George Russell has expressed feeling “numb to the disappointment” following further issues at the Belgian Grand Prix, which resulted in him losing significant ground to teammate Kimi Antonelli in the championship standings. Russell’s race at Spa-Francorchamps ended on the first lap after a collision with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who received a penalty for the incident.
Antonelli secured his sixth victory in 10 races this season, effectively doubling his championship lead over Russell. Russell noted that he has become accustomed to such problems, referencing a series of technical difficulties he has encountered throughout the year that have contributed to Antonelli’s lead.
Race Incidents and Technical Challenges
Russell’s difficulties this season include technical problems during qualifying in China, a safety car intervention in Japan that altered the race outcome, a retirement from the lead in Canada, and unresolved issues concerning pit-lane speeding penalties in Monaco. Following the British Grand Prix, where Antonelli faced his second problem in three races, Russell had suggested that the issues between the two cars had largely balanced out. At that point, he believed his 25-point deficit was a fair reflection of their season-long performance.
However, the events at Spa-Francorchamps quickly changed this perspective. Russell described making a strong start and a good first corner, positioning himself behind Max Verstappen. Despite this, he reported that his car’s battery failed to recharge at Turn One, leading to a significant reduction in electrical energy and a boost problem with the turbo, causing a loss of power.
He stated that by the time he reached the top of Eau Rouge, his battery was at 0%, which he considered dangerous. This lack of power left him vulnerable, allowing three cars to overtake him. Russell attributed the incident with Hamilton to a racing incident, acknowledging Hamilton was more to blame but did not act recklessly. His primary frustration stemmed from being in a compromised position due to his car’s performance issues.
This engine problem emerged after a weekend where Mercedes had been investigating another issue. During Friday practice, Russell was more than a second slower than Antonelli, with the team initially attributing this to his driving style. They suggested his less comfortable handling of the car in corners led to more corrections, costing momentum and speed, which then required more battery energy. This resulted in him having less battery charge than Antonelli in the final sector, leading to time loss on the flat-out section.
By qualifying, Russell had significantly reduced this gap in his driving, yet an unexplained engine power anomaly persisted. A similar phenomenon was observed at McLaren, another team using Mercedes engines, affecting Oscar Piastri compared to Lando Norris. The deployment issue during the race, while related to energy, was identified as a new problem.
Team’s Perspective and Support
Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, acknowledged that the team had let Russell down at the Belgian Grand Prix. He stated that a lack of power on the straights affected all Mercedes engines, but it particularly impacted Russell. Wolff took full responsibility, saying, “That bit him [Russell] badly and it goes 100% on us.”
Wolff affirmed the team’s complete support for Russell, noting that half of his difficult weekend could be attributed to the power unit’s underperformance, with the other half potentially related to driving. He emphasized that the team shares in both successes and failures, stating that the issues on this occasion were the team’s mistake.
Wolff expressed understanding for Russell’s emotional reaction to being out of the race, recognizing the frustration involved. He indicated plans to speak with Russell to help him maintain a positive mindset ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the final race before the F1 summer break. Wolff highlighted the honour of driving for Mercedes and the importance of constructor points in their competition against Ferrari.
He hopes Russell’s “numb feeling goes away” and that the team can help rebuild optimism. Wolff mentioned his long-standing relationship with Russell, allowing him to understand the frustrations, and assured that the team is fully behind him. He also noted that a lack of straight-line performance, unexpected by Mercedes, made it harder for Antonelli to challenge Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for the lead after an ill-timed virtual safety car.
Antonelli’s Victory and Broader Engine Challenges
Despite Russell’s misfortune, Antonelli’s performance throughout the weekend was strong. He appeared more comfortable with the car and maintained a winning pace, even when a virtual safety car allowed Leclerc to briefly take the lead. Antonelli also experienced Mercedes’ battery deployment issue on the first lap, which may have contributed to Verstappen passing him before Eau Rouge.
Antonelli described the start as “crazy,” expressing confusion as Verstappen passed him, only for him to regain the position, and then seeing Leclerc almost alongside. He focused on holding his track position amidst the chaos. He acknowledged that such issues are common across most teams due to the complexity of this year’s engines, which split power nearly 50/50 between internal combustion and electrical energy, leading to inherent energy starvation.
Antonelli noted that sometimes the system behaves differently, and while driving can play a role, the complexity of the system makes perfection challenging. He agreed that Russell faced a slight issue during the weekend and expressed confidence that it would be addressed for Budapest. Antonelli’s pit stop coincided with a virtual safety car deployment, which allowed Ferrari to pit Leclerc and keep him ahead, as stopping under a virtual safety car reduces race time loss.
Hamilton, who received a five-second penalty for the collision with Russell, also considered it a racing incident and plans to discuss it with Russell. He stated that he would text Russell later, emphasizing that coming together with a teammate or respected former team is undesirable.
Looking Ahead to Hungary
The Hungarian Grand Prix is the next race on the calendar, serving as the final event before the four-week summer break.
Source: bbc.com