By: At the end of the Mexico City Grand Prix, two utterly different post-race scenes unfolded in the Mercedes garage. On one side was the celebration and joy of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, crowned world champion at the age of 20: the youngest champion of all time. On the other was the outpouring of George Russell, who crossed the line sixth, still with much to discover about the new Formula 1 cars.
The tears
Tears ran down the faces of both drivers, but the emotions behind them were very different. George Russell’s tears were particularly striking because of when and where they came. Having just climbed out of the car, the Briton went to congratulate Andrea Kimi Antonelli on his newly achieved milestone. Then, back in the garage, his emotions gave way to cathartic tears.
Sixth place in Mexico was tainted by yet another technical problem. Andrea Kimi Antonelli was on the podium, with race-winning potential, while George was once again left outside the top five, having never shown the pace during the race to fight with the frontrunners. The story of the championship, the story of the season.
The tears flowed. It did not matter how much time he had had to prepare himself to witness Antonelli’s triumph. It did not really matter how resigned he had become. Andrea Kimi Antonelli celebrated, lifted into the air by Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The tears flowed, and there was nothing that could stop them.
The admission
Despite the celebrations already being under way, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff found time for an embrace, followed by an apology. After the race, the Austrian would make an important admission: “We let him down.” Russell’s season has been full of problems. When the car was at its best, George was missing, and when George was there, a technical issue often had to be dealt with.
Before arriving in Mexico, Wolff had said that the team would do everything over the weekend to put the Briton in the best possible position, to help him understand the car and to give him one last opportunity. By then, it was only a matter of time. Russell would not lift the title this year, but the team wanted to give him back the chance to lose with dignity. To allow him to rediscover himself and launch himself towards the new season.
The failure
The team failed in that. Toto Wolff acknowledged it too: “We let him down again.” Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell are two contrasting portraits from the same garage: triumph and Mercedes failure. Two portraits filled with tears. Tears that express more than a thousand words ever could.
Cover photo: Mercedes
Inside photo: Adam Cooper
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Mexican GP 2026
