George Russell urges Mercedes to find answers as Red Bull resurgence continues

George Russell has pressed Mercedes to find answers after its recent upgrade failed to match expectations, with Red Bull now emerging as the team to beat in Formula 1's 2026 season.

Mercedes dominated the first half of the year, but that advantage has come under serious scrutiny in recent rounds — and Russell wants to know why.

Why it matters:

Mercedes won eight of the first 10 races in 2026, but has only a 50 percent hit rate in the six races since. Max Verstappen and Red Bull have taken victory at the last two events — both coming after Mercedes introduced a significant upgrade package in Malaysia.

The disappointment was such that Russell reverted to the older specification car in Singapore, running a weekend-long back-to-back test alongside Kimi Antonelli in the updated machine.

The details:

• Russell finished ninth in Singapore after starting from the back of the grid due to a penalty for taking an additional power unit beyond the permitted allocation.
• Antonelli, meanwhile, cruised to third place, extending his championship lead to 102 points — meaning the Drivers' title could be mathematically sealed next time out in Texas.
• "The performance of Red Bull has been very impressive the last three weeks on three very different circuits," Russell said. "Right now they are beginning to be [the team to beat]."
• Russell's recovery drive was hampered by the street circuit's lack of overtaking opportunities and a mid-race virtual safety car deployed just after he passed the pit entry, denying him a cheap stop.
• "The first stint, we made good progress. Second stint, Nico [Hulkenberg] did a good job defending," Russell added. "Really challenging, but not much more to say."

What's next:

With a week before the next triple-header begins, Russell says understanding the upgrade package is the priority. "What Kimi ran, the numbers say it's performing as we expect, but obviously the lap times haven't been that great," he explained. "We need to try and understand how to make that work." How quickly Mercedes diagnoses the issue could shape the rest of the season's title fight.