Martin Brundle Pinpoints the Exact Moment George Russell Lost the Title Fight

Former Formula 1 driver and TV analyst Martin Brundle believes George Russell's world championship hopes have completely evaporated following his retirement from the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang.

The Briton fell 84 points adrift of Andrea Kimi Antonelli after an engine failure on his W17 forced him out of the race while his teammate finished second. That gap grew to 89 points following the Singapore sprint, and today's main race has seen it stretch further to 102 points.

Russell's woes were compounded when Mercedes confirmed an engine change penalty for the Singapore Grand Prix. The FIA handed down a 60-place grid penalty, consigning him to the back of the grid, though he still battled his way into the points-paying positions by the chequered flag.

Russell's chances had already been hanging by a thread, despite a victory in Azerbaijan that temporarily trimmed the deficit to 66 points. In the Singapore sprint race, he took the lead from Max Verstappen into Turn 1, but ran onto the slippery painted lines on a damp track at the final corner and crashed into the wall on the opening lap.

Brundle is convinced his compatriot's title aspirations effectively came to an end at Sepang.

Following his mechanical DNF, Russell also conceded that his odds of overhauling Antonelli had become virtually impossible.