Johnny Herbert has urged George Russell to put a frustrating 2026 Formula 1 season behind him, reset mentally and return ready to challenge Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli in 2027. The former Formula 1 driver believes Russell has suffered more misfortune than Antonelli this season, but says the Briton must find a way to recover from those setbacks because “motorsport is not always fair”.
The contrast between the two Mercedes drivers has become increasingly stark as the championship approaches its decisive phase. Antonelli could already put himself in position to mathematically secure the world title at Austin with five races still remaining, while Russell has endured a campaign featuring several retirements, technical problems and missed opportunities.
George Russell needs a reset before fighting Antonelli in 2027
Russell summed up his frustration after another difficult weekend by saying: “The VSC ending when I pitted is the story of my season.”
The Mercedes driver has legitimate reasons to feel that fortune has often worked against him, but not every setback can be attributed to bad luck. A driving mistake in Saturday’s Sprint turned what could have been a victory into another scoreless result.
Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli has consistently had the upper hand during the 2026 season, apart from a small number of exceptions. The Italian now heads to Austin with the possibility of taking another major step towards wrapping up the championship extraordinarily early.
Herbert says Russell has suffered more bad luck than Antonelli
Former Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert believes the circumstances on the two sides of the Mercedes garage have not always been equal. Speaking to Betpack, Herbert acknowledged that Russell has been hit particularly hard by technical problems and incidents beyond his control.
“It’s tough,” Johnny Herbert said. “If you look across to the other side of the garage, Kimi Antonelli isn’t having as many problems that ruin his races.”
“It is clear that George is a little more unlucky. Mercedes has had technical problems and setbacks on both sides of the garage, but especially on George’s side.”
Those problems have made Russell’s task considerably more difficult, particularly against a team-mate who has been able to convert Mercedes’ competitiveness into a commanding championship campaign.
Russell told to prepare mentally for 2027 battle
Herbert’s main message, however, was focused on what comes next rather than what has already gone wrong. The former F1 race winner believes Russell must use the remainder of the season and the winter to rebuild mentally before confronting Antonelli again next year.
“George just needs to prepare himself mentally to give Kimi a hard time next year. Hopefully luck will smile on him.”
“Motorsport is not always fair, but you have to be able to pick yourself up after these setbacks.”
For Russell, the challenge is therefore twofold. Mercedes will need to give him greater reliability and fewer technical interruptions, but the Briton must also minimise his own mistakes when opportunities arise.
Antonelli could move closer to title in Austin
Antonelli’s position could become even stronger at the next round in Texas. The United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas gives the Mercedes driver the chance to begin thinking about mathematically securing the title with five races still to go.
The 2026 United States Grand Prix in Austin therefore represents another pivotal weekend for both sides of the Mercedes garage: Antonelli can move closer to completing a dominant campaign, while Russell needs a strong response as he begins laying the foundations for a renewed challenge in 2027.
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