Nico Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, believes that George Russell is currently fueled by a fierce, almost obsessive drive to reverse his fortunes against his teammate Kimi Antonelli, much like the fire that propelled Rosberg to dethrone Lewis Hamilton after a series of defeats. At present, Russell's aspirations of clinching his maiden championship appear increasingly remote.
Antonelli, who has been in exceptional form, now enjoys an 81‑point advantage at the summit of the drivers' standings. Since triumphing at the season‑opening Australian Grand Prix in March, the pre‑season favourite has managed to finish ahead of Antonelli only twice in the ten races they have both completed. Those two occasions were eclipsed by Antonelli’s seventh and eighth victories of the year, secured at the back‑to‑back events in Monza and Madrid. Following Sunday's race, where Russell crossed the line in fifth place, Rosberg was interviewed by Sky Sports F1 about his own comeback story after being outclassed by Hamilton in 2015 and then turning the tables to win the title in 2016.
Rosberg recalled, "I was driven a lot by the pain. It was painful to keep losing to Lewis, and that pain sparked an insane level of motivation." He went on to say, "George is in a comparable situation now.
He is incredibly motivated to find any possible improvement. He works tirelessly because I know he refuses to accept being repeatedly beaten by Kimi. He is putting in massive effort, but the difficulty lies in understanding where his pace has vanished." Russell has been Mercedes' highest‑scoring driver in three of his last four seasons with the team – twice in a three‑year span against Hamilton (2022 and 2024) and once alongside a rookie Antonelli in 2025.
Yet, with nine races remaining on the calendar, he needs a dramatic resurgence to reclaim that status this year. Rosberg praised Russell’s work ethic, describing him as a perfectionist who scrutinises every facet of his performance.
"He is doing everything he can, and I admire that," the former champion said. "The challenge, however, is that George seems to have lost that innate speed that used to place him at least on par with his teammate. It’s painful because self‑doubt creeps in. No matter how confident you feel, you start questioning, ‘Am I not good enough?
Was I better before and now I’m doing something wrong?’ That mental battle is extremely tough." After being out‑finished 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 dose of luck to keep his title hopes alive. The deficit swelled to a season‑high 81 points after a disappointing weekend in Madrid, where a problematic Q3 and an early Virtual Safety Car hampered his race.
That result left Russell virtually conceding the championship on Sunday evening. Looking ahead to the upcoming races, beginning with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 24‑26, Russell told F1 that his focus is on incremental progress.
"Just keep pushing along. It’s been a more positive couple of races even though the result was far from great today. It’s kind of the story of the season.
I just need to focus on performance, keep helping the team. We’re in a great position to win the constructors' title, but realistically I’m not in the fight for the drivers' championship.
That allows me to concentrate on race‑by‑race and aim for solid results," he explained. Mercedes remain confident that Russell can rediscover his peak form. Team principal Toto Wolff was asked what aspect of Russell’s performance is currently the hardest to pinpoint. Wolff replied, "I don’t know exactly, because you can see the pace he had towards the end when he was catching Leclerc – he was the fastest on track.
But after the tyre changes, that speed disappeared. We need to analyse it because the potential is definitely there, both in the car and in the driver. We just have to unlock it." Wolff added that even if this title slips away, Russell will bounce back and continue to be a contender in future championship 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 – every karting championship, Formula 3 in his rookie year, Formula 2 in his rookie year, and then moved into Formula 1 with Williams. He is a top‑tier driver. We need to find out what it takes for him to unleash that potential again." He also highlighted the psychological dimension: "If you have a run like his this year, you’re taking a beating.
But the great ones recover. George has everything needed 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 September 24‑26, featuring a Saturday race in Baku. Fans can stream the action via Sky Sports with NOW, enjoying a contract‑free, cancel‑anytime experience.