George Russell expresses his disappointment at rain-hit Bahrain GP
What's the story
George Russell, the Mercedes driver, expressed disappointment after retiring from what seemed like a podium finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Sunday. The Formula 1 2026 race was marred by rain delays and changing weather conditions. Despite staying in the top three for most of the race, Russell had to retire late due to a suspected power unit issue. Here's more.
Race aftermath
'It's just a bit of a shame'
Russell was on track for a P3 finish during a late-race Safety Car period when he pulled off the track.
His retirement came as a disappointment, with the driver saying, "It's just a bit of a shame." He lamented another failure when they were on course for a certain podium.
The DNF (Did Not Finish) also marked Russell's third non-finish of the season, further hurting his championship hopes.
"Another failure, when we were on course for a pretty certain podium. It's a tough one to take. It's unfortunately happened too many times this season, and, yeah, this is just where we are," he told the media.
Title race
'Yeah, yeah, I'd say so' when asked about title hopes
Russell's non-score allowed his teammate Kimi Antonelli to extend his championship lead over Russell by an even larger margin of 84 points.
After the race when asked if he thinks his title hopes are over, Russell said, " Yeah, yeah, I'd say so."
He added that he needed everything to go his way if he wanted to fight back but this weekend it hasn't happened.
Race results
Verstappen wins, Antonelli finishes 2nd at Bahrain Grand Prix
Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen won the rain-hit Bahrain Grand Prix, his first victory of the season.
He had also taken pole position and gave Red Bull a win with their own power unit despite an early setback.
Mercedes's Antonelli finished second, while Scuderia Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton was third despite a tire gamble that dropped him down to 18th at the start of the race.