George Russell has placed the blame for his early exit from the Belgian Grand Prix squarely on a power shortfall in his Mercedes, which left him exposed to a first‑lap clash with Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari. The British driver qualified third on the grid and managed to hold that position through the opening corner, only to be overtaken by Hamilton.
As the pack approached the end of the long Kemmel Straight, Russell found himself side‑by‑side with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. According to Russell, his car began to lose power at the very end of the straight, causing him to brake later than usual. He tried to retake third place by moving to the outside of Hamilton, but the two cars made contact.
The impact sent the Mercedes sliding into the gravel trap, ending Russell’s race instantly. Even though the race stewards handed Hamilton a five‑second penalty for causing the incident, Russell told Sky Sports F1 that his frustration was directed more at his own machinery than at his former teammate. "I just got totally swallowed up down the straight," he said, noting that the loss of power cost him three positions before the collision and ultimately resulted in a 50‑point deficit to his teammate Kimi Antonelli, who went on to win the race. Russell explained that the lack of power was evident even before the race began.
In qualifying on Saturday, he was more than half a second off the pole‑sitting Antonelli, a gap he attributed to insufficient engine output rather than driver error. Over the past few weeks, Russell has been trying to pinpoint why he cannot match Antonelli’s pace. Initially, he thought his driving style might be the culprit, especially as the 2026 generation of cars demands a different approach to corner entry and throttle application.
However, after further analysis on race day at Spa, he concluded that his style was not the primary issue. When asked how the team plans to resolve the power problem, Russell emphasized the urgency: "I appreciate everyone is working hard to solve the problem, but I'm standing here on lap five of the race and it felt like I was in a good position to fight for the lead up to Turn One and then, suddenly, no power and it's all gone." His remarks underline the frustration of seeing a competitive car lose its edge at a critical moment. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff confirmed that the issue was not isolated to Russell’s car but affected all of the team’s power units, reducing straight‑line performance across the board.
Wolff reminded viewers that Mercedes supplies engines not only to its own works team but also to McLaren, Alpine and Williams. He said, "The accident was unfortunate for us.
We lost a lot of constructors' points and George's drivers' points. We had an issue on all Mercedes engines that we lacked the power out on the straights. That hit him badly and it 100 per cent goes on us." Wolff added that despite the setback, Mercedes still believes it possesses the most powerful power unit and a strong chassis capable of winning races.
He stressed that the team is putting maximum effort into minimizing mistakes, but acknowledged that human error and technical failures are inevitable in a sport as complex as Formula 1. The broader picture for Mercedes this season has been one of dominance in outright speed but recurring reliability woes.
The team has consistently posted the fastest lap times over the first ten rounds, yet mechanical gremlins have prevented them from translating that speed into a comfortable points cushion. Russell’s retirement in Belgium marks his second DNF of the year, following an engine failure in Canada. Antonelli, meanwhile, suffered an engine failure in Barcelona and a wheel‑guard failure at Silverstone that turned a likely victory into a points‑free finish. Wolff reflected on the cumulative impact of these retirements: "We let Kimi down at Silverstone where George got a podium, which is maybe better than the result should have been.
Then one DNF for Montreal, the other in Barcelona. That's a little bit of the story of our season.
It's a technical sport, a mechanical sport. We came out with a product [power unit] that is so strong and I'd rather fix the reliability rather than accelerate a slow engine, or slow car.
We are giving it 100 per cent and need to give it 100 per cent because we lost a lot of points with reliability. We should be much further ahead than we are." Looking ahead, Formula 1 will move to the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest, with all sessions broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Fans can stream the coverage via NOW, with no long‑term contract required.
The upcoming race offers Mercedes another chance to demonstrate that their power unit can deliver both the speed and the reliability needed to compete for championships, while Russell hopes that any lingering power issues will be resolved before he returns to the front of the grid.