Toto Wolff revealed Mercedes excused George Russell from post-race media duties after the British driver was "distraught" seeing team-mate Kimi Antonelli clinch the 2026 Drivers' Championship. Russell began the season as the clear title favourite but has been comprehensively outperformed by Antonelli, who finished third in Sunday's Mexico City race to become Formula 1's youngest ever world champion at age 20, with four rounds remaining. Russell started second but dropped to sixth after a poor getaway caused by a technical issue, for which he received a 10-second penalty.
Before leaving the circuit, Russell was one of the first to congratulate Antonelli in person. Mercedes were fined €5,000 by the FIA for Russell's absence. The result saw Russell drop from second to fourth in the standings, with Max Verstappen climbing two places and Lewis Hamilton moving ahead of Russell into third.
Russell is scheduled to speak to the media on Thursday in Brazil ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing