George Russell remains upbeat that Mercedes have finally pinpointed and rectified the technical gremlins that have plagued his power unit ahead of the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix. After a disappointing weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, where he fell 50 points behind his title‑leading teammate Kimi Antonelli following a first‑lap retirement caused by contact with Lewis Hamilton, the British driver believes the incident and his overall poor performance were largely the result of persistent energy‑deployment issues with his engine.
During the two practice sessions at Spa, Russell encountered a noticeable straight‑line speed dip that compromised his lap times on the circuit's long, high‑speed sections. In addition, the start of the race was marred by a separate fault that affected all Mercedes‑powered cars, leaving him vulnerable to the pack behind and ultimately leading to the collision that ended his race prematurely. Despite these setbacks, Russell expressed confidence that Mercedes have gotten to the root of the problem and, crucially, have implemented a fix before the final pre‑summer race in Budapest. "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.
"We hope and we think we have got on top of it, so feeling more positive." He added that the team’s intensive diagnostics over the weekend gave them the clues they needed. "At the time we were not sure what it was but the team have worked so hard to really dig deep.
Spa gave us the right pointers of where to look, and once you focus on the right area it’s like pulling a needle out of a haystack. Fingers crossed the power‑unit issue is sorted, but we’ll find out this weekend." When asked whether his driving style might have contributed to the power loss, Russell dismissed that notion. "We think it was a software bug, not the way I was driving," he explained.
"It wasn’t the driving style that was contributing to the loss of power, so that’s at least one thing cleared up." Russell described his season as an "emotional rollercoaster". He entered the year as the clear favourite for the world championship, yet inconsistency in his own form and a string of reliability problems for Mercedes have turned the campaign into a psychological battle.
"It’s probably the toughest battle psychologically I’ve had," the 28‑year‑old admitted. "There have been so many ups and downs, things within my control that haven’t been great and things outside my control that have hampered progress." Nevertheless, he remains resilient.
"What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger," he said, adding that after the disappointment at Spa he feels positive and excited about the next race. "Three days later, after Spa, I feel proud of my resilience and I’m looking at future prospects, not past disappointment. Racing always gives you an opportunity just around the corner." The next opportunity arrives at the Hungaroring, a circuit that historically demands less outright power than tracks like Silverstone or Spa. Russell has a strong record there, having stood on the podium twice and secured his first career pole position in 2022.
He hopes to recapture the form that carried him to victory in Austria three races ago. "I felt good momentum coming out of Austria and Barcelona, especially after Monaco," he recalled. "Monaco was a low point, but then I got pole in Barcelona, P2 in the race, pole and win in Austria – that built real momentum, which was halted at Silverstone and Spa. I hope I can continue from where we left off in Austria." Looking ahead to Budapest, Russell expressed genuine enthusiasm.
"I’m just looking forward to coming into Budapest. It’s a circuit I like and it will be a real challenging weekend," he said.
He noted that the Hungaroring is one of the least power‑sensitive venues on the calendar, which could play to Mercedes’ advantage if the engine issue is truly resolved. "Ferrari are close behind with a better chassis than power unit at the moment, so you can expect them to be competitive here," he added. "Kimi’s performing super well every weekend, so it won’t be straightforward, but I’m excited for it." Despite Antonelli’s growing lead in the championship, Russell insisted that the title is still very much up for grabs. "For sure I can still win it," he affirmed.
"We’re not even halfway through the season. Four races ago I was a lot more points behind, even with the Spa disappointment. I’m feeling a lot more positive, excited for the weekend ahead, and I hope to focus on driving fast." The schedule for the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend is packed with support series action, starting Friday with F3 and F2 practice sessions, followed by qualifying for both categories and the first F1 practice. Saturday features an F3 sprint, F2 sprint, and the crucial F1 qualifying session that will set the grid for Sunday’s race.
The Sunday programme includes the F3 feature race, Porsche Supercup, F2 feature race, and finally the Grand Prix itself, with post‑race analysis and highlights later in the afternoon. All sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW for viewers without a contract. In summary, Russell heads into Budapest with renewed optimism that Mercedes have finally ironed out the technical issues that cost him dearly at Spa.
He is eager to translate the momentum he felt after his Austrian triumph into a strong result on a circuit that favours driver skill and chassis balance over raw engine power. If the power‑unit problem is indeed solved, the British driver could well be back in contention for podiums – and perhaps even the championship – as the season enters its second half.