Nico Rosberg says George Russell is likely driven by a fierce, almost "insane" determination to overturn his recent defeats at the hands of Kimi Antonelli, much like the motivation that propelled Rosberg to finally beat Lewis Hamilton and claim the 2016 World Championship after a series of frustrating losses. At present, Russell's aspirations of securing his first title this season appear increasingly remote, with his teammate Antonelli, who is in peak form, having built an 81‑point cushion at the summit of the drivers' standings.
Since clinching victory at the Australian Grand Prix, the season opener in March, Russell has only managed to finish ahead of Antonelli twice in the ten races they have both completed. Antonelli, the young Italian, has already amassed his seventh and eighth wins of the year during the recent Monza‑Madrid double‑header, further widening the gap between the two competitors. After Sunday's race, where Russell crossed the line in fifth place, Rosberg was interviewed by Sky Sports F1 about the psychological journey he underwent after his own 2016 title triumph, which came on the back of a painful runner‑up finish to Hamilton the previous year. "I was driven a lot by the pain," Rosberg recalled.
"It was painful to keep losing to Lewis, and that pain sparked an almost irrational level of motivation." He went on to draw a parallel with Russell's current situation: "George is in a similar spot. He is incredibly motivated right now, desperate to find any improvement.
He works incredibly hard because I know he refuses to accept being beaten repeatedly by Kimi. The difficulty lies in understanding where his pace has disappeared." Russell has been Mercedes' top‑scoring driver in three of his last four seasons with the team – twice when he was paired with Hamilton (2022 and 2024) and once alongside rookie Antonelli (2025).
To replicate that success this year, he will need a dramatic turnaround with nine races still on the calendar. Rosberg believes Russell's meticulous nature will keep him grinding for a breakthrough with the W17, even as the 28‑year‑old begins to question his own performance.
"I'm very impressed with George's approach; he's a perfectionist who examines every facet of his human performance," the former champion said. "He gives everything he has, and I respect that. But it's also painful for him because he can't quite pinpoint why his speed has vanished. He's always been quick, always been on par with his teammate, and now it feels like that has slipped away.
That uncertainty breeds 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‑paced by Antonelli at Monza – despite his teammate starting from a penalised 19th place on the grid and trailing by 66 points – Russell admitted ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix that he would need a stroke of luck to keep his championship hopes alive. The deficit ballooned to a season‑high 81 points after a disappointing weekend in Madrid, where a problematic Q3 qualifying session and an early Virtual Safety Car compromised his race.
That outcome left Russell virtually out of contention by Sunday evening. Looking ahead to the upcoming races, beginning with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 24‑26, Russell told F1: "Just keep pushing. It's been a more positive couple of races even though the result today wasn't great.
The story of the season is that I need to focus on performance, keep helping the team, and take it race by race. We're in a strong position for the constructors' title, but realistically I'm not in the drivers' fight, so I can concentrate on delivering solid results each weekend." Mercedes remain confident that Russell can rediscover his top form.
Team principal Toto Wolff was asked what the British driver is battling most intensely at the moment. "I don't know exactly where the pace is hiding," Wolff admitted.
"You saw him at the end of the last race catching Leclerc – he was the fastest on track. After the tyre changes, the speed vanished. We need to analyse it because the potential is there, both in the car and the driver. We just have to unlock it." Wolff is convinced that even if this championship slips away, Russell will bounce back and continue to be a contender in future title battles.
"George can have good races, bad races, great years and tough years, but he's a driver who has already won everything he could have early in his career – every karting championship, Formula 3 and Formula 2 in his rookie seasons, then a seat at Williams. He's a top‑level driver; we just need to find what will unleash his full potential." He added, "There's also the psychological side. When you endure a season like this, you take a beating. The great drivers recover, and George has everything needed to fight for championships.
Even if this one slips away, more opportunities will come." 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 follow the action live on Sky Sports F1, streamed via NOW, with no contract and the ability to cancel at any time.