Russell declares Antonelli’s F1 title ‘to lose’ ahead of Monaco
George Russell says the 2026 championship is effectively in Kimi Antonelli’s hands following his retirement in Canada, but maintains his competitive mindset remains unchanged.
Mercedes driver George Russell has stated that his team-mate Kimi Antonelli holds the 2026 Formula One world championship "to lose", following Russell’s retirement from the Canadian Grand Prix. The British driver’s race in Montreal ended due to an engine failure while he was leading, leaving him trailing the Italian Antonelli by 43 points in the standings.
The Mercedes pair head into the Monaco Grand Prix, the sixth round of the 22-race season, with Antonelli having secured four consecutive victories. Russell’s only Grand Prix win this season came at the season-opener in Australia, although he has claimed sprint race victories in China and Canada. He described the pressure as feeling "off" now, noting there is a "huge amount of time to go" in the season.
"If I look at it from my competitor's position, you're kind of in a position now that you've got such a buffer, it feels like you can only keep it or you can only lose it," Russell said. "It's his to lose. My mindset is to enjoy every single race, try and win every single race, the same as I've done this whole season."
Russell has faced a series of adverse events this season, including technical issues during qualifying in China and a safety-car intervention in Japan that handed the lead to Antonelli. However, he cited his 2018 Formula 2 championship campaign, where he overcame multiple technical failures, as inspiration for his current resilience. He recalled breaking down on the out lap in practice at Monaco during that year before eventually winning the title.
"I don't feel like I need to get every single result possible, because the season's long enough that over the course of the season, it will swing if you're the guy who's on top," Russell said. "So I just need to continue being the guy who's coming out on top, even if he's the one at the moment who's getting the results."
The Monaco Grand Prix is scheduled for 5-7 June, with the race set for 14:00 BST on Sunday. Live commentary will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, with live text updates on the BBC Sport website and app.
