Russell 'brutally honest' on his British GP performance

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What is F1 TV?F1 GlossaryGet involved2026 RegulationsNewsVideosRussell 'brutally honest' on his British GP performance'The feeling was back' – Leclerc reflects on British GP victoryLeclerc gets your vote after popular Silverstone winLeclerc wins dramatic British GP amid Antonelli issuePlay1:42'Important just to keep on fighting' - Russell pleased with P2 but not satisfied with performance 0:51Lewis Hamilton reflects on a P3 finish and 16th visit to the Silverstone podium Alexander AlbonFernando AlonsoKimi AntonelliOliver BearmanGabriel BortoletoValtteri BottasFranco ColapintoPierre GaslyIsack HadjarLewis HamiltonNico HulkenbergLiam LawsonCharles LeclercArvid LindbladLando NorrisEsteban OconSergio PerezOscar PiastriGeorge RussellCarlos SainzLance StrollMax VerstappenAll Drivers Hall of FameTeamsChevron DropdownAlpineAston MartinAudiCadillacFerrariHaas F1 TeamMcLarenMercedesRacing BullsRed Bull RacingWilliamsAll TeamsFantasy & GamingChevron DropdownF1 Sim RacingFantasyF1 25F1 Manager 24F1 PredictF1 ClashF1 Members' AreaMenuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/not-coming-away-from-this-weekend-satisfied-russell-brutally-honest-on-his-british-gp-performance.7Izg7gcAchesaXY3hxJrjL.7Izg7gcAchesaXY3hxJrjL"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/not-coming-away-from-this-weekend-satisfied-russell-brutally-honest-on-his-british-gp-performance.7Izg7gcAchesaXY3hxJrjL","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/not-coming-away-from-this-weekend-satisfied-russell-brutally-honest-on-his-british-gp-performance.7Izg7gcAchesaXY3hxJrjL","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/not-coming-away-from-this-weekend-satisfied-russell-brutally-honest-on-his-british-gp-performance.7Izg7gcAchesaXY3hxJrjL","datePublished":"2026-07-05T17:16:53.759Z","dateModified":"2026-07-05T17:16:53.759Z","headline":"'Not coming away from this weekend satisfied' – Mercedes' George Russell 'brutally honest' on 2026 Formula 1 British Grand Prix performance","author":"F1","description":"George Russell admits \"I'm not going to fight for a championship if the performances continue like that\", despite claiming his first podium in the British Grand Prix.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/v1783271494/fom-website/2026/Great%20Britain/16x9%20single%20image%20-%202026-07-05T181103.643.png"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}George RussellMercedesGreat BritainShow more tags'Not coming away from this weekend satisfied' – Russell 'brutally honest' on his British GP performanceGeorge Russell closed the gap to Mercedes team mate and points leader Kimi Antonelli, but left Silverstone unhappy. George Russell admits "I'm not going to fight for a championship if the performances continue like that", despite managing to claim his first podium in the British Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver split the Ferraris of winner Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in Sunday's 52-lap race, finishing second having been as low as seventh at one stage. Russell failed to match the performance of team mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli for most of the weekend, the Italian teenager having taken victory in Saturday's Sprint and pole for the Grand Prix, while Russell finished fourth. The Briton again languished behind his team mate in the Grand Prix, and was battling with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton for third before a slow puncture and unscheduled stop dropped him down the order. But car problems for Antonelli, a crash for Verstappen and pit stop for Hamilton under a late Safety Car meant Russell vaulted up the order to claim an unlikely podium. "After the slow puncture and pitting, then going down to P7, if you told me I was going to come home in second, I would have been like, 'there's no way'," said Russell. "I wouldn't have been able to comprehend how those events would have unfolded. I think P3 was probably a deserved result behind Kimi and Charles. "Obviously I was ahead of Lewis, I was fighting with Max. Max is a tough competitor, I think I would have passed him at one point. Then standing here P2." Antonelli was left outside the points after a loose wheel rim cover dropped him down the order when on course to battle Leclerc for the win, while a five-second penalty for track limits meant he was eventually classified in P16. The result means Russell is now only 25 points behind Antonelli having been 40 adrift ahead of the weekend. But Russell admits that his general performance was not good enough if he hopes to come away with a maiden F1 title at the end of the season. "It is important just to keep on fighting but the truth is, there's been a lot of things this weekend we don't really understand," said Russell. "Straight line speed issues yesterday and on Friday, I think it was better today but the performance wasn't good enough and if I'm being brutally honest, I'm not going to fight for a championship if the performances continue like that. "I'm not coming away from this weekend satisfied. I'll take the result, but I would have been more satisfied leaving Canada when I broke down from the lead than I am today standing P2. "Just because I probably deserved the win in Canada, and today I didn't deserve to stand where I stood." F1FacebookXInstagramYouTube© 2003-2026 Formula One World Championship Limited