George Russell admits he is in a “very weird state of mind” as a frustrating run of bad luck continues to derail his first Formula 1 title fight.
Russell came into the season as the driver to beat. Most fans and pundits agreed that Mercedes’ immense pace advantage, combined with the Briton’s experience, would result in a maiden championship. However, the season has been far from ideal for the Mercedes driver.
From mid-race disasters to DNFs throughout the season, Russell has watched valuable points slip away, often for circumstances outside his control. All while his teenage team-mate Kimi Antonelli boasts a 68-point advantage over the Briton.
Russell’s run continued during the Monaco Grand Prix, where he was awarded two-time penalties, ultimately hindering his performance in the principality.
Despite this, the Mercedes driver insists he still believes in himself and the pace of his car. Regardless of the setbacks faced early in the season.
“I still very much believe in myself and know what I can do, and we’re not even 30% of the way through, but there have been a lot of points down the drain,” Russell told media, including Motorsport Week.
A difficult period for Russell and Mercedes
Throughout his eight-year stint in F1, Russell has seen several rough patches. From fighting for final places in his early days with Williams, to fighting for podiums and wins against his former team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Even with these experiences, the Brit believes this season has been the toughest he has ever faced.
A tough pill to swallow considering this is his first real opportunity at the coveted Motorsport title.
“I am in a very, very weird state of mind,” Russell explained.
“I’ve had very low moments in my career where maybe I’ve had a run of two or three bad races on my own personal performance. But I’ve never had a run of bad luck such as this.
It didn’t happen when the car was P7 two years ago, or a P3 or P4 car last year, and now I’ve got the car, it feels very painful, but there is still a long way to go.”
Whilst this slum of luck has been painful, the 28-year-old still believes in himself and the car. Explaining the season is long, and there will be more opportunities for success.
“I still very much believe in myself and that we’re going to be fighting for race wins until the end of the year, but right now, it is tough.
When I look at things objectively, when things are balanced out a little bit, I still think I’ll have been very close, and have at least two more victories.”
The what-ifs of Russell’s campaign so far
Despite facing setbacks this season, the Mercedes driver was willing to accept responsibility for mistakes within his control. Notably, Russell pointed to qualifying in Monaco, which saw him start sixth, whilst Antonelli secured pole position.
However, he expressed frustration over setbacks caused by external factors out of his control.
“I know that qualifying was a bad day for me, I accept that,” Russell explained.
“But the result of the last two races, I wish I could take some responsibility for the car breaking down in Canada, or the penalties [in Monaco], but it is completely outside of my control, and that is an incredibly difficult pill to swallow.”
Although he rejected the idea of luck determining success, Russell acknowledged that several key moments have had a major impact on his points tally.
“I don’t believe in good or bad luck, but when I look at the season as a whole, I was leading the race in Canada and broke down”
He also pointed to missed opportunities in Monaco and Japan as examples of how quickly fortunes can change in Formula 1. Emphasising that without certain situations, he could have been closer to his team-mate.
“I could have been on the podium [in Monaco], and zero points, I was leading in Japan, and the safety car came out 10 seconds after a pit-stop.
That’s not a lot, and the whole season could look totally different with 70 more points.”
Russell currently sits third in the championship, almost 70 points adrift from his team-mate.
As the series enters the European leg of the calendar, the Briton must be able to overcome his run of poor form or risk his team-mate running away with the title.
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