Russell dismisses P2 championship fight as Hamilton and Verstappen close to within a point

George Russell has played down the significance of his second-place position in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship after finishing eighth at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, with Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc all closing in following a penalty-hit race at the Circuit of the Americas.

The Mercedes driver was handed a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage during a battle with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, a result that tightened the standings considerably. Only one point now separates Russell from third-placed Hamilton, while Verstappen and Leclerc sit six and nine points back respectively in fourth and fifth.

Despite the precarious gap, Russell was unequivocal about where his priorities lie. “For me, as long as we win the constructors’, that’s the main thing,” he said. “For the team, obviously I’d like to finish best of the rest, but P2, P3, P5 is not champion, so it doesn’t mean anything.”

Russell’s team-mate Kimi Antonelli won the race in Austin and now stands on the verge of the drivers’ title, meaning the intra-Mercedes rivalry for the championship has effectively resolved itself at the front. What remains is a tight scrap for the minor positions — one Russell is choosing not to invest emotionally in.

Speaking to media ahead of the Austin weekend, Russell had already reflected candidly on a turbulent season. He described clawing back a 70-point deficit to within 25 points after Silverstone, only for the gap to extend again before a difficult run through Baku and Singapore — where a grid penalty compounded his frustrations.

“This season just wasn’t meant to be. I’m not bitter about it,” Russell said. “I’ll look back on the areas I could have done better and should have done better, as opposed to things that have been out of my control. I’d say as much has gone against me in terms of bad luck, there’s been as much of my performances that haven’t been to the standard that I know I’m capable of. So, that’s the reality of it.”

With the constructors’ championship still in play, Russell’s focus on the team prize rather than his individual standing reflects both pragmatism and the broader stakes Mercedes are chasing as the season enters its final stretch.