Twenty-four hours of silence ended on Monday evening. The Mercedes driver returned to his own channels to describe a year that, in his words, “very quickly unravelled with tough luck and poor performances”, according to GPblog’s report on the post.
He had declined to face the media at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez the day before. Mercedes were fined €5,000 for the breach, after Russell left the circuit while 20-year-old Antonelli was still celebrating the title.
A season that unravelled after the opener
Russell’s Monday message set an unflinching tone.
“It’s been the first proper season of my career where I’ve had more bad days than good.”
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He had come into 2026 as the pre-season favourite and won the opening race, before Antonelli reeled off five consecutive victories in the same car. The gap never closed again. The Italian became Formula 1’s youngest world champion and his country’s first since Alberto Ascari in 1953, sealing the title with 380 points while Russell finished fourth in the standings.
Wolff saw Russell leave the paddock
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff defended the walkout the moment it happened.
“For a racing driver, this is a catastrophic moment,” he told Sky Sports after watching his driver skip the mandatory post-race media.
Wolff said Russell had sought out Antonelli at the FIA scales to congratulate him in the moments after the chequered flag, then went. The Austrian pointed to a technical issue on the opening straight that he said had cost Russell the win in Mexico City, where he finished sixth and Antonelli clinched the title.
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Russell speaks at Interlagos on Thursday
Russell will address reporters at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Thursday. His closing promise on Instagram was aimed at the final rounds and beyond.
“I will be giving my absolute all to rediscover the performance I have been capable of producing.”
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