Russell's championship challenge collapsed in 2026 despite opening the season with victory and the fastest car. Teammate Kimi Antonelli quickly seized the advantage, and the Briton spent months scratching for answers in a points deficit he attributes equally to bad luck and underperformance.
The technical breakthrough came late: Russell realized Antonelli's later throttle application and focus on corner entry—opposite Russell's natural mid-to-late attack—suits the 2026 regs better. That mismatch cost him through the first half of the year. He clawed back from 70 points down to 25 post-Silverstone before Baku and a Singapore grid penalty buried the comeback.
Russell isn't crying about it. The soul-searching and misfortune, he says, will make him stronger over the next decade-plus of his career. Fair enough, but Antonelli's momentum suggests the younger driver has already learned what Russell needed a season to figure out.
Read the full story at Motorsport.com
