George Russell has criticized Mercedes’ power unit problems after crashing out of the Belgian Grand Prix early following a catastrophic loss of straightaway speed following a collision with Lewis Hamilton. The British driver became angry as he reported that he had been “overtaken by three drivers” and compared his speed to that of a Formula 2 car, and directly blamed it for the recurring electrical problems that have plagued his recent performances.
Starting from third on the grid, Russell made an impressive launch at the start, trailing Max Verstappen through Turn 1. However, his race ended almost immediately due to serious battery and turbo failure. Describing the incident, Russell revealed: “I had a good start. I made a great first corner and I got right behind Verstappen, but for whatever reason the battery decided not to recharge at Turn 1. So I went around the first corner, the battery didn’t charge and I went out of the first corner and I was 35% down – and because of that, because it didn’t charge, I also had boost problems. The turbo didn’t fix itself. That’s why I had no power. On top of the eau rouge, I shouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place, so I’m just angry.
The Mercedes driver’s lack of pace left him exposed on the Kemel Strait, where he soon found himself embroiled in a side-by-side battle with Hamilton through Les Combes. The ensuing contact ended Russell’s race in the gravel trap, while Hamilton was given a five-second penalty for the incident. Yet Russell made it clear that the real culprit was not his teammate, but a technical failure. “I was going slower than an F2 car, three drivers overtook me. Left me vulnerable,” Russell told Viaplay.
Reflecting on the clash with Hamilton, Russell said: “Honestly, I think it was a racing incident. He didn’t do it on purpose. Yes, he was more culpable than me, but he didn’t do anything negligent. It was one of those things, I’m just angriest that I was in that position in the first place. I was in a great position coming out of Turn 1 and I was ready to fight the two guys ahead of me until Turn 5. Instead I got stuck by three drivers.
The Belgian GP added another chapter to Russell’s frustrating battle with an ongoing power deficit, an issue that has seen him perform worse than Kimi Antonelli throughout the season. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff expressed hope before the race that the team had identified the root cause of the engine problems, saying: “I really hope we have found the root cause of the engine. There is something that we saw that should hopefully go away today.” However, Russell’s race ended before any improvements could be tested.
With his championship deficit growing – at 25 points before the race – Russell was clearly frustrated. “I appreciate everyone working hard to solve the problem – I was standing here on lap five of the race and I thought I was in a good position to fight for the lead into Turn 1, and then suddenly there’s no power and it’s all over,” he told Sky Sports F1. Russell’s blunt self-assessment summed up the mood: he described himself as “numb with disappointment” as he left Spa-Francorchamps, with his title hopes diminished even further.
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