Mercedes is not standing idly by as George Russell struggles to match the pace of teammate Kimi Antonelli this season. Team principal Toto Wolff has insisted the team will work with Russell to determine how he can extract more performance from the car.
Russell has spent five years with Mercedes, but this campaign marks the first time he has had a genuine title-contending car at his disposal. However, with his hopes of securing a maiden world championship slipping away, Wolff insisted Mercedes has not forgotten what Russell is capable of. The Briton sits 81 points behind Antonelli, who added to his victory tally last time out at the Madring by claiming his eighth win of the season.
Wolff addressed the situation, saying: "When it comes to George, you can have good races, bad races, good years and bad years. But we're talking about the driver who has won everything that you could have potentially won before. Every single karting championship, Formula 3 in his rookie year, Formula 2 in his rookie year, went into the Williams. I mean, we're talking about a top driver."
Antonelli Shines, Russell Struggles
Last year, Russell convincingly outpaced Antonelli, who was then in his rookie season. However, the 20-year-old has adapted better to the new-for-2026 cars and is now the heavy favourite to seal the title. While Mercedes has seemingly found a new star driver, Wolff insisted it is not giving up in its pursuit to get Russell back up to form. "We need to find out what it is for him to be able to unleash that potential, and of course there's the psychological side," he said. "If you have a run like him this year you're taking a beating but the great ones, they recover and I think that George has all he needs to fight for championships."
Wolff's comments show that Mercedes still has full faith in Russell. But with Antonelli's dominance growing, the big question is: can Russell turn things around in the remaining races? Time is running out, and every race becomes crucial for him to prove he still deserves to be the spearhead of Mercedes.
With Antonelli's eight wins, Russell is in an uncomfortable position. He must regroup quickly if he wants to salvage his season. Mercedes is committed to providing full support, both technically and mentally, so that Russell can compete at the front again. The rest of the season will be a true test for the driver once dubbed 'Mr. Saturday'.
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