Russell Is Starting to Tire of Back-to-Back Disappointments

George Russell admitted that he is tired of getting back on his feet after the string of disappointments he has suffered this season. The Mercedes driver finished sixth at the Mexican Grand Prix, despite starting from the front row, after his car's pace suddenly dropped during the race.

His teammate, 20-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli, finished third in the same race and became the youngest race winner in Formula 1 history. Russell said he hopes such blows happen at most twice in the season, not once every two weeks. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, he also reminded that Mercedes could win the 2026 constructors' championship this weekend.

Russell said it is hard to be away from home for three weeks in a row. He also said that losing a win or podium chance completely for reasons beyond his control is hard on him. The English driver, who entered the season as championship favourite, said technical problems had an impact in 14 races.

However, Russell accepted that it would be naive to put everything down to bad luck. Saying he does not think the team has left him in the lurch, the 28-year-old pointed out that last year, with a very reliable car, they finished only fourth in the championship, while this year they have a very fast but unreliable car. Asking which one you would prefer, Russell also noted that he took his first Formula 1 win in 2022 at Interlagos with Mercedes.