George Russell has openly admitted that he has never endured a campaign as riddled with bad luck as the one he is currently experiencing, a sentiment he expressed after an engine malfunction turned his start at the Hungarian Grand Prix into a disaster. The British driver began the race from sixth place on the grid, ahead of his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli, but an unexpected anti‑stall activation forced his car to crawl forward as the lights went out. By the time he reached Turn 1, Russell had already been relegated to the back of the field.
Undeterred, he fought his way back through the pack and ultimately crossed the line in seventh position. However, the damage to his championship hopes was significant, as Antonelli, who now leads the drivers’ standings, sits 50 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton and 59 points clear of Russell.
"The issues are obvious, and the whole team feels them," Russell said, using strong language to describe his frustration. "Everyone in the garage is as angry as I am about how things have unfolded." Russell stressed the importance of introspection, noting that the team must examine whether any of their own actions are contributing to the spate of failures.
He referenced a recent gearbox problem suffered by Oscar Piastri, pointing out that Mercedes is not alone in dealing with technical gremlins, but the frequency of their own setbacks feels disproportionately high. "I hope the tide turns soon. I don’t wish any misfortune on anyone else, but I can honestly say I’ve never had a season like this, either in my broader motorsport career or in Formula 1 specifically," he added. According to Russell, the engine was revving erratically even before the start lights extinguished, a condition that left him barely on the throttle yet caused the car to surge wildly.
"I was holding the throttle lightly when the engine suddenly spiked, revving both extremely high and low at the same time. That’s what gave us the terrible start," he explained to Sky Sports F1. He described the incident as yet another chapter in a list of woes that have accumulated during the first half of the year, and he hopes the second half will bring a calmer, more predictable run.
Both Mercedes drivers have been plagued by reliability concerns this season, but Russell’s recent run of misfortunes has been especially pronounced. At the Canadian Grand Prix, a battery failure forced him to relinquish the lead he was battling for with Antonelli.
In Monaco, he was among five drivers mistakenly penalised for exceeding the speed limit in the pit lane. Moreover, he has complained about a deficit in straight‑line speed compared with Antonelli, a shortfall that culminated in a race‑ending collision at the Belgian Grand Prix earlier this month. While acknowledging that there are aspects within his control that need improvement, Russell also emphasized that many factors lie beyond his influence. "I’ve reached a point where I can’t afford to stay disappointed all the time.
If I keep feeling let down by every incident, I’ll be miserable every day. So I have to keep a positive mindset," he said. He praised the car’s pace when it was performing well, noting that the team had told him his speed was on par with the best on the grid—a level he hadn’t seen for roughly three races. "That gives me something to build on," he added, before lamenting the sheer volume of setbacks that have defined his season.
Compounding his challenges, Russell was compelled to replace his power unit before the Hungarian race after a crack was discovered in the engine during qualifying. This change could potentially trigger a grid‑penalty later in the year, a prospect that adds another layer of uncertainty to his campaign. Team principal Toto Wolff expressed a desire to avoid any further engine‑related penalties, stating that the team must carefully decide when and where to incur such penalties if they become unavoidable.
Looking ahead, the Formula 1 calendar resumes after the summer hiatus with a sprint weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix, scheduled for 21–23 August. All sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, and viewers can stream the coverage via NOW without a long‑term contract, with the option to cancel at any time. Russell hopes that the break will provide the team with the chance to resolve technical issues and that the upcoming races will finally allow him to showcase the true potential of his car, free from the string of mechanical and procedural mishaps that have haunted him this year.