George Russell handed clear instruction after 'scary' title defeat

2016 F1 champion Nico Rosberg has stated George Russell needs to detach from the sport over the winter break to recover from a “scary” season.

Russell entered the year as the favourite for the title, and his odds strengthened when he won the opening round of the year in Australia.

However, team-mate Kimi Antonelli kicked himself into a new gear following a challenging rookie campaign in 2025 and began to bridge the gap in the standings to his team-mate with a flurry of race wins.

His dominance this year saw him seal his maiden title with four rounds to spare, clinching it in Mexico City on Sunday to become the sport's youngest ever champion.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff admitted Russell was “distraught” over the situation as he opted to skip his post-race media duties.

Rosberg, who endured title glory and agony during his career, acknowledged it's a dark time for Russell.

“It is scary because he doesn't know, 'is this going to have to continue like this now into the whole of next year, or am I going be able to get back?'” Rosberg told Sky F1.

“It's a scary moment.”

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Rosberg issues advice to Russell

Rosberg suffered title defeat to Lewis Hamilton in 2014 and 2015 before finally getting his hands on the trophy in his final year in the sport.

Offering some advice to Russell after he missed out on the title, Rosberg said: “Get away from it and forget, first of all.

“Get away, do something different, get away from the sport, forget, and then start preparing for the new season. 

“Remember your great moments, he's had so many. He is one of the greatest drivers out there, I don't really know what happened this year. 

“So remember, and prepare the hell out of it. George is very good at preparing.

“He's very good at that. He's exceptional at preparing himself. He's really, really brilliant. 

“But the problem is, Kimi is also pretty good, apparently.”