George Russell has opened up about his resilience during the opening half of the 2026 Formula 1 season, which has seen him endure an ongoing struggle in the fight for the drivers' title.
The Mercedes driver entered the new power unit regulations as the clear bookmakers' favourite for the crown this season, odds that shortened further after a dominant opening-round victory in Melbourne.
However, since then, Russell's season has unravelled, largely due to factors outside of his control. Across several rounds, the 28-year-old has been hampered by reliability gremlins, none more significant than at the Canadian Grand Prix.
A battery failure forced him to retire while leading after coming out on top in a battle with team-mate Kimi Antonelli. Aside from the reliability issues, something has simply not quite worked with Russell's W17, leaving him 59 points adrift.
The whole situation has led to regular criticism of Russell on social media and in the press, but he has avoided letting it distract him or bring him down.
Asked how he manages to stay calm during his current period of difficulty, Russell explained in an exclusive interview with RacingNews365: "I think what helps me through is focusing on the things that will make me go faster.
"Reading negative press or social media, or getting frustrated by media questions, yeah, those things don't bother me because I need to put all of my focus on myself and my team, on how I can go faster.
"I feel very resilient to this external noise. I feel very resilient this year, with all of the ups and downs that I've had.
"I've been in some very low places after some very challenging results and always maintained the belief and the confidence. And because I know the reason when I don't perform is that something isn't quite working with the machine, not with my driving.
"It's not that I've forgotten how to drive overnight. So I know I can go to the next race and perform again as the same driver."
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Russell's football analogy
F1 is the ultimate hero-to-zero sport. One weekend, a driver can win a race and suddenly be viewed as a title contender, back to their best and riding a wave of confidence, only for the complete opposite to be said if the following race goes poorly.
As is often said in the paddock, you are only as good as your last race. It is different from a sport like football, where players usually maintain consistent form, whether it be good or bad.
Russell knows he can only focus on what he can control, work to improve, and silence the outside noise.
"If you look at a football player who is in good form, they can be quite consistent," added Russell. "If you have a player who's in bad form, that's also quite consistent.
"But in Formula 1, it seems one race you can be the superstar. The next you're nowhere, and then you're back, and then you're nowhere again.
"That's because, again, using the football analogy, the pitch and the ball are changing every week, and so I know that's where I need to focus."
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