George Russell told to alter approach in fight for 2026 F1 title

Russell finished second at the British Grand Prix, benefiting from a late-race gamble by Mercedes to hold station on used medium tyres in a safety car period that lasted until the end of the race.

Russell admitted after the race that he did not deserve the race result despite taking a chunk out of his team-mate’s championship lead and needs to make some changes following the weekend to fight for the 2026 title.

“I’m not going to fight for a championship if the performances continue like that, if I’m being brutally honest,” Russell told F1 TV. "So, I'm not leaving this weekend satisfied. I’ll take the result. “I was probably more pleased leaving Canada when I broke down from the lead than I am today, standing P2. “I probably deserved to win in Canada and today I didn’t deserve where I was standing.

Speaking on F1 TV's post-race broadcast, Montoya suggested Russell needs to concentrate on his driving style instead of too much on his team-mate.

George Russell, Mercedes “He needs to grow. He's so focused on Antonelli and, this is me assuming, he really wants to beat Kimi. "I think he has to look more at himself and why he can't do it." What does the car not allow him to do? He needs to learn how to change the car to be able to do it."

Russell’s second at Silverstone and Antonelli’s 15th place leaves the Briton 25 points behind the 19-year-old championship leader in the standings.

Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time champion, is third, with his Ferrari team-mate, Charles Leclerc, winner of the British Grand Prix, in fourth.