since, while Antonelli has racked up nine victories.
However, the Briton has encountered numerous setbacks with technical gremlins on his Mercedes this season, something that Antonelli acknowledged last weekend in Mexico, where a derate on the run to Turn 1 saw Russell drop from second to fifth at the start.
Russell, who was permitted to forego his media duties post-race, has revealed that his disappointment was rooted in missing out on a chance to win the race and not his title loss.
“Yeah, I mean, post-Mexico I was just more disappointed with how the race unfolded,” he said.
“It felt like a good opportunity to fight for the victory. You know, starting P2 in Mexico is always a great chance to go for the lead at Turn 1, and then just another race with something outside of your control was very difficult to accept.”
Russell has contended that the ever-growing list of problems he has encountered across the campaign has reached a point where it can’t be reduced to misfortune.
“I went through every race this season with my engineers, and we’ve only had six races this season where we had not an issue,” he divulged.
“So, 14 of those races we’ve had things that have been what we thought was bad luck, but we need to start questioning things more deeply when it’s happening so often, especially on our side. So yeah, that was the main feeling for me.”
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As he endeavours to mount a renewed title challenge in 2027, Russell has called on Mercedes to not be “naive” in the search for answers to his repeated car troubles.
“The amount of issues that we’re seeing up and down the grid is immense,” he added. “And we have unfortunately just had the rough end of the stick.
“The issue I had in Mexico, there was one other Mercedes[-powered] car that had it, which was [Pierre] Gasly [in the Alpine]. So it’s not like I am the only one getting all of these issues, and Kimi’s had some issues as well at certain points.
“But yeah, the majority of the things have unfortunately come on our side.
“So, yeah, moving into ‘27, I think it’s also important not to be naive and just blame luck on not being victorious. I think you need to look at yourself hard in the mirror, think where you could have done a better job, [and] if these issues have been any contribution of lack of preparation on your side – I don’t believe it is, but you know we need to go through that with my team – and things will come good again. I’ve got no doubt about it.”
Russell, though, has repudiated the suggestion that the team has failed him, though he was at odds to state how many points he believes his various issues have cost him.
“I don’t think the team have let me down, honestly, because these things do happen,” he stated.
“Nobody intends for it to happen. We’re all trying our best to deliver the best.
“And last year we had a car that was extremely reliable, and we only finished fourth in the championship. This year we have a car that’s extremely fast but has been unreliable. So, which one do you prefer?
“We weren’t satisfied last year, and then, of course, even though the team will win both championships, they’re still not satisfied with this season.
“And then, as for my own championship, it’s difficult to put a number on how much it’s impacted the championship because it’s often about momentum. And when we start the season, and we had the issue in China with the failure in qualifying, we had the issues in Japan, we had the engine failure in Canada, we had the drive-through penalty that wasn’t a drive-through penalty in Monaco; these things compound.
“And if you’re in the championship fight or you’re within touching distance, you don’t feel like you’re having to do catch up, and maybe that contributed towards overdriving and trying to overachieve. Maybe not. You can’t answer it, and I’m not looking to answer it. Just altogether, it hasn’t been the year we wanted.”
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