Claire Williams is worried about George Russell.

      Before the start of the 2026 season, Claire Williams was confident that George Russell was the main contender for the championship title. But now, with seven Grands Prix behind, and the British Mercedes driver sitting only third in the standings, she has to adjust her opinion somewhat.

      Participating in another episode of the High Performance Racing podcast, Claire Williams admitted that she underestimated the scale of Kimi Antonelli's talent, who has already achieved five victories and leads the championship.

      “At the beginning of the season, I was completely sure that this would be George's year,” Williams, who once served as team principal of Williams, said. “I think I underestimated Kimi, but I believe many underestimated him back then. And I really believe that in Formula 1, some people are luckier than others.

      For many years, I have seen this at Williams. Sometimes there are situations that resemble a lottery when it rains or a safety car appears on the track. Our team has never been lucky in those moments, while some other teams have been. It wasn't that we made mistakes or chose the wrong tactics. We just weren't lucky – that's all.

      And I worry about George. I don't think he lacks talent – I believe he's just unlucky. And it concerns me that sometimes bad luck can follow a person for a long time. I don't want that to happen to George because he deserves the title.”