Nico Rosberg says that George Russell is probably fueled by a fierce, almost "mad" determination to reverse his fortunes against Kimi Antonelli, just as he once used a similar fire to finally overcome Lewis Hamilton after a series of setbacks. At present, Russell's aspirations of clinching his first world championship appear increasingly remote, with his in‑form Mercedes teammate Antonelli having built an 81‑point cushion at the summit of the drivers' standings. Since taking victory at the season‑opening Australian Grand Prix in March, the pre‑season favourite Russell has only managed to finish ahead of Antonelli twice in the ten races they have both completed.
The Briton has watched the young Italian claim his seventh and eighth wins of the year during the back‑to‑back events at Monza and Madrid, further widening the gap between them. After Sunday's race, where Russell managed a fifth‑place finish, Rosberg was interviewed by Sky Sports F1. He was asked to reflect on the emotions he experienced when he bounced back to win the 2016 title after being soundly beaten by his teammate Hamilton the previous season. "I was driven a lot by the pain," Rosberg recalled.
"It was painful to keep losing to Lewis and that pain sparked an insane motivation inside me." Rosberg believes Russell is now in a comparable situation. "George is probably feeling the same kind of hurt right now.
He will be incredibly motivated to find any possible improvement," the former champion said. "He works extremely hard because I know he never gives up, and he hates being repeatedly out‑performed by Kimi. The challenge for him is that it's hard to pinpoint exactly where his pace has disappeared." Russell has been Mercedes' top‑scoring driver in three of his last four seasons with the team – twice in three‑year battles against Hamilton (2022 and 2024) and once alongside a rookie Antonelli (2025). To repeat that success this year, he will need a dramatic turnaround with nine races still on the calendar.
Rosberg remains confident that Russell's diligent approach will eventually produce a breakthrough with the W17, although he acknowledges that the 28‑year‑old will inevitably start to question himself. "I'm very impressed with George's method because he's a perfectionist; he tries to optimise every facet of his performance," the former champion added. "He is doing everything he can, and I admire that. But it's also tough for him because he doesn't understand why his speed has vanished.
He has always been quick, always been at least on par with his teammate, and now that seems to have slipped away. That creates a painful self‑doubt – even the most confident drivers can start to wonder, 'Am I not good enough?
Was I better before and now I'm doing something wrong?' It's a very difficult mental place to be in." Fresh from being out‑paced by Antonelli at Monza – despite his teammate starting the race from a penalised 19th place on the grid and finishing 66 points off the leader's pace – Russell admitted ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend that he would need a bit of luck to keep his championship hopes alive. The deficit ballooned 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 compromised his race. That result left Russell effectively out of the title fight, a reality he acknowledged on Sunday evening. Looking ahead to the next events, starting with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on 24‑26 September, Russell told F1 that his focus remains on incremental progress.
"Just keep pushing forward. The last couple of races have been more positive even though the result today was far from ideal. It's kind of the story of the season – I just need to concentrate on performance, keep helping the team, and take it race by race. We're in a strong position for the constructors' championship, but realistically I'm not in the drivers' fight, so I can focus on getting good results each weekend." Mercedes remain convinced that Russell can rediscover his peak form.
When asked what the British driver is battling most intensely at the moment, team principal Toto Wolff replied, "I don't know exactly, because you could see the pace he had towards the end when he was closing in on Leclerc – he was the fastest on track. After the tyre changes, that pace disappeared. We have to analyse it because the potential is definitely there, both in the car and in the driver, we just need to unlock it." Wolff is certain that even if this title slips away, Russell will bounce back and remain a contender in future championship battles. "With 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 possibly won before – every karting championship, Formula 3 in his rookie year, Formula 2 in his rookie year, and then a seat at Williams.
He's a top‑level driver. We need to discover what it takes for him to unleash that potential again. There's also the psychological side – a season like this is a beating. The great drivers recover, and George has everything he needs to fight for championships.
Even if this one has perhaps sailed away, there will be more opportunities." The F1 calendar moves forward with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicking off a triple‑header of races from 24‑26 September, with the Baku race taking place on a Saturday. Fans can follow the action live on Sky Sports F1, streaming via NOW with the flexibility to cancel at any time.