Patrese is blunt: “Russell always has excuses – that’s no champion”

Former Formula 1 driver Riccardo Patrese, a six-time Grand Prix winner and 1992 World Championship runner-up with 256 race starts, has sharply criticized Mercedes driver George Russell, stating that Russell always makes excuses when things go wrong and that this is not the mindset of a champion. Patrese's comments come in the context of 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli outperforming the more experienced Russell at Mercedes during the current season. Russell also recently retired from the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, which he subsequently explained publicly.