George Russell title chances 'window' declared over in crushing assessment

George Russell's chances of winning the 2026 world championship are "out of the window", according to Martin Brundle, with the Sky F1 pundit pointing to Malaysia as the moment the title fight slipped away from the Mercedes driver.

Russell arrived in the campaign as a genuine title contender but now sits 84 points behind team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the standings after round 16 in Bahrain, held at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. 

The Briton has endured three retirements this season: an electrical failure linked to the power unit battery while fighting for the lead in Canada, a first-lap collision in Belgium, and a power unit failure in Malaysia that forced him to park behind the safety car while running third. 

That Sepang failure also cost him his remaining engine allocation, triggering grid penalties heading into Singapore.

Brundle believes the damage is now irreversible.

"In terms of his championship chances, I think they're out of the window now," Brundle told Sky F1.

"I think you're right, Malaysia was that moment, and if anybody makes a late-season charge at Kimi, I don't see who that might be at the moment consistently. But if Ferrari or McLaren or Red Bull, they're too far behind, aren't they? So even that's unrealistic. 

"George is there to protect Kimi anyway if he can't win the championship. So I think you're right. I think all he can now do is do the best he can and see what happens."

George Russell handed 'not quick enough' verdict in Kimi Antonelli fight

Jenson Button offered a similar verdict but widened the picture beyond Russell's run of mechanical misfortune, suggesting the 28-year-old has also simply lacked the speed to match Antonelli this year.

"He has, but it's nice to see him understand that he's also not being quick enough," Button told Sky F1.

"He's not been quick enough through this season. He's not done a good enough job, and I think that's really important for a racing driver to understand that and not just complain that the team haven't given what they actually need to go quick."

Button noted that Russell had entered the year as the man many expected to challenge for the title.

"So, yeah, it's such a shame. He was obviously the title favourite coming in this year. If I was a betting man, I would have put my money on him as well. But he's just not at Kimi's pace, and the consistency as well. Kimi's just been quick everywhere he goes."