Having started the season in one of the two cars destined to win the 2026 F1 drivers’ championship, George Russell must be counting the hours to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi. His hopes after winning the season opener in Australia must have been sky-high with the Grand Prix tally between the Mercedes drivers being 6-0 in George’s favour.
Next time out at the Chinese Grand Prix, the Russell bandwagon continued with a pole position followed by a win in the Sprint, whilst Kimi Antonelli languished down in P5. The Mercedes was the best car and George the best equipped of their drivers for the challenge ahead. Or so it seemed.
Antonelli Makes History
Then in Grand Prix qualifying, Russell was to suffer a deployment irregularity, handing pole position to his teammate.Antonelli at 19 became the youngest F1 pole-sitter of all time, beating the previous record set at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix by Sebastian Vettel, who was 21 years of age.
The rest is history. Kimi Antonelli went on to dominate his teammate—although some misfortune affected Russell’s campaign—and at times he was just not quick enough on the day. Having left the circuit immediately after the chequered flag in Mexico, where Kimi clinched the 2026 drivers’ championship, George Russell arrived in Brazil determined to end the season with a bang.
Rain Chaos at Interlagos
Yet it was Kimi Antonelli who would finish each of the free practice sessions ahead of Russell, but come the rains in qualifying, everything changed. Having threatened disruption throughout the weekend, ironically the first drops of rain began to fall just two minutes before the pit lane light went green.
The intensity grew in lightning-quick fashion, such that while the rest of the field lined up in the pit lane, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton took the decision to stay in their garages. On the opening lap, it quickly became evident the conditions made racing impossible due to the lack of visibility and standing water on the track.
Race control suspended the session, which only resumed an hour and twenty-six minutes later. The drivers mostly elected to set off on the full wet tyre—a triumph for race control decision-making and proof that that compound of Pirelli rubber actually works. And it was Russell who each lap was purple (quickest) in sector after sector, along with Max Verstappen,who finished on top of the pile.
The Fateful Q3 Radio Call
In Q2, the changeable conditions saw Fernando Alonso first decide it was time for the intermediate tyre, but Antonelli refused the switch at the team’s offering. Eventually, Kimi switched tyre compounds, but in the time remaining found it difficult to get the rubber up to temperature.
Antonelli squeezed through to Q3 with just the tenth-quickest time as the drivers were warned that heavier rain was on its way. Russell again was the class of the field, although on what turned out to be his last push lap possible, the Mercedes team made a fateful call.
Russell was catching Alex Albon and was purposeful in both the first sectors. However, the call came over the radio for George to fall back, create a gap, and get ready to go again. “You sure???” yelled Russell before the final confirmation came.
As he crossed the line, George was in provisional pole position, but behind him was Lando Norris closing quickly in his McLaren. As he crossed the line, the timing system showed Norris had claimed pole by two tenths of a second from Russell.
The Garage Fallout and Wolff’s Rebuttal
Halfway around the following lap, the heavens truly opened, and George Russell realised the mistake which had been made. “Mate, I should have fing finished the lap! MATE! You fing told me to back off. What the hell!”
Then came the voice of Toto Wolff over the radio in an attempt to calm George down. “George, you’re P2.” Russell responded: “Yeah, but… P2. I don’t wanna be P2, I want to be P1. That was a P1 lap. F***ing hell!”
In the media pen after the session, Russell repeated the claim that his aborted lap would have been good enough for pole position. Yet when this was put to Toto Wolff, he slapped down the claim.
“If we were to have a crystal ball to know whether you should back off or not, that would be helpful,” he told Sky F1. “It was a difficult one, a 50-50 call. He was running into Albon. He was 18 milliseconds up on Norris at that stage. I don’t think it would have been enough for pole, but he drove perfectly all session and merited to be on pole,” stated the Mercedes boss.
Grid Penalties and Race Outlook
Yet analysis shows that had Russell merely matched the final sector lap time of Alex Albon, it would have been quick enough to take pole position. Of course, this data will eventually filter its way to Russell, who will feel even more aggrieved over his boss’s radio intervention, then squashing the claims the lap would have been good enough for pole.
Having beaten Antonelli, Russell takes a five-place grid drop and will start seventh. And if to rub salt into the wound, his demotion promotes Kimi onto the front row alongside Lando Norris. The McLaren driver joins an elite pantheon of greats who have all claimed three pole positions at Interlagos in Brazil—which is remarkably the all-time record.
The latest forecast suggests the race may start in the dry, which probably favours the McLaren driver, however radar shows within the first 20 minutes a light rain will begin falling and continue to the chequered flag.
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A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
