From being the 2026 Formula 1 pre-season title favourite to fighting to hold on to second place as Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli accelerates into the distance, George Russell has endured a challenging few months. During that period he has been forced to question his entire approach to driving, owing to the peculiar requirements of the latest technical formula.
Most of the drivers on the grid have voiced reservations – or noisy complaints – about the unnatural driving style required to get the best out of the 2026 cars, but Russell belongs to a subset whose style appears to put them at a disadvantage compared
