George Russell delivered damning title verdict after latest setback

A RacingNews365 poll revealed that nearly 64 percent of readers believe George Russell has no realistic hope of winning the 2026 drivers' championship. The verdict comes after a power unit failure forced Russell to retire from the race in Malaysia while on course for a podium finish. Russell now trails his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli by 84 points after 16 rounds of the season.

Russell's title pursuit faces further complications as Mercedes confirmed he will incur a grid penalty in Singapore, forcing him to start from the back of the field. In the reader poll, only 3.37 percent maintained that Russell could still launch a comeback, while nearly 33 percent felt his chances were nearly extinguished.