George Russell reacts to devastating Bahrain Grand Prix retirement: 'I'm pretty used to this'

George Russell admits he is getting used to bad luck after his F1 title hopes took a huge blow at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The British star was already struggling to haul in his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli despite winning last weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which took him 66 points behind the Italian.

But the gap was still well over two race wins behind the 20-year-old, meaning he had to keep scoring big points in the Mercedes intra-team battle to keep his title hopes strong.

At Sepang that was already looking unlikely when he was running third behind Antonelli, having been passed by him during the race following an earlier overtake at the very start of the race in wet conditions.

But on course for third place, with Max Verstappen winning for Red Bull, Russell's engine spectacularly shutdown on the start-finish straight under the safety car with just six laps to go.

It leaves Russell in an even bigger hole in the championship battle as he now trails Antonelli by 84 points with just seven races to go.

READ MORE: Wolff angry after 'worst' Mercedes race at Bahrain GP

Russell reacts to more bad luck

Having been handed harsh penalties in Monaco, retired due to technical issues while battling for the lead in Canada, punted off the road on the first lap in Belgium and then suffered anti-stall issues in Hungary that put him at the back of the pack, Russell certainly hasn't had a lot of luck during 2026.

Reflecting on his latest gremlin to rob him of points, Russell told Sky Sports: “You’ve almost got to laugh. I’m beyond disappointment. It’s just so many times this season it’s happened.

“It’s a real shame, but we just keep on fighting. Just keep on trying to go.

“The podium looked very certain. Solid race, not amazing race, but solid race.

“Not the first time, so I’m pretty used to this feeling and these questions."

F1 RESULTS: Bahrain GP: Final classification with all penalties applied

READ MORE: Horner congratulates Verstappen and Red Bull after his RBPT project achieves first F1 win

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