F1 'powerhouse' George Russell defended: 'It won't faze him'

Jenson Button has leapt to the defence of George Russell, insisting the Mercedes driver remains unfazed by Kimi Antonelli's back-to-back victories in the 2026 Formula 1 season.

The 2009 drivers' champion, speaking to Sky Sports F1 after driving his championship-winning Brawn GP car at the Goodwood Members' Meeting, offered a bullish assessment of Russell's mindset despite the 28-year-old surrendering the championship lead to his team-mate.

When asked how concerned he will be by the young Italian's recent form, Button said: "I actually saw George a couple of days ago, just in passing, weirdly.

"And he seems very calm, collected; it won't faze George. He knows his speed, and he knows it hasn't gone his way.

"He's been very unlucky. But you've got to take the rough for the smooth, and you understand that sometimes you do get unlucky. Next race, he might not be. He might get the luck, so who knows."

Russell won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix but has since encountered a string of misfortunes. In China, a technical issue hampered his qualifying performance, whilst Japan proved particularly costly. Setup changes made after Free Practice 3 became locked in under parc ferme regulations, leaving him battling rear-end instability throughout the weekend.

The Suzuka race delivered the cruellest blow. Russell pitted just one lap before a safety car deployment, allowing Antonelli to stop under caution and inherit the lead.

Post-restart battery issues then cost Russell further positions, putting him behind Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, relegating him to fourth and nine points adrift of Antonelli in the championship standings.

Button jokingly claims credit for Mercedes dominance

Despite the setbacks, Button expressed unwavering confidence in Russell's ability to mount a championship challenge against the youngest driver to lead the standings.

"For me, it's an exciting championship to have those two fighting it out," the 15-time grand prix winner added.

"Such a youngster, Kimi, so young. George, he's a real powerhouse, I have to say. I'm a big fan of George."

Button also addressed Mercedes' resurgence with characteristic humour, linking its success to his own role in the team's history.

Brawn GP, formed from the ashes of Honda's withdrawal at the end of 2008, captured both the drivers' and constructors' championships in 2009 before being purchased by Mercedes, with the Brackley-based operation then dominating the turbo-hybrid era, winning eight consecutive constructors' titles from 2014 to 2021.

"Funny enough, yes, Mercedes is looking really strong this year, and this is actually where it started," Button said.

"This is where the Mercedes team started, the Brackley team, because it was previously, obviously, Honda, and then it turned into Brawn, and then it turned into Mercedes. So I put that their success down to myself, definitely."