George Russell has offered an insight into the difficulties behind his inconsistent 2026 campaign, suggesting that Formula 1’s latest technical regulations have exposed a mismatch between his natural driving style and the demands of the new generation of cars.

The Mercedes driver arrives in Mexico City second in the championship, but his position has been overshadowed by the remarkable progress of teammate Kimi Antonelli, who is closing in on his maiden drivers’ title.

With five race weekends remaining, the Italian’s consistency has left Russell reflecting on a season that promised considerably more.

At the heart of his difficulties, Russell believes, is the energy management required by the new power units. His instinct has always been to preserve momentum through the middle of a corner before accelerating early on the exit.

However, the 2026 engines place greater emphasis on energy harvesting, meaning his preferred approach can prove less efficient.

Rear tyre pressures have presented a further complication. Higher operating pressures have made it more difficult to extract performance from the rear tyres under acceleration, further compromising his natural approach.

The resulting inconsistency has been particularly frustrating. Russell cites Monaco as a difficult weekend, followed by Barcelona, where he topped every practice session before securing pole position.

Such contrasting performances have made the underlying problem difficult to identify. As Russell acknowledges, finding an explanation is one thing; discovering how to reproduce the performances consistently is quite another.