Russell urges Mercedes to push as Red Bull puts his second place under pressure

After Max Verstappen’s dominant Singapore weekend, George Russell urged Mercedes to keep pushing as Red Bull’s rapid progress put his second place in the championship under increasing pressure. He called the progress impressive and said Red Bull had been close to the best at all three venues—Baku, Malaysia and Singapore—even though Malaysia and Singapore are very different tracks.

Russell started the Singapore Grand Prix from 19th after a hefty grid penalty and fought back to ninth, but still lost valuable points in the fight for his place in the standings.

The pressure on his second place is not Russell’s only concern: he is also looking ahead to a possible contest with Kimi Antonelli in 2027. Antonelli is currently cruising towards the 2026 world title. If Russell is with the best team then, he will again have to try to beat the Italian. Russell said it was too early to work out how he might return stronger in 2027. “The winter break is the ideal time to look at that,” he said.