George Russell claimed he’s beyond ‘disappointed’ after the Hungarian Grand Prix practically ended his title hopes in the 2026 Formula 1 campaign.
The Mercedes driver started sixth at the Hungaroring but finished seventh having dropped to the back on lap one, as his W17 suffered an anti-stall at lights out.
It means he is now 59 points behind his championship-leading team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who finished third in Budapest, with 11 rounds of 2026 now done and 12 more to come.
“I’m sort of past the point of disappointment now,” said Russell, “because if I’m continuing to be disappointed with everything that goes on, I’ll just be disappointed every day of the week.
“So, it’s sort of like, I’ve got to stay positive. Another sort of technical issue that completely ruined the race, but the pace and positives, the pace was very strong.
“The team said it was as strong as anybody out there, which I haven’t been there for probably two or three races now, or three races. So, I’ll take positives there, but yes, it’s just unbelievable the list of things that’s happened this season.”
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
What makes matters worse is that Russell had a new power unit fitted for Sunday’s race, following a water leak in qualifying, but “the engine wasn’t reacting to the throttle”.
So it was out of his control and added to a list of bad luck for him in 2026, a year he began as the title favourite with the Silver Arrows dominating the start of the new regulations.
At round three in Japan, for example, he was fighting Oscar Piastri for the win until an untimely safety car handed Antonelli victory, before race five at Montreal saw Russell retire from the lead due to an engine failure.
Russell then endured Monaco, where although he was substantially off the pace of Antonelli, the Briton suffered two time penalties that were out of his control leaving him with a non-score.
“The problems are happening, but the whole team feels it as well,” added Russell. “So, they’re as pissed off as I am with how it’s unfolded. We need to look at ourselves and ensure there’s nothing we’re doing wrong that is contributing to these errors.
“Obviously, Oscar had his thing today as well [retired with a gearbox failure], it’s not like we’re the only one, but it does feel like it is happening substantially more to me than others.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Attila Kisbenedek / AFP via Getty Images
“Hopefully, it swings around. I don’t wish any bad luck on anyone, but I’ve never had a season like this in my whole career, let alone my F1 career.”
The season has therefore not gone as hoped for the 28-year-old and with F1 entering its summer shutdown, never has a driver become champion after holding such a large deficit at the break.
So, when asked how to bounce back from the disappointment of the first 11 rounds, Russell said: “Don’t be disappointed with things outside of your control. Today, the race was totally ruined.
“I did my procedure right at the start. The pace was fine. The result was s**t. But the things that I could have controlled, they were just okay.
“I usually don’t feel like I need a break this year. I definitely feel like I need one.”
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