Coulthard: Russell's 2026 F1 season is a character-building ordeal

George Russell's 2026 Formula 1 season has become a "character-building" challenge due to relentless bad luck, according to former driver David Coulthard. Russell trails teenage team-mate Kimi Antonelli by 59 points in the standings. Russell won the Australian Grand Prix and Chinese sprint, but has since suffered technical problems, penalties, an engine failure, and an anti-stall glitch. Coulthard noted on the Up To Speed podcast that experience can be a downside, while youth benefits from not knowing the challenges. Coulthard compared Russell's situation to a tennis player overthinking an easy shot, and said even Sylvester Stallone wouldn't write a Rocky comeback from such punches. He added that Max Verstappen's 2025 recovery shows a points deficit can be overcome.