George Russell has explained how he is simply hoping for “normality” at this weekend’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, amid an up-and-down start to the 2026 season.
Russell kicked off the campaign – and F1’s new era of regulations – with a dominant victory in Australia, but it has gone down as his only triumph so far, thanks to Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli winning the last five races on the bounce.
Russell’s efforts were impacted by technical problems in China and Canada, and the timing of a Safety Car period in Japan, while the Briton admitted that his own performances in Miami and Monaco were not as strong as they should have been.
After another damaging race on the streets of Monte Carlo last weekend, where penalties for speeding in the pit lane cost him a podium finish and left him outside the top-10 positions, Russell arrives in Barcelona with a 68-point deficit to Antonelli.
Asked about his mindset heading into the weekend, which marks his 100th race for Mercedes, Russell commented: “It’s like I said in Monaco, I’m just dying to have a smooth weekend. I’m not asking for the world to give me luck, I just want neutral luck. That’s how it goes in racing sometimes.
“I’ve had six races. Monaco and Miami, honestly speaking, my performance wasn’t strong enough. The other four, I think my performances have been very strong. We’re stood here and probably could have had three more podiums if things had just gone normal.
“I didn’t need any good fortune, just normality. That’s where we are. There’s nothing I can change. I’m just super focused on my controllables, on what I can do to keep on improving.
“I’m feeling good, I’m feeling positive. If these things outside of my control continue then they’re going to continue. If they don’t, fantastic.”
Russell was also quizzed on the season Antonelli is putting together so far, with the teenager appearing to have made a significant step compared to his first season at the Silver Arrows in 2025.
“I always knew Kimi was an amazing driver,” said Russell. “You don’t have this career trajectory without being a fantastic driver, so I always knew the fight was going to be tight with Kimi, as it should always be with two great drivers.
“He’s doing a really amazing job at the moment, so I give him a huge amount of credit.”
Pushed on whether there are things he is learning from Antonelli, even as the more experienced Mercedes driver, Russell added: “I think we definitely have different driving styles, but it’s something I saw last year, and I think it’s important to follow what works for you.
“Sometimes when you see someone doing a better job at a certain circuit, you want to try and emulate it. Maybe it doesn’t quite work for what you need.
“He’s a super amazing driver and he’s on an amazing roll at the moment. I’m just hoping for a clean weekend and we can take the fight back to him like we did in Canada.”
.webp?ssl=1 "James Hinchcliffe picks his top five drivers of the 2026 Formula 1 season so far")
