Racing
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Lando Norris says George Russell cannot assume a “no-pressure” mindset will revive his 2026 title challenge, arguing the Mercedes driver is dealing with the opposite problem as he slips 50 points behind team-mate Kimi Antonelli after seven rounds.
Speaking to PlanetF1.com and other media, the reigning world champion said the approach that helped him recover last season was shaped by a loss of confidence, while Russell’s current struggle appears to come after starting the year from a position of strength. “It certainly made a difference,” Norris said. “Everyone thinks differently, so I don’t know how much... I’ve always put a lot of pressure on myself. I don’t know if George puts pressure on himself or doesn’t feel it or not.”
Norris said that difference matters because Russell’s situation is not a copy of his own. “So whereas last year I went from not much confidence to, ‘what have I got to lose now?’ He’s gone from feeling quite confident to maybe losing some of that confidence,” he said. “Maybe now getting to that point, every driver has to find their own way of doing it. It’s not one thing works for all.”
Russell opened the season as one of the favorites, but Antonelli has taken control inside Mercedes and in the championship. Antonelli has scored 156 points across the first seven race weekends, building his advantage with five straight grand prix wins from China through Monaco. Russell is now third in the standings, nine points behind Lewis Hamilton and 50 adrift of Antonelli.
Norris said the pressure on Russell is being sharpened by the form of the driver on the other side of the garage. “There are a lot of things to think about as soon as someone says you’re a title contender and you’re in that situation,” he said. He added that Russell “has also got a teammate who’s doing a pretty unbelievable job. Probably better than I would say most people were expecting in here,” with the extra strain of a driver “who’s challenging him incredibly well, not making any mistakes.”
That is why Norris stopped short of offering any simple formula. “It’s tough to know exactly what you’ve got to do in that situation,” he said. “Do you put more pressure on yourself? Do you try and feel none of it?”
His own example remains the obvious comparison point. After retiring in the Dutch Grand Prix last season, Norris found himself 32 points behind Oscar Piastri and responded by stripping away the pressure. “You know pressure’s off, go out, enjoy every single race, try and win every single race, and I’ve got nothing to lose,” he said of that spell. Norris went on to overturn the deficit and win the title by two points from Max Verstappen.
The warning for Russell is that Antonelli’s surge has changed the nature of the fight. Norris’s comeback came from freeing himself up to attack, but Russell now has to stop a slide in confidence while a team-mate who has exceeded expectations keeps turning strong weekends into a growing championship lead.