George Russell Left in ‘Disbelief’ After Canadian GP Retirement Damages Title Hopes

Canadian Grand Prix polesitter George Russell was left in a state of “disbelief” after a mechanical failure forced his retirement from the race, with the Briton conceding that “somebody doesn’t want me to fight for this championship.”

Russell once again found himself battling championship-leading teammate Kimi Antonelli following a fiery Sprint on Saturday, where the Briton had reduced the gap by two points. However, on Lap 30, while leading the race, a suspected power-unit failure brought Russell’s Mercedes to a halt.

“Disbelief,” said the 28-year-old when questioned by the media following his retirement. “It feels like somebody doesn’t want me to fight or compete for this championship.

“Three out of the last five races there’s just been something really going against us. [I’m] just a bit lost for words right now.”

“I mean, right now it’s his to lose,” Russell conceded.

The battle between Russell and Antonelli had intensified before the Briton’s power unit expired, featuring several wheel-to-wheel moments and bold overtakes from the 18-year-old Italian.

Antonelli, in turn, secured his fourth consecutive victory to extend his championship lead to 43 points over Russell. Meanwhile, the Briton has now gone without a grand prix podium since China, despite winning the Sprint in Montreal the previous day.

Reflecting on his fight with Antonelli, Russell spoke positively about how he handled the pressure from his teammate.

“Yeah, I loved the battle,” he said. “I was happy with how I handled it, how I drove and I’m just pleased with the weekend in terms of my own personal performance.

“There were a lot of doubters maybe after Miami and a lot of chat, but I know what I can do. Pole in the Sprint, win the Sprint, pole in Qualifying, leading the race.

“Hard battles, I really loved the battle and I wanted to continue for 30 more laps. I would have loved to see how it would have panned out but here we are.”

While the six-time grand prix winner may feel it is now Antonelli’s title to lose, there are still 17 race weekends remaining, including three more Sprint events.

The cautionary tale of Oscar Piastri’s 2025 championship collapse remains a relevant example after the Australian led the standings for 15 consecutive races before ultimately losing the title to McLaren teammate and eventual champion Lando Norris.

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Written by

Jawad Yaqub

An eCommerce Specialist by day and reporting on F1 by night. Jawad is passionate about motorsport, having provided accredited F1 coverage for more than a decade and is a member of the AIPS (International Sports Press Association). Live blogging (almost) every grand prix too since 2014, as well as articles on the Supercars Championship. Also keen on sustainability, photography, collecting vinyl, (trying to) expertly barbeque and learning to Dad.

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