George Russell has issued his first words since Mercedes teammate, Kimi Antonelli, wrapped up the Drivers’ Championship in Mexico City.

Russell missed his mandatory media duties after Mercedes gave him permission to leave the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Sunday, landing the team with a €5000 find.

George Russell admits F1 2026 title challenge ‘very quickly unravelled’

Toto Wolff admitted he would have been surprised had Russell stayed too long after the race, with the Briton having congratulated Antonelli, his family and crew members before making his exit.

Russell had headed into the 2026 campaign as the pre-season favourite, winning two of the first three races to take the early championship lead.

Since then, a combination of Antonelli’s form and reliability issues have hindered the Briton’s title chances, with the 20-year-old going on to seal his maiden championship with four races to spare.

A day after the chequered flag, Russell has taken the chance to address his followers on social media to reflect on the season.

“Now feels like a pretty suitable moment to speak from the heart,” Russell wrote.

“This season started off exactly how I had hoped but it very quickly unravelled with tough luck and poor performances. It’s been the first proper season of my career where I’ve had more bad days than good. Has it been tough to deal with? Yes, very. Has it been tough to pick myself up week in, week out? Yes, very. Confusion at times? Often. All I know is that I’ve given it my all and 2026 was not meant to be my year.

“I want to sincerely congratulate Kimi on what has been an absolutely incredible season. You truly deserve the Championship.

More as Kimi Antonelli wins the Drivers’ title

“Thank you to the team for producing the best car and power unit this season; it’s been inspiring to see everyone coming together over four tough years to bring Mercedes back to the top.

“Now, all I can promise is that for the rest of this season, and into the next one, I will be giving my absolute all to rediscover the performance I have been capable of producing for the majority of my career and fingers crossed a little bit of luck returns.

“Thanks for all the support 🙏”