George Russell discusses the mental fatigue he experienced following a challenging 2026 F1 season.
George Russell has acknowledged that he is feeling mentally drained after a season filled with hurdles he had to surmount.
The Mercedes racer kicked off 2026 as a top contender for the championship, but a series of uncontrollable setbacks coupled with outstanding performances from his teammate Kimi Antonelli led him to witness the Italian clinch the world title in Mexico.
In a media interaction at Interlagos on Thursday, Russell expressed that even arriving in Brazil, the site of his inaugural Formula 1 victory in 2022, did not uplift his spirits.
"As I mentioned, I probably just feel a bit worn out this season from constantly having to lift myself back up," he stated. "When you get knocked down, you get back up, then you’re knocked down again, and I was hoping to do that maybe a couple of times in the season, not every other weekend, honestly.
"When you reach this point in the season, being away from home for three consecutive weeks and then experiencing another race like what occurred in Mexico, where the opportunity for victory and a podium completely vanishes due to factors beyond your control, is really hard to cope with. It's very challenging to handle.
George Russell, Mercedes
"So Brazil is a place I cherish. I have wonderful memories here. Do I approach it with high hopes? Honestly, no. But I’m definitely looking forward to next year."
The British driver shared that he had reviewed the entire season with his engineers after Mexico and discovered that only six races had gone off without issues.
"In 14 of those races, we encountered what we believed was misfortune," he remarked. "However, we need to start probing deeper when these occurrences are so frequent, especially on our side."
Currently, Russell ranks fourth in the drivers' standings with 250 points, trailing Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who is in second place with 261 points, and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, who holds third with 259 points.
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