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Alex Albon has heaped praise on close friend George Russell, saying that people do not realise the hard work he puts in behind the scenes at Mercedes.
The British driver is facing new pressure in 2026 as he finds himself in a position to fight for the world championship. Russell was backed as the favourite, as Mercedes were expected to have the fastest package under the new regulations.
That has proven to be true as the Silver Arrows have won every race thus far, including the China Sprint. Russell won that race after taking victory in the season opener in Australia, but Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli is proving to be tough competition.
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The young Italian has won the last two races in China and Japan, taking the lead of the championship by nine points over Russell. As F1 returns this weekend in Miami, the Brit will be determined to get back on top.
Russell is not thinking about the title fight and is instead focused on his day-to-day commitments. But he will be pushing hard behind the scenes, and Albon thinks that work goes unnoticed.
Alex Albon says people do not see the work ‘perfectionist’ George Russell does behind the scenes
Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, the Williams driver discussed Russell’s title chances and explained how driven he is behind the scenes.
“You think of it like, when we first joined Formula 1, he was at Williams and I was at Red Bull, Lando was at McLaren,” said Albon.
“And he’s been working very… I think he’s one of the most driven drivers I think I’ve ever met. I don’t think people realise just how much work he puts in behind the scenes.
“He is a perfectionist, and when he wants something, he’ll get it. And I respect that a lot about George. I think that it’s been a long time coming for him and now finally he’s kind of got that opportunity, which is amazing.
“Obviously, his teammate, [it] now feels like he stepped up his game for the most part. I’m kind of watching it from afar, from a couple laps down!”
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What do Mercedes think about the 2026 F1 title fight?
The 2026 season may be just three races in, and the title fight is still wide open, but Russell’s battle with Antonelli might be bigger than some anticipate.
The latter is clearly taking the fight to his teammate under the new regulations and has newfound confidence. Nigel Mansell says everyone is backing Antonelli in his quest to become F1’s youngest ever champion.
Is George Russell RUTHLESS enough to win an F1 title?
Bradley Lord wants Russell and Antonelli to be ‘intense’ and have ‘all-out competition’ until the end of the season. It would seem that Mercedes are keen to let them fight it out for the championship.
Jenson Button says Russell is ‘very calm’ about the championship battle, but Antonelli may give him some cause for concern if his strong start to the season continues.
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