Russell pledges recovery after Antonelli seals F1 title in Mexico

George Russell has pledged to recover his best form after Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli secured the Formula 1 drivers' championship, acknowledging the emotional toll of a season that began with victory but developed into a difficult campaign. BBC Sport reported that Russell congratulated Antonelli in an Instagram post and accepted that the Italian had earned the title.

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Russell entered the season as favourite and won the opening race, but has taken three victories compared with Antonelli's nine. Reflecting on that contrast, he attributed his difficulties to both misfortune and his own performances. He described this as the first full season of his career in which disappointing days had outnumbered good ones, and said repeatedly finding the strength to respond had been difficult.

Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix brought another setback. Russell finished sixth while Max Verstappen won ahead of Lewis Hamilton, with Antonelli third. Those results dropped Russell to fourth in the championship, as Verstappen moved into second place ahead of Hamilton. Russell had started second on the grid behind Hamilton, giving him a much stronger starting position than his eventual finishing place.

His race was compromised immediately by an energy-deployment problem that reduced power at the start and allowed rivals past. A subsequent error led to contact with Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar at Turn Six, sending Hadjar into a spin. Russell received a 10-second penalty for the collision, adding another complication to a race already disrupted by the launch problem.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff allowed Russell to leave without completing his post-race media duties after seeing him distressed at the FIA weighing scales. According to BBC Sport, Wolff praised Russell for congratulating Antonelli despite his disappointment and noted his role in helping bring the younger driver into Mercedes. Russell, meanwhile, thanked the team for its car and power unit and recognised the work behind its return to the top.

Russell said his commitment would continue through the remaining races and into next season as he sought to regain his established level of performance. Antonelli also backed his team-mate to recover, acknowledging Russell's bad luck and speed. The new champion said he would keep working to improve, anticipating competition not only from Russell but also from rival teams next season.