Russell questions Mercedes luck after losing 2026 title

George Russell has questioned how often he has been hit by bad luck during the 2026 Formula 1 season, which ended with Mercedes team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli clinching the world championship in Mexico City with four races to go. Antonelli, aged 20, became the youngest F1 champion in history. Russell had won the season opener in Australia but was affected by reliability problems and struggled to match the Mercedes car.

In Mexico, Russell qualified second but lost ground at the start because of a deployment issue. An opening-lap collision with Red Bull's Isack Hadjar led to a 10-second penalty, and he finished sixth. He described the season as having "atrocious luck" and said the team needed to ask whether something was being overlooked, as the problems had occurred too often.

Russell also said he would look hard at himself over the winter, while stressing that he did not believe lack of preparation was the cause. He added that he was feeling exhausted by the campaign.