George Russell has opened up about Mercedes’s tyre choice for the start, the tricky track conditions, his intense battle with teammate Kimi Antonelli, his stance on further changes to the 2026 F1 regulations, and his prospects for winning the Drivers’ Championship following his retirement from the 2026 Canadian GP due to a power unit failure.
Pipping the Italian for pole position in Grand Prix qualifying, Russell lined up at the front of the grid on Sunday, bolting on a set of used soft tyres.
While Lando Norris stormed into the lead despite being on the intermediate tyres, Russell dropped back to third behind Antonelli on the opening lap.
After the McLaren driver pitted at the end of the second lap, an exciting battle for the lead finally ensued between Russell and Antonelli, with the subsequent 28 laps featuring multiple near misses and off-track excursions as the Mercedes duo swapped positions numerous times.
But the duel came to an abrupt end on Lap 30 when Russell’s W17 grounded to a halt because of a power unit problem. The visibly frustrated Brit was eventually fined by the FIA for throwing his Mercedes headrest to the ground as he exited his car to retire from the race.
Although Russell still finds himself in second place in the Drivers’ standings, his teammate has now extended the championship lead to 43 points. Meanwhile, his gap to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in third has shrunk to 13 points.
Russell on Mercedes’s tyre choice and pace at the 2026 Canadian GP
Speaking in the print media pen after the F1 race, George Russell touched on why Mercedes had opted for the used soft tyres instead of the intermediates for the opening stint of the 2026 Canadian GP.
“Yeah, I mean, very challenging to decide what was the right tyre. But as soon as you had temp, slicks would be the best.”
With regard to him locking up at the Turn 10 hairpin multiple times and what the genuine pace of the W17 was in the first stint, Russell explained how difficult it was to bring the tyres into their optimal operating window given that track temperatures were cooler than usual in Montreal. Nonetheless, he clarified that their overall pace was pretty solid on Sunday.
“It was just challenging. You know, in these cold conditions, the only way you get grip is by pushing the tyres to get the temperature.
“So, you’re just spreading that needle of how hard to push, but knowing the consequences are quite big. But, no, the pace was strong.”
Russell against further revisions to the 2026 regulations
Reflecting on how hard Antonelli and he had raced each other in Sunday’s Canadian GP, George Russell compared their thrilling 2026 contest at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to the ferocious battle for P1 between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in Bahrain 12 years ago.
Additionally, the 28-year-old made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t want to see the 2026 technical regulations changed and argued that the current cars and power units have facilitated the increased on-track action that we have witnessed so far in the season.
“Yeah, I mean, I loved it. I thought it was great. I’ve not had a battle like this in years; I haven’t seen a battle like this probably since Lewis [Hamilton] and Nico [Rosberg] in Bahrain 2014.
“And these new cars allow you to do that. These new engines allow you to do that.
“I don’t know why anybody wants to change them—because we had amazing battles in Melbourne, we had great battles in China, Kimi [Antonelli] and I have had a great battle today and yesterday—and that’s only possible because of how these power units are.
“So yeah, that’s my viewpoint.”
How risky the battle between the Mercedes drivers was
In terms of the Mercedes pair banging wheels during the 2026 Canadian GP and whether the team would potentially impose further restrictions on how they engage in wheel-to-wheel combat, George Russell maintained that Antonelli and he were never at risk of taking each other out. Furthermore, he reiterated how much he had enjoyed the battle until he was forced to retire the car.
“No, I mean, we know how we need to race. And as I said, I think we both had it under control. It was great. I really enjoyed it, personally.”
Underlining the characteristics of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve as a stop-start, low-downforce track with lots of heavy-braking chicanes, Russell also elaborated on why it was so challenging to break the one-second overtake mode barrier. He stated that the potency of the additional electric power and the slipstream ensured the Mercedes cars followed each other closely from the start until the Brit’s sudden DNF.
“It was exceptionally difficult, this circuit, to break that one-second overtake mode.
“You were gaining about half a second, about six tenths probably, including the slipstream on the lap. So, it was very difficult to break.
“But the setup of the overtake mode, the boost, it works. And that’s great.”
Russell not too optimistic about the title after retiring from 2026 Canadian GP
Emphasising the severe blow his Canadian GP DNF has dealt to his championship aspirations, George Russell commented that the 2026 F1 Drivers’ title is now Antonelli’s for the taking.
Furthermore, the six-time race winner drew attention to the misfortunes he had suffered prior to the Grand Prix in Montreal—a compromised qualifying in Shanghai and an ill-timed Safety Car costing him the victory at Suzuka.
Remarking that a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, Russell also proclaimed that he would simply enjoy the remaining races, take more risks, and try to win them all since he no longer has the championship at stake. Nevertheless, he hoped that fortune would favour him once more and allow him to stage a comeback.
“I mean, right now it’s his to lose.
“It’s so many points ahead. It feels like… the gods don’t want me to be in this fight, when I look at the safety car timing in Japan, breaking down in China Q3 [while] fighting for pole, breaking down from the lead here today.
“But, you know, pressure’s off. Go out, enjoy every single race, try and win every single race. And I’ve got nothing to lose, so I don’t want to be stood here talking like that.
“It is, of course, frustrating and I want to be in that fight. Hopefully, the luck turns.”
