Jolyon Palmer's Analysis F1 Unlocked George Russell

PALMER: Why Russell should take heart from the Montreal weekend, despite his devastating DNF

When you take a step back and judge George Russell’s race weekend on it’s merits, it was almost faultless and exactly what he needed, writes former Renault F1 driver Jolyon Palmer.

May 26, 2026 4:53pm UTC

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - MAY 23: George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team on the

George Russell’s battery failure on Lap 30 of the Canadian Grand Prix ended a spectacular battle and handed Kimi Antonelli a sizeable points lead in the championship. Whilst George will be gutted, when the dust settles he’ll recognise that there were still plenty of reasons for him to leave Montreal with his head held high.

There’s a natural, yet almost unfair expectation on George right now – similar to that which Lando Norris had early last year.