George Russell comes with an explanation for the big difference between his performances and those of his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli this season. While the Italian already has eight wins, the Brit has only stood on the top step of the podium twice. According to Russell, this is partly because his driving style simply does not suit the 2026 cars: “Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri also suffer from this.”
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George Russell had to watch again in Madrid as his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli took the next win. The Mercedes driver now has eight wins this year, one more than Russell has achieved in his entire F1 career so far. The question increasingly being asked is: how is it that Russell keeps struggling weekend after weekend, while his teammate racks up wins in the same car?
According to the Brit himself, it is mainly a discrepancy between his driving style and the demands that the 2026 cars place on drivers. And he is not the only driver in this, Russell tells the media. “This year, Charles (Leclerc, ed.) and Oscar (Piastri, ed.) and I have it much harder compared to our teammates,” Russell lists. “And with Max (Verstappen, ed.), his teammates are significantly closer to him than anyone else in the past six years. I think we all have a fairly similar driving style.”
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In contrast stands the driving style of the drivers’ teammates. “The drivers who are performing very well this year – Kimi, Lewis (Hamilton, ed.), Lando (Norris, ed.) – have fairly similar driving styles. So for me, it is quite clear: with this car and these tires, the trends are clearly visible,” Russell concludes.
‘My adaptability is actually my strength’
However, Lando Norris does not agree with his compatriot. The world champion does not see his driving style as decisive this season. “I wouldn’t really say my driving style suits this car,” he says. “Why my driving style is good is because I can adapt better. I don’t think there is one style that always works and I don’t drive the same way as Kimi. It is thanks to my adaptability that I can drive the car I have now. My strength is my adaptability to different driving styles.”
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