Russell delivers bleak title verdict after Antonelli victory: "I'm not in this fight"

Following a controlled drive from Antonelli, in which he kept Max Verstappen at bay for the majority of the race, before pulling away from the Dutchman and Lando Norris in the closing stages, the 20-year-old's lead at the top of the standings has been extended to 81 points.

His closest challenger Russell escaped damage after contact with Oscar Piastri on Lap 1, but an unfortunately timed Virtual Safety Car on Lap 14 saw rivals around him move onto the "superior" hard tyres, while the Briton took on the mediums. Russell had to stop again later in the race and move back to the hards on his way to P5 - 29 seconds down on winner Antonelli.

Reflecting on his race, Russell initially told media, including GPblog: "Just very frustrating timing with the safety car. We were hoping to make it to lap 40, we knew Kimi and the drivers on the medium and the soft would pit around lap 15, and the safety car came at lap 14, so…”

Russell was then asked on his questioning of Mercedes' strategy during the race, but argued he would have probably finished fifth regardless, at a track where overtaking has proved to be very tricky.

Russell continued: “The hard was by far my most superior tyre. It would have been a big gamble to have stayed out on the medium. I thought I had nothing to lose. In the end, I think I would have ended up where I ended up anyway. So, a bit of a shame. Very tough track to overtake, which was a bit annoying, I guess, for everyone.”

With the gap to his teammate now larger than it has ever been in the standings, Russell was later asked to weigh up his title chances. The 28-year-old delivered a bleak verdict, arguing it is now "exceptionally unlikely" that he has a shot at the Drivers' title.

He said: “I'm not going to say it's over, but it's exceptionally unlikely that I'm in this fight. I'm not even thinking about being in the fight because I don't think I am in the fight."

On the other hand, Russell suggested he now has less pressure to perform for the remainder of the 2026 season. "It almost just allows me to focus race by race and just try and win as many as possible. What will be, will be, but… Yeah, that's where we are right now," he concluded.