Nico Rosberg says George Russell is likely being fueled by a fierce, almost "insane" drive to overturn his recent misfortunes, much like the determination Rosberg displayed when he finally beat Lewis Hamilton after a series of defeats. At present, Russell's aspirations of clinching his inaugural world championship appear increasingly remote, as his in‑form teammate Kimi Antonelli has built an 81‑point cushion at the summit of the standings. Since his triumph at the season‑opening Australian Grand Prix in March, Russell—once the pre‑season favourite—has only managed to finish ahead of Antonelli twice in the ten races they have both completed.
The British driver has watched the young Italian claim his seventh and eighth victories of the year during the back‑to‑back events at Monza and Madrid. Following Sunday's race, where Russell secured fifth place, Rosberg was interviewed by Sky Sports F1 about the mental journey that helped him rebound and capture the 2016 title after being soundly beaten by Hamilton the previous season. "I was driven a lot by the pain," Rosberg recalled. "Subjectively, it hurt to keep losing to Lewis, and that pain sparked an almost insane motivation." Rosberg believes Russell now finds himself in a comparable situation.
"George is probably feeling that same fire right now. He's incredibly motivated to find any possible improvement," the former champion explained. "He works tirelessly because I know George never gives up, and he hates being repeatedly outperformed by Kimi. He'll be grinding hard, but the challenge is that it's hard to pinpoint exactly where his pace has vanished." Russell has been Mercedes' highest‑scoring driver in three of his last four seasons with the team—twice when paired with Hamilton (2022 and 2024) and once alongside rookie Antonelli (2025).
Yet with nine races remaining on the calendar, a dramatic reversal would be required for him to reclaim that status this year. Rosberg remains confident that Russell's diligent approach will eventually produce a breakthrough with the W17, though he acknowledges that the 28‑year‑old will inevitably question himself. "I'm very impressed with George's method because he's a perfectionist; he analyses every facet of his performance," the pundit added. "He gives 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 at least on par with his teammate, and now that seems to have slipped away." The emotional toll is evident. "It hurts because you start doubting yourself," Rosberg said. "No matter how confident you are, you begin to wonder, 'Am I not good enough?
Was I better before and now I'm doing something wrong?' It's a tough place to be." Fresh from being out‑scored by Antonelli at Monza—despite his teammate starting from a penalised 19th place on the grid and falling 66 points off the pace—Russell admitted ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix that he would need a measure of luck to keep his title hopes alive. That deficit ballooned to a season‑high 81 points after a disappointing weekend in Madrid, hampered by a tricky Q3 qualifying session and an early Virtual Safety Car during the race.
The result left Russell effectively out of the championship contention. Looking ahead to the upcoming races, beginning with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on 24‑26 September, Russell told F1: "Just keep pushing. It's been a more positive couple of races even though the result today wasn't great.
It's the story of the season. I just need to focus on performance, keep helping the team.
We're in a great position for the constructors' title, but realistically I'm not in the fight for the drivers' championship, so I can concentrate on race‑by‑race and try to get good results." 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," Wolff replied, "because you saw the speed he had at the end when he was closing on Leclerc—he was the fastest on track. But after the tyre changes, that pace disappeared.
We have to analyse it because the potential is there, both in the driver and the car; we just need to unlock it." Wolff has no doubt that even if the championship slips away, Russell will bounce back and remain a contender in future title fights. "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 early in his career," Wolff noted, recalling that he signed Russell to Mercedes' junior programme in 2017. "Every single 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." Wolff also highlighted the psychological aspect: "If you have a run like his this year, you're taking a beating. But the great ones recover, and George has everything he needs to fight for championships.
Even if this one sails away, there will be more opportunities." As the F1 calendar moves into its final stretch, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix will kick off a triple‑header of races from 24‑26 September, with the Baku event taking place on a Saturday. Fans can follow the action live on Sky Sports F1 or stream via NOW, with the flexibility to cancel at any time.