F1 News: George Russell Optimistic Red Bull Dominance Won't Last Until 2026

George Russell has given hope to fans that racing will become more competitive before the regulation changes in 2026 despite Red Bull's current dominance.

Mercedes F1 driver George Russell is optimistic that teams will be able to dramatically close the gap to Red Bull before the regulation change in 2026, citing Aston Martin's incredible turn-around from 2022 to 2023 as the perfect example. 

Red Bull has won every race of the 2023 season so far and on top of Max Verstappen breaking the record for the number of consecutive race wins with his tenth in Monza, the Dutch driver now faces taking the drivers' championship title at the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix. 

Despite comments from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc who believes the Austrian team will continue to dominate until 2026, Russell explained during an interview with PlanetF1, that although it will be difficult, it can be done. He said:

“I mean, when you look at the turn in form that Aston Martin had over last winter, the turn of form that McLaren has had, that definitely gives optimism that it can happen.

“Obviously Red Bull are going to continue to improve, it’s going to be difficult for sure. But you know, we saw Red Bull catch Mercedes in the Mercedes era in 2021 and that was sort of unforeseen as well as 2020 from Mercedes was a really dominant year. Then in 2021, Red Bull starts with the quickest car.

“We’ll be pushing for that but we’re not going to put any huge expectations on next year. We will sort of take it race by race, making sure we get all of the right information to make the best decisions possible between now and the Bahrain test next year.”

Mercedes is currently second in the constructors' championship with 273 points with Ferrari and Aston Martin behind in third and fourth with 228 and 217 points, respectively. 

Here is how to watch the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix.