ZANDVOORT, Netherlands (AP) — George Russell is back at the front of Formula 1 with a new driving style and nothing to lose.
Russell started the second half of the season with a sprint race win and second place in qualifying on Saturday. He said he'd used the mid-season break to learn from the techniques that have taken his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli to the top of the standings, and shed stress along the way.
"After the break I just feel way more relaxed. I don't think I've got anything to lose," Russell said. "I'm just going to go out, enjoy it, and I don't even really feel in a fight. It's not mine to lose, it's mine to gain."
In nearly a month since the last race in Hungary, Russell got engaged — he joked Friday that he's faster for no longer carrying the ring around — and he took inspiration not just from Antonelli, who he said was doing an "amazing job" with the 2026 car and tires, but from the world of golf.
"If you change your golf swing you'll probably take half a step back first before making those improvements. I think the break just allowed me to put those learnings into the back of my mind, come here this weekend, not fixating on what I want to try and achieve with the car and the tires but knowing it," he said.
#russell
Russell started the second half of the season with a sprint race win and second place in qualifying on Saturday. He said he'd used the mid-season break to learn from the techniques that have taken his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli to the top of the standings, and shed stress along the way.
"After the break I just feel way more relaxed. I don't think I've got anything to lose," Russell said. "I'm just going to go out, enjoy it, and I don't even really feel in a fight. It's not mine to lose, it's mine to gain."
In nearly a month since the last race in Hungary, Russell got engaged — he joked Friday that he's faster for no longer carrying the ring around — and he took inspiration not just from Antonelli, who he said was doing an "amazing job" with the 2026 car and tires, but from the world of golf.
"If you change your golf swing you'll probably take half a step back first before making those improvements. I think the break just allowed me to put those learnings into the back of my mind, come here this weekend, not fixating on what I want to try and achieve with the car and the tires but knowing it," he said.
#russell
1 day ago
