‘No idea what happened on that pit exit’ – George Russell reflects on spin and Mercedes title win in 2026 Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix

George Russell admits he has “no idea what happened on that pit exit” after suffering a spin in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, but has hailed Mercedes’ performance this year after the team secured the Constructors’ Championship.

Russell just missed out on pole for Sunday’s 71-lap race at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, but started P7 due to a five-place grid penalty for an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) change.

Having moved up to fourth during a wet opening, Russell spun on the exit of the pit lane after switching to slick tyres, eventually recovering undamaged but having lost several positions.

The Briton charged up the order and was the first to switch back to intermediate tyres as rain fell again in the closing stages, eventually finishing fourth after being allowed ahead by Mercedes team mate, Kimi Antonelli.

The result means Mercedes have claimed the teams’ title for the first time since 2021, with Russell having joined the team in 2022.

“An incredible achievement from everyone in the team. We had four tough years, and to come through and take the championship is really, really great,” said Russell.

“Obviously, it was a bit of an up-and-down race. I have no idea what happened on that pit exit. I probably just took too much risk, because I was seeing an opportunity to go for the win at that point, but it happened.

“Ironically, because that happened, I then didn’t pit for another set of slick tyres, and it kind of put me back in the same position as I was before the incident. The most important [thing] is we got the championship sealed.”

Russell sits third in the drivers’ standings, 17 points behind Max Verstappen after the Red Bull driver surged from P21 to second during the Grand Prix.

Despite missing out on the rostrum, Russell was pleased with the general performance of the Mercedes and admitted finding pace was his priority ahead of another title tilt in 2027.

“It’s been a very positive weekend in terms of my performance. I’m probably more happy coming away from the weekend, because the performance was good,” he said.

“At this stage, I care more about the performance than I care about the result, because that’s what’s been my weak point.

“The performance yesterday was great, the performance on the soft tyre was really great today, but obviously I did make that mistake. It probably would have been a very different picture if we’d have started P2, but yeah…”