It Was to Be George Russell's Golden Years

It was to be George Russell's golden years. Now he is struggling. Now he is struggling.

TROUBLE: George Russell has failed to win the Formula 1 world championship so far in his career. In Belgium last weekend, he had to have a moped ride back to the depot after he and the car had ended up in a gravel trap. With Mercedes as the best Formula 1 team in 2026, everything depended on the elegant and usually articulate Englishman to be able to fulfill his dream of becoming world champion.

When the 2026 season is almost halfway, there are 50 points up from Russell to his Mercedes colleague Kimi Antonelli, the 19-year-old who got the chance already last year. - I think Russell himself thought he would become world champion this year, at least before the season started, says Viaplay commentator Atle Gulbrandsen. George Russell is now 50 points behind Mercedes colleague Kimi Antonelli.

And the fact that he is now struggling to match Antonelli has probably come as a surprise to Russell, continues the Formula 1 expert. - Is 2026 Russell's big chance to become world champion? It's like that in Formula 1 that you never know when you'll be in a winning car again, so 2026 could be Russell's only chance to become world champion, but as it looks now, he won't be this year, replies Atle Gulbrandsen.

OUT: George Russell had to leave the Spa circuit on foot after crashing with Lewis Hamilton. After Antonelli took his fifth straight victory when he was at his best in the tight streets of Monaco, he led the championship by a whopping 68 points to Russell. After this, the lead shrunk to 25 points before last weekend's Belgium Grand Prix - due to bad luck and broken races for Antonelli.

But at Spa in the Belgian hills it was Russell who was unlucky. He was involved in a crash with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton was penalized for the incident.

CRASH: George Russell and Lewis Hamilton crashed in Belgium. The Ferrari driver received a penalty, but Russell was out. George Russell says, according to the BBC, that he is "numb to the disappointment" after the accident saw him lose almost everything he had gained on team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the championship last month.

When it happens so often, you just get used to it, says George Russell, who at the weekend has another chance in Hungary, where the last race takes place before the short summer holiday that the Formula 1 drivers have. His Mercedes team has undoubtedly been the best so far in 2026. They have won eight out of ten races. That is: Antonelli has won six and Russell two (Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have won the other two).

Russell doesn't blame Hamilton very much for what happened in Belgium last weekend. He sees it more as an accident. On the other hand, he is not satisfied that the car did not work as it should.

For some reason the battery decided not to charge in turn one, he says according to the BBC. MERCEDES-DUO: George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. So I drove around the first bend, the battery didn't charge, and out of the bend I was missing 35 percent of electrical energy.

Because it didn't charge, I also had trouble with the turbo pressure. The turbo didn't work as it should so I had no power.