An upgraded car and a “painful” reminder not to lose sight of the Formula 1 fundamentals could be George Russell’s path back to the front of the field at Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
Russell’s fourth-place finish in the most recent race for the international open-wheel series, the Miami GP on May 3, kept him second in the standings but gave his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli a yawning 20-point lead in the through the first four races of 2026. The 19-year-old Italian has won three in a row.
Russell said one reason he lost ground was focusing too much on the standout feature of the F1’s new cars and their massive electrical power output while neglecting the basics.
“Dealing with the tires, dealing with the setup, just fundamentals of racing, has kind of been put on the back burner because we’re all so focused on energy management,” he said.
“We missed some key things because we were focused elsewhere, and that was a good little reminder. As painful as it was, it was a very much-needed weekend, because I think it’s going to prove very beneficial.”