George Russell pointed towards Max Verstappen example in F1 recovery effort

Former F1 driver David Coulthard has stated George Russell should look at Max Verstappen's response to adversity in a bid to pull himself out of his current slump.

Russell has endured a challenging run of form of late in comparison to team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who has long appeared the more competitive of the Mercedes pair.

Russell's Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday ended on the opening lap following contact with Lewis Hamilton, before Antonelli went on to win the race.

It allowed the Italian to further stretch his lead in the standings, while Russell slipped to third in the standings behind Hamilton.

As he seeks to make gains going forward, Coulthard has insisted Russell should take encouragement from Verstappen's return to form at Spa following his own frustrations at the previous round.

“George is just going to have to dig deep and bounce back,” Coulthard told the Up to Speed podcast.

“I believe that he can do that. Another driver who is showing that that is possible is Max Verstappen.

“A podium result off the back of a big frustration in Silverstone, where he was very vocal, it was unacceptable to have the reattachment issues.”

Verstappen retired from the British Grand Prix earlier this month after his rear wing failed to properly attach into the braking zone towards the end of the lap.

However, he enjoyed a more positive showing at Spa as he drove to the podium and was complimentary of the car's performance.

“Red Bull took a step back in technology in terms of going away from the Macarena wing,” Coulthard added.

“Both him and Hadjar performed very well around Spa.”