George Russell took another hit in his campaign for the 2026 Formula 1 season title. At the Belgian GP over the weekend, he ended up retiring still in the first lap while Kimi Antonelli won, dropping to third place in the standings with a 50-point deficit.
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The incident happened shortly after the start, when he was touched by Lewis Hamilton, spun, and got stuck in the gravel trap. After the race, he told the press that he is already numb to so many disappointments in his championship.
The British press clearly brought extensive coverage about the events with the British driver and the increasingly complicated quest for the Formula 1 championship.
BBC Sport indicated that there are more ‘questions than answers’ surrounding Russell, drawing attention to Kimi’s driving and how George needs three trouble-free days in Hungary if he wants to regain ground.
“For George Russell, Mercedes teammate, there are more questions than answers after the crash that took him out of the race right on the first lap. The 25-point deficit to Antonelli before the Belgium round jumped to 50 points after it; furthermore, he lost a position in the standings to his former ‘Silver Arrows’ teammate, Lewis Hamilton. Will Russell be able to recover from this new setback and get his title fight back on track? For that, he will need a flawless weekend in Budapest next week — and hope that Antonelli and Hamilton make mistakes,” the newspaper wrote.
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Meanwhile, The Guardian highlighted more Russell’s complaints about straight-line speed, also saying that Antonelli’s victory may fuel conspiracy theorists.
“The victory at the Belgian Grand Prix could not have been sweeter for Kimi Antonelli, but it cruelly exposed an inexplicable flaw within his Mercedes team. It is a deficit that is not affecting Antonelli, giving conspiracy theorists a field day, but, more importantly, posing a puzzle for Mercedes that they apparently cannot understand,” it reported.
The Daily Mail reacted to George’s comment by saying he is numb to the frustrations, highlighting that he showed an expression of suffering after retiring and his ‘confused mind’ must be full of questions.
“Poor George is getting used to searching for words to describe the blows and the ‘Silver Arrows’ cruel luck that he cannot fully comprehend. His dream of winning the world title is increasingly at risk, and questions pile up in his stunned mind. Why isn’t he as fast as Kimi Antonelli — race winner and championship leader — driving the same Mercedes car? Why does he suffer a drastic loss of pace on the straights?” it published.
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