George Russell remains upbeat that Mercedes have finally pinpointed and rectified the technical gremlins that have been hampering his power unit ahead of the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring. The British driver, who fell 50 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli after a first‑lap incident at Spa‑Francorchamps, believes the collision and his overall under‑performance over the weekend were largely the result of persistent energy‑deployment issues with his engine.
During the two‑day practice session at Spa, Russell encountered a noticeable straight‑line speed anomaly that reduced his top‑end performance on the circuit’s long lap. In addition, the start of the race was compromised by a separate fault that affected all Mercedes‑powered cars, leaving him vulnerable to the pack behind and ultimately resulting in contact with Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari.
Russell explained that these problems were not caused by his driving style but appeared to stem from a software glitch within the power unit. Despite the setbacks, Russell expressed confidence that the team have now dug deep enough to uncover the root cause.
"We’re pretty confident we’ve got on top of the issues we had in Spa and it should be easy to resolve," he said, adding that the clues gathered at the Belgian venue gave the engineers a clear direction for their investigations. He likened the search for the fault to "pulling a needle out of a haystack," suggesting that once the correct area was identified, the solution became apparent. "Fingers crossed the power‑unit problem is solved – we’ll find out this weekend," he added.
Russell also addressed speculation about whether his driving contributed to the loss of power. He dismissed that notion, stating, "We think it was a software bug.
It wasn’t the driving style that was contributing to the loss of power, so that’s something at least." The driver emphasized that the issue was technical rather than operational, and that the team’s hard work over the past weeks had finally borne fruit. Reflecting on his season, Russell described it as an "emotional rollercoaster" marked by flashes of brilliance interspersed with reliability setbacks from the Mercedes chassis. He acknowledged the psychological toll of such volatility, calling it "the toughest battle psychologically" he has faced in his career. Yet he also highlighted his resilience, noting that adversity has made him stronger.
"What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger," he said, expressing pride in his ability to bounce back after the disappointment at Spa. Looking ahead to Budapest, Russell is eager to test the car on a circuit that is less dependent on outright power than Spa or Silverstone, where he first noticed the straight‑line speed dip. The Hungaroring’s tighter, more technical layout should play to the strengths of a well‑balanced chassis, offering a chance for Mercedes to capitalize on any improvements made to the power unit.
Russell recalled his past success at the venue, mentioning his two podium finishes and his maiden pole position in 2022, and he hopes to replicate that form. He also spoke about the momentum he felt after winning the Austrian Grand Prix three races ago. "I felt some good momentum coming out of Austria and Barcelona, especially after Monaco," he explained.
"Monaco was a very low point for me, but the pole in Barcelona, the P2 in the race, the pole and win in Austria gave me a real boost. That momentum was interrupted by Silverstone and Spa, but I hope to pick it up again in Hungary." Russell remains realistic about the competition. He acknowledged that Ferrari currently possesses a chassis advantage, which could make the Hungarian Grand Prix a close contest.
"We know it’s one of the least power‑sensitive circuits of the season. Ferrari have a better chassis than power unit at the moment, so you can expect them to be competitive here," he said.
He also praised Antonelli’s consistent performances, noting that while the Italian teammate leads the championship, the season is far from over. "We’re not even halfway through yet.
It’s just been so up and down this whole season. Four races ago I was a lot more points behind in the championship than I am right now, even with the disappointments of Spa," Russell remarked.
Optimism remains high as the team prepares for the final pre‑summer race. Russell concluded with a forward‑looking statement: "I’m just looking forward to coming into Budapest.
It’s a circuit I like. It’s going to be a real challenging weekend, but I feel positive and excited for the weekend ahead and hopefully now I can just focus on driving quick." He reaffirmed his belief that the title is still within reach, stating, "For sure I can still win it." The weekend schedule includes multiple support series, with F3 and F2 practice and qualifying sessions, as well as the main Formula 1 event on Sunday. All sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, and viewers can stream the coverage via NOW without a contract, canceling at any time.