Russell 'numb to disappointment' after bitter blow to title hopes

Russell 'numb to disappointment' after bitter blow to title hopesImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, George Russell's Mercedes spins into retirement after colliding with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap of the Belgian Grand PrixByAndrew BensonF1 Correspondent at Spa-FrancorchampsPublished14 minutes ago3 CommentsGeorge Russell says he is "numb to the disappointment" after another problem at the Belgian Grand Prix led to him losing nearly all the ground in the championship he had gained on team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the past month.Russell crashed out on the first lap at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday after a collision with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, who was penalised for the incident.With Antonelli winning for the sixth time in 10 races this season, the Italian doubled his lead over Russell in one fell swoop."When it happens so often, you just get used to it," Russell said.The Briton's remarks are a reference to the series of issues he has suffered this year that have contributed to Antonelli's lead.These include technical issues in China qualifying, a safety car turning the race on its head in Japan, a retirement while leading in Canada, and the still-unresolved farrago over erroneous pit-lane speeding penalties in Monaco.Russell said after the British Grand Prix last time out, where Antonelli suffered a second problem in three races that prevented him scoring, that the issues had now pretty much equalised across the two cars.He felt his 25-point deficit after that race was a fair reflection of the balance of performance across the season.So to have it upended again so soon was a bitter blow.Antonelli wins to extend lead after Russell crashes outPublished2 hours agoAntonelli near-perfect but too much drama for Hamilton - driver ratingsPublished2 hours ago"I made a good start, I made a great first corner and I was choked up right behind [Max] Verstappen," Russell said. "But for whatever...