Russell breaks silence after title loss: 'not meant to be my year'
A day after Kimi Antonelli clinched the championship in Mexico City, George Russell posted a long Instagram message. He admitted 2026 has brought more bad days than good, congratulated his team-mate and vowed to rediscover his best form.
George Russell began the season as the favourite for the title and ended the Mexico City weekend as a spectator to his team-mate's celebration. On Monday, a day after Kimi Antonelli sealed the championship, Russell finally spoke, in a long statement on Instagram that was reported by PlanetF1 and RacingNews365.
What Russell said
Russell opened by saying it felt like "a pretty suitable moment to speak from the heart". He wrote that the season had started as he hoped but quickly unravelled, and that it was the first full year of his career in which he had more bad days than good ones. Staying positive, he admitted, had been hard at times. His verdict: "2026 was not meant to be my year."
He then turned to Antonelli, calling it an incredible season and writing that the 20-year-old deserves the championship. He thanked Mercedes for building the best car and power unit on the grid and said it was inspiring to see the team back at the top after four difficult years. Looking ahead, he promised to give everything for the rest of this season and next to rediscover the performance he has shown for most of his career, and hoped some luck would return.
Why it matters
The message follows a Sunday on which Russell left the circuit without attending the mandatory media duties. Mercedes was fined €5,000 for it, and the team explained that he was distraught. Russell started from the front row, was held up by a deployment issue on the run to Turn 1, collided with Red Bull's Isack Hadjar on the opening lap and finished sixth after a 10-second penalty, according to RacingNews365. Team boss Toto Wolff described the result as a catastrophic moment for his driver.
By the numbers
Russell won two of the first three races this year, as PlanetF1 notes. Our data shows 3 wins and 10 podiums from the first 19 rounds, and he is fourth in the drivers' standings on 250 points. Antonelli leads on 380, with Verstappen on 261 and Hamilton on 259. He trails Verstappen, third in the standings, by 11 points.
The next chance to answer comes at the São Paulo Grand Prix on 8 November.
