MEXICO CITY – George Russell said one difficult Formula 1 season would not define his career and he still had plenty of time on his side.

The Briton started the campaign as the favourite, but has been eclipsed by 20-year-old Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli, who is set to clinch the title in Mexico City this weekend.

“I’ve probably learnt more about myself this year than I would have liked, in all honesty,” Russell said on Oct 29, acknowledging that Antonelli, who will be Italy’s first champion in 73 years, had been performing at a higher level.

“But I remind myself I’m 28 years old. I see Lewis (Hamilton) still competing extremely well at 41 and Fernando (Alonso) at 44. Lewis won the majority of his titles in his 30s, and this year is absolutely not going to define my career as a whole.”

Ferrari’s Hamilton is third in the standings, one point behind Russell.

While Antonelli has won nine of 18 grands prix this season, Russell has three to his credit and his season has been characterised by misfortune, with highs one weekend and lows the next.

He added that his natural driving style had been hampered by “a few factors” involving the new era of power units and higher tyre pressures, especially at the rear of the car.

“It’s not going to break me. If anything, it’s going to make me stronger. I’ve been pretty proud of my resilience and how I’ve bounced back from very tough moments,” he said.

“Through my lowest points of this season, I’ve generally bounced back really, really strong. Then I had another bad race after the good one.

“But I’ve been racing more years of my life than I haven’t, and I’ve had more successful years than relative failures.

“Unfortunately, this year for me has come at maybe the time when I needed it most (to be at the highest level), but it’s by no means the end of my journey. I’ve still got a good 12 to 15 years left in me.”

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has expressed his confidence in Russell bouncing back, saying the current car did not suit the driver but that 2027 would be a fresh start.

Ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix, Antonelli was excused from media duties on Oct 29 with the Mercedes driver feeling unwell.

The team said the 20-year-old Italian was recovering from a viral illness and “feeling under the weather”.

“As a precaution, the FIA have excused him from his mandatory media duties to give him the chance to rest ahead of the weekend. We expect him to be back tomorrow,” a spokeswoman said.

Antonelli will be champion on Nov 1 if he finishes in the top nine at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, even if Russell wins the race.

The Italian, who won in Texas last weekend, has a 123-point lead with five races and a maximum 125 points remaining.

Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas was also feeling unwell and taking a day of rest.

“This is a precautionary measure and does not currently affect his participation in the remainder of the race weekend,” the team said. REUTERS