Former Formulation 1 driver David Coulthard says George Russell’s bruising 2026 marketing campaign has develop into a “character-building” train, claiming the Mercedes driver’s present run of unhealthy luck is simply too unbelievable for a Rocky movie.
Russell received the Australian Grand Prix and the Chinese language dash race, however his season has since taken a flip. As F1 enters its August shutdown, the Briton trails his teenage team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who leads the drivers’ standings, by 59 factors.
Talking on the Up To Velocity podcast, Coulthard mirrored on the primary half of Russell’s season. Since his triumph in Melbourne, the 28-year-old has been hit by technical issues in China, an ill-timed security automobile in Japan, a string of penalties in Monaco, an engine failure whereas main in Canada and energy unit points in Belgium.
Most just lately, an anti-stall glitch off the road in Hungary eradicated him from competition earlier than the primary nook.
“It has been a shocker. How a lot unhealthy luck can one individual have?” Coulthard defined.
“On one facet, that unhealthy luck is one thing that the group need to work via. On the opposite facet, George is no longer on the crest of a wave. It is like while you see a tennis participant: they have the excessive ball and it should be a simple smash to win the purpose, after which they put it within the web as a result of they begin overthinking it.
George Russell, Mercedes
Photograph by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Photos through Getty Photos
“George is in that section of the season the place Kimi is simply instinctively driving and having, aside from Barcelona, some fairly good reliability, whereas George has been taking the punches and he is a little bit bit older.
“Expertise is an effective factor, however the good thing about youth is you do not know what you do not know. The draw back of expertise is you do know the challenges and the problem and momentum and all these good issues.
“As we all know from Max Verstappen final yr, it is nonetheless potential to return again from that factors deficit. However hear, not even Sylvester Stallone would write a Rocky film with that form of comeback from all of the punches that he is taken. So it should be a character-building yr for George.”
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