Nico Rosberg has suggested that George Russell is currently fueled by a fierce, almost obsessive drive to overturn the advantage held by his teammate Kimi Antonelli, much like the determination that propelled Rosberg to finally beat Lewis Hamilton and claim the 2016 world title after a series of frustrating defeats. At present, Russell's aspirations of securing his first championship this season appear increasingly out of reach. Antonelli, who is enjoying a season of remarkable form, now leads the drivers' standings by a staggering 81 points. Since taking victory at the opening Australian Grand Prix in March, Russell—once tipped as the pre‑season favorite—has managed to finish ahead of Antonelli only twice in the ten races they have both completed.
Those two instances are dwarfed by Antonelli’s back‑to‑back triumphs at the recent Monza‑Madrid double‑header, marking his seventh and eighth wins of the year. Following Sunday's race, where Russell could only muster a fifth‑place finish, Rosberg was interviewed by Sky Sports F1 about his own experience of bouncing back after a painful loss to Hamilton in 2015 and then capturing the crown the following year. Rosberg recalled, "I was driven a lot by the pain. It was agonising to keep being beaten by Lewis, and that pain sparked an insane level of motivation." He went on to draw a parallel with Russell's current predicament: "George is in a similar situation now.
He is incredibly motivated to find any improvement he can. He works tirelessly because I know he refuses to give up, and he despises being repeatedly out‑performed by Kimi. The challenge is that it's hard to pinpoint exactly where his pace has vanished." Russell has been Mercedes' top‑scoring driver in three of his last four seasons with the team—twice when paired with Hamilton (2022 and 2024) and once alongside the rookie Antonelli in 2025.
However, with nine races remaining on the calendar, he will need a dramatic turnaround to reclaim that status. Rosberg remains confident that Russell's diligent approach will eventually yield a breakthrough with the W17, even as the British driver inevitably begins to question his own performance. "I’m very impressed with George’s method because he is a perfectionist who examines every facet of his human performance," Rosberg said.
"He is doing everything in his power, and I admire that. Yet it is painful for him because he doesn’t understand why his speed has dipped. He has always been quick, always been at least on par with his teammate, and now that seems to have disappeared." The psychological strain is evident. "It’s really painful because you start to doubt yourself," Rosberg explained.
"No matter how confident you are, you begin to wonder, ‘Am I not good enough? Was I better in the past and now I’m doing something wrong?’ It’s a difficult place to be." Fresh from a loss to Antonelli at Monza—despite Antonelli starting the race from a penalised 19th position on the grid—Russell admitted ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix that he would need a measure of luck to keep his title hopes alive. The deficit widened to a season‑high 81 points after a disappointing weekend in Madrid, where a problematic Q3 qualifying session and an early Virtual Safety Car hampered his race.
That result left Russell effectively out of contention for the drivers' championship. Looking ahead to the upcoming races, beginning with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on 24‑26 September, Russell told F1: "Just keep pushing along. It’s 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 focus on performance, keep helping the team, and take it race by race. We’re in a great position to win the constructors’ title, but realistically I’m not in the fight for the drivers’. That allows me to concentrate on getting solid results each weekend." Mercedes remain convinced that Russell can rediscover his top 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 saw the pace he had towards the end when he was catching Leclerc—he was the fastest on track. But after the tyre changes, the pace disappeared. We have to analyse it because the potential is definitely there, both in the car and in him. We just need to unlock it." Wolff is confident that, even if this 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 potentially won before," Wolff said, recalling that he signed Russell to Mercedes' junior programme in 2017. "Every single karting championship, his rookie year in Formula 3, his rookie year in Formula 2, and then his move to Williams—he’s a top‑level driver. We need to find out what it takes for him to unleash that potential again." Wolff added a psychological perspective: "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 many more opportunities." The F1 season continues to unfold live on Sky Sports F1, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicking off a triple‑header of races from 24‑26 September, the Baku event taking place on a Saturday. Fans can stream Sky Sports through NOW, with no contract and the ability to cancel at any time.