Russell prioritises pace over result after fourth-place finish in São Paulo

George Russell finished fourth in the São Paulo Grand Prix but said he values his performance more than the result. He described performance as his weak point and said finding pace is his priority ahead of another title bid in 2027. He still called the weekend positive in terms of his own performance.

Russell had narrowly missed pole but started Sunday's race seventh after a five-place penalty for an internal-combustion-engine change. He said the race might have looked very different had he started second.

After moving up to fourth during the wet opening, he spun at the pit-lane exit after switching to slick tyres. Russell said he did not know what had happened and thought he might have taken too much risk because he saw an opportunity to win. The spin cost him several positions. He fought back and was the first to switch back to intermediates as rain returned in the closing stages, eventually finishing fourth after teammate Kimi Antonelli allowed him through.

Russell said his performance on the soft tyre on Sunday had been very strong, while acknowledging the spin as a mistake. Mercedes secured its first Constructors' Championship since 2021 in São Paulo; Russell, who joined Mercedes in 2022, called the title an incredible achievement after what he described as four tough years.