Russell says late DNF turned a 3-point loss to Antonelli into an 18-point setback

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GPBeat reports that George Russell said his late retirement at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia turned an expected three-point loss to Kimi Antonelli into an 18-point loss. Antonelli leads by 84 points with seven rounds remaining. Asked if his title prospects were over, Russell answered yes, but added, “Never say never.”

From the GPBeat newsroomPublished · 04 Oct 2026, 13:58 · 1 min

George Russell said his late retirement from the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia turned what had looked like a three-point loss to Kimi Antonelli into an 18-point loss.

Russell had cut Antonelli’s lead to 66 points with his victory in Azerbaijan. Antonelli’s second place behind Max Verstappen, combined with Russell’s retirement, put the gap back at 84 points with seven rounds remaining in the 2026 season.

Asked after the race whether his championship prospects were over, Russell replied, “Yeah, yeah, I'd say so,” but added, “Never say never.” He said he needed everything to go his way to fight back, but that this weekend it had not; he described the 2026 season as “pretty relentless.”

Russell was still on course for third during the late Safety Car phase before he was forced to pull to the side. Mercedes said the retirement was due to a suspected power-unit issue. It was his third non-finish of 2026.

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