Russell urges Mercedes to look beyond bad luck in 2026

George Russell has told Mercedes not to blame his problems this season on bad luck. He says only six of his race weekends in 2026 have passed without an issue, and he believes the repeated faults now need to be examined more deeply.

Russell has conceded the Drivers' Championship to teammate Kimi Antonelli with four rounds remaining. He won the season-opening race in Australia and has taken two victories since, while Antonelli has won nine. In Mexico, a power derate on the run to Turn 1 dropped Russell from second to fifth at the start, and he said his frustration centred on losing the chance to fight for the win.

Russell has urged Mercedes not to be naive in finding the causes of his car troubles. He pointed out that Pierre Gasly, in a Mercedes-powered Alpine, suffered the same issue in Mexico, and said the problems are widespread across the grid.