“It’s all up to him now” – George Russell shares his honest thoughts on his F1 title hopes after the recent setback
George Russell thinks the 2026 Formula 1 title is Kimi Antonelli’s to lose after a tough weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix. Antonelli took another pole position in Montreal, building a huge 43-point lead over Russell just five races into the season.
On race day, Russell started on pole ahead of his Mercedes teammate, and the two battled closely for the lead in an exciting race. But the fight ended on lap 30 when Russell’s car had a power failure, forcing him to retire. This was the first time Russell hadn’t finished a race since the British Grand Prix two years ago.
Even though the season is still young, Russell feels his chances of winning the title are slipping away behind his teammate. “Right now, it’s his to lose,” he said after the disappointing race. “He’s so far ahead. It feels like luck isn’t on my side – with safety car timing in Japan, a breakdown in China Q3 while fighting for pole, and then failing to finish from the lead here.
“But the pressure is off now. I just want to enjoy every race and try to win. I’ve got nothing to lose. Of course, it’s frustrating and I want to be in the battle. Hopefully, my luck will turn.”
The weekend was full of drama as Russell and Antonelli went head-to-head. Antonelli even went off the grass twice and asked for a penalty on Russell for a ‘naughty move,’ before giving up his pole position to him.
Antonelli just missed out on pole in a sprint qualifying session, with Russell beating him by only 0.068 seconds after a long red flag caused by Fernando Alonso’s crash. After the race, the two shared a quick handshake before going up on the podium.
Russell said, “I loved it. It was one of the best battles I’ve had in years. I haven’t seen a fight like this since Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in Bahrain 2014. These new cars and engines make it possible.
“I don’t understand why anyone would want to change them. We had amazing battles in Melbourne and China, and today and yesterday were great too. That’s all thanks to these power units.”
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