After a costly retirement in Canada and a points-less finish in Monaco following a drive-through penalty that dropped him out of the top ten after the second restart, the Briton now finds himself 68 points adrift of his teammate – the equivalent of almost three Grands Prix’ worth of points. To make matters worse, he is also trailing Lewis Hamilton, whose second-place finish in the Principality has established him as the closest challenger to the Italian in the championship standings.
Why Russell refuses to panic over Antonelli gap
It should also be noted that luck has hardly been on Russell’s side so far this season. In addition to the setbacks already mentioned, the Briton was hampered by a technical issue during qualifying in China, another costly blow that significantly impacted his points tally and further contributed to the deficit he now faces in the championship standings.
Speaking to GPBlog among other media in Barcelona ahead of what could prove to be a make-or-break weekend for his title hopes, Russell argued that the current championship standings fail to tell the full story of his season so far. The Mercedes driver pointed out that a significant portion of the points he has lost have come through circumstances beyond his control rather than a lack of performance on track.
Photo: Race Pictures
“If I was 60 points behind in the championship based on performance, I would have been substantially worse than I am today. I’m 60 points behind when at least 45 of those were out of my control.”
He also explained that he regularly works with a performance psychologist, a relationship that has been in place for the past six years, and said those conversations have helped him put the season into perspective. By analysing both the emotional and competitive aspects of his campaign, the Briton believes it is important to distinguish between genuine shortcomings and setbacks caused by factors outside his influence.
“Every week I’m always talking with my performance psychologist and I’ve been doing that for six years now, so that isn’t anything new, but it’s always great to talk to somebody about what you’re feeling, how you’re going to overcome those emotions, and whether the emotions you’re feeling are a true reflection of the performances.”
Russell bemoans back luck that has cost him victories this season as pressure builds
According to Russell, a more neutral run of fortune could have left him with several additional podium finishes and potentially even a couple of victories. Instead, issues such as mechanical failures, unfortunate Safety Car timing and other race incidents have repeatedly cost him valuable results.
Photo: Race Pictures
Despite finding the situation frustrating, Russell suggested the circumstances have also changed his mindset. With the championship gap now substantial, the Briton admitted he is no longer focusing on the title fight and instead intends to approach the remainder of the season with less pressure, concentrating on enjoying each race weekend and maximising the opportunities available to him.