George Russell opens up on ‘exhaustion’ after being constantly ‘kicked to the ground’

George Russell has explained his "exhaustion" at constantly having to "pick myself back up" after his crushing F1 season. 

After Kimi Antonelli sealed the drivers' title in Mexico City last weekend, Russell congratulated his champion team-mate before quickly leaving the circuit and not being part of the team celebrations.

He then issued an emotional statement "from the heart" after his season, which has been derailed by various technical gripes with the power unit, and being forced to adapt his driving style to the new engines.

Russell has finished on the podium once since the Italian GP, his victory in Azerbaijan, as power unit penalties, deployment issues, or even power unit failures have cost him dearly, as he has now slipped to fourth in the drivers' championship. 

Reflecting on the mental toll the 2026 season has had, Russell spoke of the tough positions he has found himself in. 

"I probably just feel a bit exhausted this season of constantly picking myself back up,” Russell explained to media, including RacingNews365. 

"When you get kicked to the ground, you pick yourself back up, and then you get kicked down again; you pick yourself back up.

"I was hoping to do that maybe twice in the season, not every other weekend.

"When you get to this point of the season, you’re away from home for three weeks in a row, and you have another race like what happened in Mexico, where a chance of victory, a chance of the podium, just disappears totally outside of your control. It’s tough to deal with."