James Hinchcliffe, former IndyCar driver and analyst for F1 TV, stated that George Russell should view the remainder of the 2026 season as a prelude to 2027, deeming his title fight a “lost cause” after the Spanish Grand Prix.
The inaugural race at the Madrig circuit in Madrid dealt another blow to Russell’s championship hopes. While his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli capitalized on a virtual safety car moment to secure his eighth victory, Russell ended up frustrated in fifth place.
This result extended Antonelli’s lead over Russell to 81 points in the drivers’ standings. Although the 28-year-old driver could theoretically win the title, he admitted after the race that he is not truly in contention. “I’m really not in the fight for the drivers, and that allows me to focus race by race and try to get good results,” Russell told F1 TV.
Reviewing Russell’s comments during the post-race show on F1 TV, Hinchcliffe suggested he should now focus on 2027 and work on figuring out what is holding him back from matching his teammate’s performance. “The truth is that, at this point, most people are really out of the championship fight,” Hinchcliffe explained. “So it’s probably better for him to adopt that mindset and be aware race by race. Focus on discovering what is holding him back from matching Kimi’s pace. He’s about to have a series of races before the end of the season to really adjust so he can start 2027 on the right foot. This year is a lost cause from a championship standpoint for him. He just needs to use these years as a learning experience, and in that sense, one could argue that 2027 begins in Baku.”
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will take place at the Baku City Circuit from September 24 to 26.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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