Nico Rosberg insists that George Russell is currently fueled by a fierce, almost desperate, drive to overturn his recent misfortunes, much like the determination he displayed when he finally bested Lewis Hamilton after a series of defeats. The British driver’s aspirations of clinching his first world championship this season are dwindling, as his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli has built a commanding 81‑point lead at the summit of the drivers' standings.
Since his victory at the Australian Grand Prix, which opened the 2024 calendar, Russell has struggled to keep pace with Antonelli. In the ten races where both competitors have finished, the Briton has managed to finish ahead of the Italian only twice, while Antonelli secured his seventh and eighth wins during the back‑to‑back events at Monza and Madrid. After Russell’s fifth‑place finish on Sunday, Rosberg was interviewed by Sky Sports F1 and reflected on his own comeback to the title in 2016 after being outclassed by Hamilton the previous year. "I was driven a lot by the pain," Rosberg recalled.
"It was painful to keep losing to Lewis, and that hurt gave me an insane amount of motivation. George is in a similar spot now. He’s incredibly motivated to find any advantage he can. He works tirelessly because I know he doesn’t give up, and he despises being beaten repeatedly by Kimi.
He’s putting in the effort, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where his pace has vanished." Russell has been Mercedes’ leading point‑scorer in three of his last four seasons, topping the team’s tally twice when paired with Hamilton (2022 and 2024) and once alongside rookie Antonelli (2025). However, with nine races remaining, he needs a dramatic reversal to regain that status.
Rosberg believes Russell’s meticulous approach will eventually produce a breakthrough with the W17, even though the 28‑year‑old is likely questioning his own abilities. "I’m very impressed with George’s method because he’s a perfectionist who analyses every facet of his performance," the former champion said. "He’s doing everything he can, and I admire that.
Yet it’s tough for him because he can’t understand why his speed has dropped. He’s always been quick, always on par with his teammate, and now it feels like that edge has disappeared. It’s painful – you start doubting yourself. No matter how confident you are, you wonder, ‘Am I not good enough?
Was I better before and now I’m doing something wrong?’ That mental battle is extremely difficult." After being outperformed by Antonelli at Monza, despite his teammate starting from a penalised 19th position and finishing 66 points off the pace, Russell admitted ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix that he would need a stroke of luck to keep his title hopes alive. The deficit widened 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.
Following that result, Russell effectively ruled himself out of the championship contention. Looking ahead to the upcoming races, beginning with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 24‑26, Russell told F1 that his focus remains on incremental improvement.
"Just keep pushing along. It’s been a more positive couple of races even though the result was far from great today. The season is a story of perseverance.
I need to concentrate on performance, keep helping the team, and aim for solid results race by race. The constructors’ battle is still strong, but realistically I’m not in the drivers’ fight, so I’ll focus on getting good finishes." Mercedes remain confident that Russell can rediscover his form.
Team principal Toto Wolff was asked what aspect of the car or driver Russell is battling hardest with at the moment. Wolff replied, "I don’t know exactly, because you could see the pace he had at the end when he was closing on Leclerc – he was the fastest on track. After the tyre changes, that speed vanished. We need to analyse it because the potential is clearly there, both in the driver and the car.
It’s a matter of unlocking it." Wolff is convinced that even if this championship slips away, Russell will bounce back and remain a contender in future title fights. "George can have good races, bad races, strong years and weaker years, but he’s a driver who has already won everything he could have early in his career – every karting championship, Formula 3 in his rookie year, Formula 2 in his rookie year, and a solid stint at Williams. He’s a top‑level driver.
We just need to find what will unleash his full potential again." He added, "There’s also the psychological side. If you endure a season like this, you’re taking a beating. But the great drivers recover. George has all the tools to fight for championships.
Even if this one sails away, there will be more opportunities." The F1 calendar moves forward with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicking off a triple‑header of races from September 24‑26, with the Baku event taking place on a Saturday. Fans can stream the action live on Sky Sports F1 via NOW, with the flexibility to cancel at any time. Russell’s journey illustrates the thin line between triumph and disappointment in Formula 1, and his relentless pursuit of improvement continues to captivate supporters worldwide.