‘It couldn’t come at a better time’ – Russell plans to ‘forget about racing’ over summer break amid ‘rollercoaster’ season

George Russell was left to reflect on another dramatic weekend in his “rollercoaster” 2026 season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, admitting afterwards that the summer break “probably couldn’t come at a better time”.

Russell qualified seventh for Sunday’s race, after an issue at the end of Q3 led to the feeling of “a water pistol being sprayed at the tyres” and forced him to stop out on track – with Mercedes subsequently carrying out a power unit change.

Having gained a spot due to team mate Kimi Antonelli’s penalty for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags, Russell had hoped to make an impression on the McLarens, Ferraris and Red Bull of Max Verstappen ahead.

However, the Briton’s chances of doing so were dashed almost immediately when he struggled to get away from the grid due to the anti-stall kicking in – and tumbled down the order to 21st position.

After a spirited comeback drive, Russell managed to cross the line in seventh position and bag a handful of points, but he once again pondered what might have been in a campaign full of incidents and technical problems.

“I mean, you can’t really make it up at the moment,” said Russell, sharing his thoughts immediately after the race.

“I’m not sure what happened at the start. I did all my procedures as normal, but the engine just had a bit of a mind of its own, and wasn’t working as expected.

“The break probably couldn’t come at a better time.”

Asked how he is approaching the summer period, Russell added: “It’s just been a bit of a rollercoaster, you know. It’s really not been a smooth season whatsoever.

“I don’t really have a mindset – just try and forget about racing for a bit, and try and come back stronger.”

With Antonelli finishing the race in third position, the Italian youngster extends his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 50 points over Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, with Russell now 59 points adrift.