Russell reveals emotional toll of nightmare season: 'I feel a bit exhausted'
Photo: Race Pictures
Tobia is a Formula 1 journalist at GPblog with experience at international circuits. Since 2022, he has covered Grands Prix across Europe, delivering reliable coverage and insights from the paddock.
George Russell has admitted that he feels mentally exhausted after repeatedly dealing with setbacks throughout the 2026 season, with the Mercedes driver revealing how difficult it has become to recover from disappointment after disappointment.
The Briton arrived at the Brazilian Grand Prix following another frustrating weekend in Mexico, where he started second on the grid and believed he had a genuine opportunity to fight for victory. However, technical problems once again disrupted his race, leaving him unable to capitalise on his promising starting position.
The latest setback added to a growing list of difficulties for Russell, who has struggled to turn Mercedes' competitive pace into consistent results this season. To make matters worse, he watched teammate Kimi Antonelli secure the title in Mexico, while Russell's own title ambitions came to an end. His frustration was evident after the race, as he did not attend the post-race media interviews.
Russell opens up about mental toll of difficult Mercedes season
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Speaking ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, Russell explained that the repeated setbacks have taken a significant emotional toll, particularly as he has continually tried to recover and approach each race with renewed optimism.
"I probably just feel a bit exhausted this season of constantly picking myself back up. When you get kicked to the ground, you pick yourself back up, and then you kick down again, you pick yourself back up. And I was hoping to do that maybe twice in the season, not every other weekend, really.
"When you get to a point of this 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 is tough to deal with. It's very tough to deal with."
Photo: Race Pictures
Despite returning to the circuit where he celebrated his maiden Formula 1 victory, Russell admitted that he is approaching the Brazilian weekend without particularly high expectations.
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"Brazil is a place that I love. I've got great memories of. Do I come in with high expectations? Honestly, no, to be honest. But looking forward to next year for sure, and we'll just continue to work on the things that I can control and pray the things outside of my control sort themselves up."
Russell also stressed that his confidence in his own abilities remains intact, despite the difficulties he has experienced throughout the campaign: "I don't think there's a single athlete in the world or business person or even just individual in life that goes through every single year having great years. All of us in this room have good days. We have bad days. We have good years. We have bad years for different reasons.
"The goats in sports have years that have been tough for them. We were talking about Lewis before. He's had so many successful years, but he's also had tough years, and it's the way you sort of bounce back from those years to continue having the belief and courage to return to those positive ways and that mental resilience.
"And I think that for me is what I have, what this year has taught me. I still believe in myself and believe next year, we fight again."
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