George Russell admitted that his chances of winning the **Formula 1** title in 2026 were seriously compromised after the Hungarian GP. The Mercedes driver stated he was “beyond disappointment” after yet another technical problem ruined his race, widening the gap to championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Read more F1: Stewards explain reduced penalty for Sainz in Hungary
Russell started sixth at the Hungaroring but dropped to the back of the pack at the start when his W17’s anti-stall system activated. Despite recovering positions throughout the race, he finished only seventh, while Antonelli secured third place and opened up a 59-point lead in the standings, with 12 rounds remaining in the season.
“I’m kind of beyond the point of disappointment now, because if I keep getting disappointed with everything that happens, I’ll be disappointed every day of the week,” Russell said. “So I need to stay positive. We had another technical problem that completely ruined the race, but the pace was very strong.”
The Briton highlighted that Mercedes saw positive aspects in the car’s performance, despite the result. “The team said our pace was as strong as anyone’s. It’s been two or three races since I was in that situation. I’ll take that positive, but the list of things that have happened this season is unbelievable.”
The problems started even before the race. After a water leak in qualifying, Mercedes installed a new power unit for Sunday, but, according to Russell, “the engine was not responding to the throttle,” a situation that was completely out of his control.
Read more F1: Racing Bulls overtakes Audi and climbs to fifth in the championship
The driver recalled that this was not the first lost opportunity in 2026. In the Japanese GP, he was battling for victory with Oscar Piastri until a safety car favored Antonelli. In Montreal, he retired while leading due to an engine failure. In Monaco, he suffered two time penalties which, according to him, were also out of his control and prevented him from scoring points.
“The problems are happening, but the whole team feels it. They are as annoyed as I am with how everything unfolded. We need to look at ourselves and ensure we are not doing anything wrong that is contributing to these errors,” he said. “Obviously, Oscar also had a problem today, so we are not the only ones, but it seems like this is happening much more to me than to others. I hope that changes. I don’t wish bad luck on anyone, but I’ve never had a season like this in my entire career, let alone in Formula 1.”
With the summer break starting after the first 11 rounds of the championship, Russell acknowledged that he needs to use the period to recover mentally. “There’s no point being disappointed with things that are out of my control. Today the race was completely ruined. I correctly followed the start procedure, the pace was good, the result was rubbish. But, as far as it depended on me, I did what I needed to. Normally I don’t feel like I need a break, but this year I definitely do,” he concluded.
Read more Rafael Câmara secures a podium in Hungary and closes in on the leaders of the F2 championship
