George Russell admits he must improve to keep title hopes alive

George Russell has admitted he needs to improve if he is to remain in contention for the Formula 1 world championship this season. The Mercedes driver trails his teenage teammate Kimi Antonelli by 25 points after nine rounds, having started the year as the clear favourite.

Although Russell closed the gap with a second-place finish at the British Grand Prix, he acknowledged that his performance level has not been good enough. He described being "still struggling to understand this car" and said he needs to work better with his team to maximise results.

Russell's admission

Speaking after Silverstone, Russell said: "If I want to fight for the championship, the performances need to be better. I need to be better. I need to be working better with my team." He noted that while the car felt good, the lap times were slow, and external factors contributed to his result.

• Russell trails Kimi Antonelli by 25 points in the drivers' standings.
• He finished second at the British Grand Prix, gaining 18 points on Antonelli.
• Antonelli suffered an engine failure in Barcelona and a technical issue at Silverstone.
• Lewis Hamilton is just seven points behind Russell in the standings.
• Ferrari closed the gap to Mercedes in the Constructors' Championship to 78 points.

What's next

The F1 season continues with the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on July 17-19, live on Sky Sports F1. Russell stressed that he must focus on his own improvement rather than worrying about rivals, saying: "I've got my own things I need to deal with and improve upon."