A disastrous season for George Russell: how far will the Mercedes veteran fall?

When Lewis Hamilton announced back in spring 2024 that he would be leaving the Mercedes team to join Ferrari at the end of the season, British Grand Prix experts were certain: with the departure of the seven-time world champion, George Russell would rise to become the undisputed number one in the German car manufacturer’s works team. This expectation was confirmed when team principal Toto Wolff appointed the young rising star Kimi Antonelli as the successor to the record-holding Grand Prix winner.

In their first year together, Russell was also the more successful of the two Mercedes drivers. He finished the 2025 season in fourth place with 319 World Championship points, whilst his young team-mate had to settle for 150 points and seventh place overall, having failed to score points on eight occasions – Russell, by contrast, had failed to score points on just one occasion; finishing eleventh in Monte Carlo, he narrowly missed out on the championship points.

Favourite ahead of the season opener

It was no surprise that the Briton was tipped as the clear favourite for the 2026 season, as it became clear during the pre-season test sessions just how strong the Mercedes W17 was. But the Grand Prix pundits were proved wrong, for whilst Russell did win the opening race in Melbourne, the following five Grand Prix victories went to his team-mate.

Russell, whose points haul was often hampered by factors beyond his control, managed to secure just one further Grand Prix victory before the summer break, crossing the finish line first at the Red Bull Ring. However, the 28-year-old has also left two races without scoring any points – and has slipped to third place in the overall standings behind his former team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

A modest lead over Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris

His current lead over fourth-placed Ferrari star Charles Leclerc stands at 22 points, whilst his lead over world champion Lando Norris is 32 points. That is not exactly a huge cushion. Many Grand Prix observers and fans are therefore wondering just how far Russell will fall, and in the latest episode of the podcast ‘The Red Flags’, Günther Steiner also explores this question.

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Although the South Tyrolean does not believe that Russell will turn the tide in the world championship battle and clinch the title, he certainly thinks Russell is capable of a good result this season. “He’ll be in the top three in the overall standings,” the former Haas team principal is certain. “He won’t win the World Championship, though. But he can do well; he could even finish second. If that doesn’t work out, then he’ll be third,” predicts the 61-year-old.