Russell admits his own form is failing him, not just Mercedes' reliability

George Russell arrived at the Singapore Grand Prix media day at Marina Bay Street Circuit with an 84-point deficit to Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli and an engine penalty hanging over his weekend — and still refused to lay the blame on the factory.

The 28-year-old Briton has endured a bruising 2026 campaign, most recently losing a near-certain podium finish to a mechanical failure at the relocated Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Yet in his pre-weekend media availability, Russell turned the scrutiny firmly on himself.

“I don’t feel my performance has been good enough this year, independent of good luck and bad luck,” Russell said. “And I feel that whenever I do have bad luck, of course, I can be disappointed about it, but I want to focus on the things I can control first.”

The admission carries particular weight given Russell’s reputation as one of the grid’s foremost qualifying specialists. During his seasons alongside seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, Russell consistently held the upper hand over a single lap. In 2026, that dynamic has reversed sharply: Antonelli, a rookie, leads the qualifying head-to-head 9-7 and has crossed the line ahead of Russell in 11 of their shared race finishes.

“All of my years in Formula 1, I’ve always had a great record against my teammates and especially qualifying,” Russell acknowledged. “I think it was sort of like 80-20 in my qualifying records. And this year, I’m, I don’t know, 40-60 or maybe even less. And so that really shows I haven’t done a good enough job this season, independent of the good luck or the bad luck.”

With any realistic championship challenge already gone, Russell says the mechanical setbacks have paradoxically made it easier to stay focused on self-improvement rather than the points column.

“So I guess that’s why it maybe isn’t affecting me as much as it would in different circumstances,” he said. “And, you know, every weekend I just wake up, look myself in the mirror and think what I can do better.”

Antonelli, meanwhile, continues to build one of the more remarkable rookie seasons in recent memory, sitting comfortably in championship contention while his more experienced partner works to rediscover the form that made him one of Mercedes’ most prized assets.