Russell reveals personal off-track struggles made 2025 Singapore GP win extra special

George Russell has admitted he was dealing with significant personal difficulties behind the scenes during his 2025 Singapore Grand Prix victory, describing the weekend as “very special” for reasons most people are unaware of.

Speaking to Austrian broadcaster ORF Sport, the Mercedes driver was shown photographs of himself celebrating at the Marina Bay Street Circuit alongside his partner, Carmen Montero Mundt. “There was a lot going on behind the scenes that not many people know about,” Russell said. When pressed for details, he simply replied: “No, one day.”

Russell explained that the images carry particular emotional weight because of what Mundt witnessed away from the cameras. “Psychologically, my brain was quite busy,” he said. “Then going out, putting it on pole, winning the race was a really special moment and having Carmen there as well. Why these photos and this moment were so important to me is because she was there through those moments off the track that I was dealing with — this is the part that people don’t see.”

The Singapore win was his second victory of the 2025 season and served as redemption for a painful memory at the same circuit in 2023, when he crashed on the final lap while running third, surrendering a near-certain podium.

Russell currently sits second in the 2025 drivers’ standings with 238 points, but faces a 102-point deficit to Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton is third on 229 points.

Despite the gap, Russell has made clear he has no intention of conceding the championship fight. “I’m going to keep fighting every single race until it’s mathematically impossible,” he said during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend. “I want to try and win every single race and put it on pole every single race. There’s obviously a huge deficit, but it’s not even a consideration right now. The performance is the biggest priority.”

He also reflected on where the real pressure has come from this season. “I don’t think I was really putting pressure on myself from a championship standpoint. I was putting pressure on myself from a performance perspective. You can only fight for a championship if you’ve got the performance.”