If he's not careful, Mercedes' George Russell might also lose his grip on second place in the Drivers' Standings.
George Russell is now closer to losing his grip on second place than chasing Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli at the top.
After winning the first race of the 2026 Formula 1 season in Australia, Russell slowly but steadily lost his footing against Antonelli. Currently P2 in the Drivers' Standings, he's now 81 points behind his 20-year-old teammate.
And more urgently, Russell is now only 20 points ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton (P3) and 25 points ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris (P4).
It's a very harsh and difficult reality for the British driver.
He even said that Antonelli has done a better job than him this season. It's a noble admission, and he will surely not give up in this championship hunt, but he will be pressured to do better in the remaining races.
Russell wouldn't want to tumble further in the standings and ruin a 1-2 Mercedes finish in the drivers' championship.
So, which between Hamilton and Leclerc should Russell be more worried about? And are there drivers outside the Top 4 who can make a late push? A Max Verstappen, perhaps?
The Papaya is closing in
After suffering three DNF's in the first several races of the year, Lando Norris has been on a recent tear. It was at the Hungaroring when he won his first race as a World Champion, and then followed it up with another win at the Red Bull Ring in August.
These are Norris's results in his last four races:
- Hungary - 1st (25 points)
- Netherlands - 1st (31 points, including Sprint Race points)
- Italy - 4th (12 points)
- Spain - 3rd (15 points)
That's a total of 83 points for the McLaren driver in the last four races. For comparison, Russell has only scored 57 points during that same span.
McLaren's upgrades are working, and its driver is in peak form. If Russell isn't careful, Norris is coming for that second place.
And then there's Mad Max
Red Bull's Max Verstappen is still a long way off from Russell in the standings. Verstappen is trailing Russell by 66 points, but the four-time World Champion is on an upward momentum.
Save for a couple of DNFs, Verstappen has finished on the podium in the last seven races.
Let's say that the Dutchman might not be able to seriously fight for P2, but he's also taking away valuable points from Russell each weekend.
That Red Bull is going to be a thorn in Russell's side.
The pressure is on for George
Will George Russell be content being Mercedes' Number 2, just like what former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher said? The championship might be a very insurmountable hill for the Briton, but there's still a lot to play for.
Holding on to second place to give Mercedes the full hat trick of the two championships (WDC and Constructors' Title) and the 1-2 in the Drivers' Standings can boost Russell's morale.
