Nico Rosberg insists that George Russell is currently fueled by a level of "insane motivation" that mirrors the fire he once felt when he finally overcame Kimi Antonelli, just as he did against Lewis Hamilton after a series of defeats. Russell's aspirations of clinching his first world championship this season are fading fast, especially as his in-form Mercedes teammate Antonelli now enjoys an 81‑point cushion at the summit of the standings. Since taking victory at the season‑opening Australian Grand Prix in March, the pre‑season favourite Russell has managed to finish ahead of Antonelli only twice in the last ten races they have both completed.
The Briton has watched the young Italian claim his seventh and eighth wins of the year during the back‑to‑back events at Monza and Madrid. Following Sunday's race, where Russell crossed the line in fifth place, Sky Sports F1 asked Rosberg about his own comeback story – the way he rebounded to win the 2016 title after being soundly beaten by his Mercedes teammate Hamilton the previous year.
Rosberg answered that he was "driven a lot by the pain" and that the sting of repeated losses to Lewis had ignited a ferocious drive inside him. "George is in a similar situation now," Rosberg said.
"He is incredibly motivated at the moment, desperate to find any improvement. He will be working tirelessly because I know George never gives up, and he hates being out‑paced by Kimi over and over again. He will push hard, but it's a tricky puzzle because it's hard to pinpoint where his pace has vanished." Russell has been Mercedes' top‑scoring driver in three of his last four seasons with the team – twice in three years when he was paired with Hamilton (2022 and 2024) and once alongside rookie Antonelli (2025).
Yet with nine races remaining on the calendar, a dramatic turnaround is essential if he hopes to repeat that success this year. Rosberg believes the diligent Briton will continue to grind away in search of a breakthrough with the W17, even though the 28‑year‑old will inevitably begin to question himself. "I'm very impressed with George's approach because he's a perfectionist and he examines every facet of his performance," the former champion noted. "He is doing everything he can, and I admire that.
But it's also painful for him because he doesn't understand what's happening. He's always been quick, always been at least on par with his teammate, and now that seems to have slipped away.
It leads to self‑doubt – 'Am I not good enough? Was I better before and now I'm doing something wrong?' It's a tough mental battle." Fresh from being out‑performed by Antonelli at Monza – despite his teammate starting the race from a penalised 19th place on the grid and finishing 66 points off the pace – Russell admitted ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend that he would need "some luck" to keep his title hopes alive. That deficit ballooned to a season‑high 81 points after a disappointing weekend at the Madring, where a problematic Q3 qualifying session and an early Virtual Safety Car hampered his race. The result left Russell virtually ruling himself out of the championship contention on Sunday evening.
Looking ahead to the next events, beginning with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on 24‑26 September, Russell told F1 that his focus remains on incremental progress. "Just keep pushing forward. It has been a more positive couple of races even though the result today was far from great. The story of the season is that I need to concentrate on performance, keep helping the team, and treat each race individually.
We're in a great position to fight for the constructors' title, but realistically I'm not in the drivers' fight, so I will focus on getting good results race by race," he explained. Mercedes remain convinced that Russell can rediscover his peak form. Team principal Toto Wolff was asked what Russell is battling most intensely at the moment.
"I don't know exactly, because you could see the pace he had towards the end when he was closing on Leclerc – he was the fastest on track. But after the tyre changes, that speed disappeared. I just don't know where it is and we have to analyse it, because clearly it's in him, it's in the car, and we have to unlock it," Wolff said.
Wolff has no doubt that even if the championship slips away, Russell will bounce back and remain a contender in future title battles. "When it comes to George, you can have good races, bad races, good years and bad years, but we're talking about a driver who has already won everything he could have possibly won before – every karting championship, Formula 3 in his rookie year, Formula 2 in his rookie year, then onto Williams.
He's a top‑level driver. We need to discover what it takes for him to unleash that potential again.
And of course there's the psychological side. If you have a run like his this year, you're taking a beating. But the great ones recover. George has everything he needs to fight for championships.
Even if this one sails away, there will be more." The F1 calendar now moves to a Saturday race format for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, part of a triple‑header weekend from 24 to 26 September. Fans can follow the live action on Sky Sports F1, streamed via NOW with no long‑term contract required.
Russell's journey illustrates the fine line between triumph and frustration in Formula 1, and his determination, combined with the support of a team that believes in his talent, may yet produce moments of brilliance as the season reaches its climax.