Having skipped the post-race media duties in Mexico City, George Russell has issued a heartfelt statement for his fans and Kimi Antonelli, detailing his feelings on a tough season. Admitting that 2026 was not meant to be his year, the British driver congratulated his teammate on a well-deserved title win.
“Now feels like a pretty suitable moment to speak from the heart. This season started off exactly how I had hoped, but it very quickly unravelled with tough luck and poor performances. It’s been the first proper season of my career where I’ve had more bad days than good.”
Through his statement, Russell wrote that he gave it his all during the 2026 season, but it was “not meant to be my year.” The No. 63 driver went on to thank his team for “producing the best car and power unit this season,” before highlighting how inspiring it was to see the Silver Arrows back on top after years of struggle.
With the championship fight over, Russell has promised his fans that he will be giving it “my absolute all” to rediscover the performance he is capable of producing. The British driver still has a battle for P2 in the championship standings on his hands as he hopes that a little bit of luck will return to him soon.
Mercedes Hit With Fine Because of George Russell
While Russell’s statement has been an honest admission of his feelings, the words have come a bit later than Mercedes would have liked. While the team understood what the British driver was going through, there was no denying the fact that Russell was in breach of the F1 regulations following the Mexico City GP.
Having started the race in P2 but ultimately finishing it in P6, Russell opted to skip the mandatory post-race media interactions. With broadcasters as well as print media waiting, the Briton was a no-show, compelling the authorities to hit the team with a €5,000 ($5,589) fine.
Given the driver’s absence, Toto Wolff was flooded with questions about the same, and the Mercedes team principal revealed that Russell was “distraught” after the race. The Briton looked primed to take home the race win, but energy deployment issues at the start of the race and a subsequent 10-second penalty ended his chances of winning in the opening lap itself.
Given the situation, Wolff admitted that he understood what Russell was going through. Branding it a catastrophic moment for any racing driver, Wolff detailed how the Mexican GP was the perfect summary of the entire season for the 28-year-old.
Reliability Issues Have Cost George Russell Dearly in 2026
Heading into the season, Russell was seen as the clear favorite to win the title, given the Mercedes challenger was by far the superior machine on the grid. The opening races went exactly the way everyone hoped, with the British driver winning the season opener in Australia.
However, reliability issues quickly became a theme of the season for the No.63 driver, who kept losing valuable points to his teammate. It all began in Canada, where Russell recorded his first DNF of 2026. Russell looked set for either a race win or a P2 finish after battling his teammate for most of the race. But a battery pack failure saw his car come to a halt, ending his race in an instant.
Then, in Hungary, a water leak and anti-stall became the undoing of Russell’s race, forcing him to stop on the track and call it a day. Another power unit issue haunted Russell’s outing in Bahrain, with the Asian leg (China and Japan) also seeing the British driver struggle with his car.
A gearbox issue (China) and vibrations leading to an untested setup (Japan) would see Russell lose out on points. Meanwhile, much like in Mexico City, the No. 63 driver would have deployment issues at the start of the Belgium race, quickly ending his chances of a race win.
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