Russell's 2026 points tally trails last year's pace as Antonelli leads Mercedes

George Russell was widely expected to challenge for his first drivers' championship this season, but he has slipped to fourth in the standings. Team-mate Kimi Antonelli has amassed 380 points through 19 rounds, 130 ahead of Russell, who has scored two fewer points than at the same stage last year.

The article attributes much of Russell's struggle to bad luck and reliability. Power unit failures in Montreal and Bahrain, a pit lane speeding penalty in Monaco and a first-lap retirement at Spa-Francorchamps all cost him points, while Antonelli outperformed him at other rounds, including a Singapore sprint mistake and the Italian Grand Prix, where Antonelli won from 19th.

Despite Mercedes producing the strongest package, Russell's inconsistency has left him at risk of being overtaken by Charles Leclerc, who sits five points behind him.