George Russell has placed the blame for his early exit from the Belgian Grand Prix on a power shortfall in his Mercedes, which left him vulnerable to a first‑lap incident with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. The British driver, who qualified third on the grid, managed to hold his position through the opening corner but was soon overtaken by Hamilton.
As the two cars approached the end of the long Kemmel Straight, Russell found himself side‑by‑side with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. According to Russell, the problem began when his car’s engine lost boost just before the straight’s final braking zone. "I was completely swallowed up down the straight," he told Sky Sports F1, noting that the loss of power caused him to drop three places into Turn Five.
He attempted to retake third place by moving to the outside of Hamilton, but the two cars made contact, sending the Mercedes into the gravel and ending his race. While the stewards handed Hamilton a five‑second penalty for causing the collision, Russell expressed greater frustration with his own machinery than with the former teammate.
"The incident was a racing incident, but it shouldn't have happened if I had the speed down the straight," he said, adding that both he and Hamilton might have taken different lines – perhaps he could have gone a little wider, or Hamilton could have braked a fraction earlier. "Very, very disappointed," Russell concluded. The power issue that Russell highlighted had already been a talking point after qualifying on Saturday, where he trailed his teammate Kimi Antonelli by more than half a second, qualifying fourth while Antonelli secured pole. Russell has been puzzled in recent weeks about why he cannot match Antonelli’s pace.
Initially, he suggested that his driving style might be costing him time in the new‑generation 2026 cars, but after Saturday’s session he retracted that theory, indicating that the problem lay elsewhere. When asked how the team plans to address the deficiency, Russell said, "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 comments underline the frustration of seeing a competitive car lose its advantage 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, resulting in reduced straight‑line performance. Wolff explained that Mercedes not only builds its own engines but also supplies McLaren, Alpine and Williams, meaning the problem could have wider implications across the grid.
"The accident was unfortunate for us. We lost a lot of constructors' points and George's drivers' points," Wolff told Sky Sports F1.
"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." Despite the setback, Wolff emphasized that the Mercedes power unit remains the most powerful on the grid and that the car is capable of winning races. He stressed that the team is working tirelessly to minimise mistakes, acknowledging that human error can still lead to incidents even with the best equipment.
"We are trying our best as a team. We have the most powerful power unit, a strong car that is capable of winning.
Everyone is giving their maximum to minimise the mistakes and still it happens because we are humans at work," he said. Mercedes has demonstrated superior pace over the first ten rounds of the season, often posting the fastest lap times. However, reliability concerns have prevented the team from converting that speed into a commanding points lead. Russell’s retirement at Spa 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 potential victory into a points‑less finish. Wolff reflected on the cumulative effect of these setbacks: "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 head to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix, with all sessions broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 starting Friday.
Fans can stream the coverage via NOW, with no contract required and the option to cancel at any time. The upcoming race will provide Mercedes an opportunity to demonstrate whether the power‑unit issues have been resolved and if they can finally translate their speed advantage into a dominant points haul, while Russell hopes to regain the confidence that was shaken by the Belgian incident.