Formula 1 continues to challenge even some of the most experienced drivers on the grid in 2026, and George Russell found an unusual comparison to explain his difficulties at Mercedes. The Briton resorted to the famous Mona Lisa painting to illustrate why he still cannot extract the maximum performance from his car.
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Even having won the Australian GP, the season opener, and also the Austrian GP recently, Russell has faced difficulties keeping up with the pace of his teammate, Kimi Antonelli. The Italian accumulated five consecutive wins between the Chinese and Monaco GPs, opening a significant lead in the championship.
In the last stages, the gap narrowed due to reliability issues faced by Antonelli in Barcelona and Silverstone. Still, Russell was widely outpaced by the young driver at the British GP, where the Italian lost a victory that seemed secured due to car problems.
Commenting on his adaptation to the current generation cars, Russell stated that the data clearly shows where his limitations are: “It’s all very clear in the data, and that can be fixed. I know exactly why I’m not winning or getting pole, and what I need to do to improve,” he said.
According to the Mercedes driver, the challenge lies in finding the ideal car setup. He highlighted that in 2025, he was often able to reach the maximum potential of the package, something that has become much rarer this season due to new power units, tires, and car characteristics.
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It was then that Russell resorted to Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece to explain the situation: “It’s like someone asking you to draw the Mona Lisa with the Mona Lisa herself by your side. Could you do that immediately? Maybe with practice,” he compared.
The Briton explained that he had to completely change his driving style: “I’m setting up the car in a way that doesn’t match my style and driving in a way I’ve never used throughout my entire career. I know what I need to do, but putting that into practice is different,” he added.
Russell continued, saying that the biggest obstacle is turning these new techniques into something natural: “When I perform at my best level, I do it subconsciously. Now, I have to think about every detail to make this new approach automatic, and that’s the real challenge,” the British driver concluded.
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