If George Russell cut a frustrated figure after a Monaco Grand Prix that spectacularly spiralled out of control, then four days on the Mercedes driver practiced stoicism as he reviewed the first leg of a brutal 2026 season.
With Mercedes finally on the front foot, Russell's would-be title campaign got off to a perfect start on with a pole-to-flag victory in the Melbourne curtain raiser. What has transpired since then was not quite part of the plan, with a cocktail of bad luck, driving style challenges and a budding superstar team-mate now seeing Russell stare down the barrel of a huge 68-point deficit.
